Learn how to spot a puppy scam before its too late!
“Scam Likely… Call Received From Unknown Source.”
How many times does this message pop up on your phone every day? If you’re like me, it’s far more often than you’d prefer. It seems invisible enemies try nearly every day to trick us out of our money, identity, and even our comforts. One of the more common schemes that cyber thieves use is online puppy scams. They play on your emotions and take advantage of your trust to get to your wallet.
So how do you avoid a puppy scam online when it’s time to find a puppy? It helps to be aware of the most common puppy scams and the best strategies to avoid them when looking for your puppy. Responsible breeders find these scammers just as annoying as those being scammed, and we want to do our part in helping you learn how to avoid these pitfalls as you begin the search for your new fluffy family member.
Shopping Online
These days we love to shop for everything online. Even before Covid became a household word, many of us were moving more and more toward buying our essentials online in the name of convenience. When the coronavirus pandemic arrived in 2020 with massive lockdowns, it became necessary to order things online. These days we buy most of our basics and nearly all of our extras online. And why not? A store that I can browse in my pajamas and have items delivered to my door tomorrow, at no extra cost? Yes, please!
Amazon has become our regular go-to for shopping, and we only venture into big box stores when we can’t get what we need in a timely manner or if an item is out of stock online. I would venture to guess that this has become the new norm for many households, and it likely carries over to their search for the perfect new canine family member.
If you are looking for a perfect, most cuddly puppy, you probably started your search by googling “Sheepadoodle Puppies For Sale Near Me” or “Poochon Puppies for Sale Near Me” and then scanning the first page of results. You likely found a few local breeder pages, some big puppy listing sites like PuppyFinder, some classified pages, and hopefully, our Grace Wood Farm website. The options are sometimes overwhelming, and it can be challenging to navigate the wealth of data you are suddenly inundated with. How do you know which sites are real and which ones are just a trap designed to separate you from your hard-earned money? And of the real ones, what is the best option? Why does the process have to be so complicated?
Common Puppy Scams
While there are probably more scams circulating than we can count, there are some more common ways to get scammed when searching for your new puppy. The most common scam out there is for a dishonest person to use stock photos of puppies or even steal pictures, videos, and information from a legitimate breeder’s website to create a fake listing and then engage you in a phony sale. We’ve been told more than once that dishonest people have stolen images of our Grace Wood Farm Parent Dogs and Puppies from our website and created fake listings with them. Unfortunately, we usually find out about these listings after someone gets scammed and then reaches out to let us know. We always take action against these fake accounts, but we hate that honest people have to suffer before we find out about them. Our team actively monitors online puppy listing sites and social media groups to keep an eye out for these schemes, but we can’t always find them all before someone falls victim.
Another common puppy scam is less shady but still very dishonest. In this case, the scammer will sell you a real puppy but will lie about the puppy's breed, health, or genetics. When you finally discover the truth, it’s often too late to do anything. This one is a lot harder to avoid. Many irresponsible breeders or puppy mills will intentionally misrepresent information, selling you a puppy that is not healthy or has not been properly bred. These lies are carefully crafted by those determined to take advantage of unsuspecting people, making it even more important to ensure you are working with a legitimate, responsible breeder. You can usually avoid these common puppy scams by keeping an eye out for some common red flags.
Red Flag #1 - The Listings Are Posted As Classifieds
Many scammers don’t want to put in the time or effort to create an elaborate website for their fake listings, so they make quick posts on free classified sites like Craigslist. This process takes only a few minutes and will yield almost immediate results. Usually, the listing will say something about needing to rehome their puppy and include a sad story designed to pull on your heartstrings. There will often be a small rehoming fee, or the puppy will be free, but you pay a transport fee. Beware of these ads that seem too good to be true. The best resource is the breeder’s website if you want accurate information. A seasoned dog breeder knows that their website is their billboard and business card. They take the time to build a solid website, and they make sure that it is easy to find. Their business depends on it. If the person you are working with has no website, or it seems like their website was built by a middle schooler, steer clear. Even if you don’t get scammed in the sale, you could run into other issues that you can easily avoid by using a reputable breeder.
Red Flag #2 - Click Bait and Social Media Ads
Sometimes scammers aren’t even looking to lure you into a full-blown sales scheme. Sometimes their goal is simply to access your private information, and they happily use clickbait to get you engaged. It’s incredible what a scammer can do once they have your private details. While legitimate breeders sometimes run ads on reputable websites like Google, it’s best to investigate before entering any personal information. Do an internet search for the company, the name of the breeder, or even an email address to see what comes up. A good breeder knows how vital their contact information is, and they will make sure you can find it easily.
