# is it wrong to buy a dog from gumtree/preloved etc?



## purpleisa (Nov 4, 2012)

Hi - can someone please tell me what is wrong with buying or selling a dog from these web sites under genuine circumstances? Seen a few threads about it and worried I'm missing something and being naive somehow.

Obviously I know there are some nasty people out there whose sole aim is making cash and often to the detriment of the animals who they are selling and care nothing about.
I bought Boo through gumtree. Her family had to give her up due to a child's medical condition. They were genuinely heart broken and her old mummy was very thorough in checking me out to make sure I was no puppy farmer! Once I was satisfied that Boo was the right dog for us and the seller was happy I bought her. I'm glad I handed over money as it was hard to feel Boo was "ours" at first and paying for her helped me to feel more entitled to her if you see what i mean. I must stress that both myself and the seller were very very very cautious and careful before going ahead.

I can see advantages to using gumtree as opposed to handing her in to sspca/rescue for boo being she went straight from one home to another so less upheaval and stress for her. The family giving her up got some cash to treat themselves as some sort of consolation (nothing can replace Boo for them but a little cash never goes wrong!). We avoided putting a strain on the already stretched rescue centres. And my family got a fantastic new member who is worth at least a million pounds! 
I know its not ideal to use this method - in an ideal world we would only be able to buy from reputable breeders and we would all be able to keep our puppies forever but sadly bad things do happen to good people and there are too many shady folk oot there.

So - is it wrong to buy a dog from gumtree?


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

purpleisa said:


> her old mummy was very thorough in checking me out


If all people did this there would be no problem. Unfortunately, with no controls in place it's buyers and sellers all taking advantage of each other with the dogs ultimately paying the price too frequently.

I don't think there is anything ultimately wrong buying a pup from a site like that IF you do your homework and they check you out as well to prove they want the best for the dog. We had the same getting Emma with German internet site. The previous owners questioning was worse than the rescues homecheck. However, no guarantee of traits, lies left, right and center and potentially covered up health issues are all risks.


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## Muze (Nov 30, 2011)

IMO, it's another of those 'it depends'.

I can see that if someone wants to, and is ready to, take on a dog and maybe cannot take on a rescue or afford a breeder may decide to go to the free-ads. So long as they know what to look for (ie. avoid unsuitable breeds, puppy farms, illegal breeds, dog with serious issues) and are prepared for any potential health and behavioural problem then I'd say proceed with caution.

OTOH, I think it can make it too easy to buy and sell dogs of questionable breeding, to anyone with the cash, good home or not.

Tricky situation I guess.


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## Dizzy Grace (May 2, 2012)

In my opinion your circumstances are absolutely fine and acceptable your dogs original owner spent the time and effort making sure your dog went to the right and best home it could and ideally that would happen for every dog rehomed via these pages, but it's not always the case. 

Sellers selling cheap or for free open themselves up to dog baiters wanting to take that dog. Apparently they often go to a lot of effort to make themselves seem like the ideal family home when in reality the dog will just be used and abused and thrown away after.. Also puppy farmers will buy cheap unspayed bitches and we all see the future those dogs can expect. Rescue offers some back up to that and it helps ensure dogs go to appropriate homes and aren't going to get passed on and on around people until it eventually ends up in a pound anyway.

Buyers can sometimes be passed off with sick or poorly socialised and uncared for dogs. Sadly I've seen that one happen a few times on a local facebook selling page. One lady took on a dog that turned out to have little bumps on its body. When taken to the vets it turned out to be a form of cancer. Treatment etc cost this family a lot of money, but they stuck by the dog, sadly it died at only 2 years old and the tragedy was that if it had been treated earlier it could have survived. Another lady I saw today bought a dog for £100 and after they got it home discovered it was very sick with parvo. The family couldn't afford to keep it and the person they bought from ignored their calls so the vet has taken it and goodness knows where it will end up now. 

Anyway just a few examples of the pitfalls of buying and selling dogs in this way. Some charities offer a service where they help to rehome a dog, but it doesn't leave it's home until it has a new home to go to. They take the responsibility to assess and support both sides and minimise the disruption for the dog. 

Personally I feel people should go to rescues, I took on my border collie as a free to a good home, in the end she cost more considerably more than if I had gone to a rescue centre as she wasn't spayed or vaccinated and there were a few complications for her. Not that I regret it at all, just with knowing what I do now and seeing so many horror stories lately, I think I was very lucky.


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## redginald (Aug 18, 2011)

I was scanning through these sites when looking for Bobby, we were after a French Bulldog and they don't seem to turn up in rescues, so searched in hope of a genuine rehome.

I came across an add where they had a 50/50 staff frenchy and wanted to part ex for a pedigree frenchy 

Another was selling their Chiuahua (i know thats spelt wrong but on my phone, can't Google  ) They said they wanted a Frenchy and would swap 


Can't get my head around how heartless some people can be


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

I don't feel that anything you did was 'wrong'.

That said, I simply do not like the notion of dogs being traded on a free site like gumtree as I fear there is too much chance of deception.

When buying a dog on a free site, you only ever know what the current owner tells you - and many, many people DO lie in this situation. Equally, as has been mentioned, buyers can be working hard to appear decent while actually just wanting dogs for fighting or breeding.

When I was looking to rehome a dog, I initially did scan gumtree and met one dog from there. The family seemed very nice but ultimately what they said simply didn't add up fully to me. That being said, if I'd fallen in love with the dog, maybe I would have gone for it.....?

I think if all the folk buying and selling dogs on free sites were as careful as you, then it would be a far better scenario 

Also: when rehoming via a rescue, there is some form of back up/support if one encounters any training issues or problems, so I think that's a key factor too.


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## purpleisa (Nov 4, 2012)

Thanks both! Good points there. I had been checking local rescues but since I have young children the right dog just never came up - a friend suggested gumtree and i looked a couple of times but thought most of the ads seemed a little "off". Then one day I was on it looking for something else but had a quick look and there she was. The ad had just been posted right that minute and so the story began...


I did worry for a while about her health cos sometimes she seemed too good to be true and she vomited a lot when she arrived. That has settled now though and they said her health had been perfect so far - and im sure that they were genuine - everything else checked out fine. 
For all I was careful and don't regret a thing - i doubt I wd even have looked at gumtree if i had joined this forum BEFORE getting a pet!!


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

I got Spencer from someone advertising him on Facebook. We're British military so the shelters generally won't touch us, too bad of a reputation for just ditching our pets when we get posted. That being the case we decided to keep an eye on the multiple rehoming groups on facebook as well as looking into breeders. 

It wouldn't be my first option for getting a dog and I'm honestly not sure where I stand on it. I got my dog from an ad on facebook and I have absolutely no regrets, he's fantastic