Red Flag # 3 - A Lack of History and Reviews
It’s also a good idea to read the consumer reviews for any company you work with. While this is good advice for any big purchase, it’s important when searching for a new pet. At Grace Wood Farm, we work very hard to maintain our reputation as the best Sheepadoodle breeder in the nation, and our Five-Star Google reviews speak for themselves. If you are talking with a breeder who has no reviews or primarily negative ones, we recommend that you end the conversation and look for a different breeder. It’s also good to search for the breeder’s name or the company name with the Better Business Bureau. Good breeders will have a history of happy clients and nothing to hide. A scammer wants to get quick access to your money and your information. They don’t have time to wait, and they don’t want you to have an opportunity to check them out. If you feel pressured to send money immediately, chances are you are in dangerous territory.
Red Flag #4 - Weird Payment Methods
In these days of online transactions, it is common to make purchases using payment processors like Paypal, Venmo, and Zelle. We frequently use these services when we need to get money to our families or friends quickly. The teenager forgot to ask for money for a school field trip? Paypal. My sisters want to buy Mom a joint birthday gift? Venmo. Even major banks like Wells Fargo now connect Zelle to their accounts for customers to transfer money to one another quickly. While we are accustomed to using these different payment methods, it is important to watch out for breeders asking you to use less common ones. It should immediately raise concerns if the breeder you are working with asks you to send payment via Western Union money transfer, money order, or prepaid gift cards. The common denominator for all of these methods is that it is nearly impossible to recover your funds once you have discovered the scam. Thieves are counting on this. They know you will figure them out eventually, so they need to grab the money and disappear before that happens.
Red Flag # 5 - Prices and Processes That Are Too Good To Be True
I have always been told to watch out for things that seem too good to be true because they usually are. This concept also applies to the search for your new puppy. We recommend that you research pricing for the dog breed you are looking for and keep that number in mind while talking with potential dog breeders. There will naturally be a range of prices, but anything drastically lower than all the others should immediately raise your suspicions. Responsible breeders make investments in their operations, and they know the worth of their puppies. A legitimate breeder has time and finances invested in every litter, and they typically are not willing to give their babies away for free (or anywhere close to it). I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for, and when it comes to a pet that is going to be a part of my home for ten to fifteen years, it is worth the investment to bring home a puppy that has good breeding and excellent care during that critical period of growth. Things like quality vet care, state-of-the-art facilities, and early neurological stimulation really make a difference in the dog's temperament as an adult, so you want to find a breeder who does it right.
It’s also worth noting if the process seems too easy or you aren’t asked any questions about your home and family. Legitimate dog breeders have a bond with their puppies, and they typically want to know that their puppies are going to good homes where they will be loved and properly cared for. It is natural for them to want to get to know you and what kind of lifestyle you have. This process helps the breeder see any red flags that may indicate that you will not be a good fit for their puppies. If you aren’t asked any questions, that is a significant cause for concern. Scammers don’t care whether or not you are safe. They just want what they can get from you and do it as quickly as possible.
Like all things in life, it can be very beneficial to trust your intuition in this situation. If the person feels off, the deal is too good to be true, or you don’t feel right about the process, move on. We recommend that you look for responsible dog breeders with reputations that speak for themselves. There are many legitimate breeders out there, and they are more than happy to work with you in the process. Putting time and effort into this process in the beginning can save you many days of heartache in the future.
The Grace Wood Farm Difference
Grace Wood Farm prides itself on being the gold standard in the dog breeding community. We are ranked the #1 Sheepadoodle breeder in the Nation by multiple sources, and we have the reviews to back it up. We have also been reviewed for quality by the Better Business Bureau, and we welcome you to check out our website for more information. We love interacting with past, current, and future clients via our Facebook and Instagram accounts, and we try to post pictures of our puppies daily. We get so much delight from seeing photos of our babies as they grow! You can always see what’s going on with Grace Wood Farm via our social media accounts. If you want to check out how we do things, you can find photos of our facilities, information about our locations, pictures of our parent dogs, and all of our policies at www.Gracewood.Farm. We highly recommend that you check out our Anti Puppy Mill Policy, and we hope that you will partner with us as we try to make a real difference in the dog breeding community.
We have been breeding Sheepadoodles for over six years, along with Poochons, Mini Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, and Maltipoos. These days we primarily focus on Standard Sheepadoodles, Mini Sheepadoodles, Micro Sheepadoodles, and Poochons, and we will soon be offering Micro Bernedoodles. We have South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Ohio locations.
For more information about Grace Wood Farm, please email gracewoodfarmsc@gmail.com or call 803-888-4149. We can’t wait to talk to you!
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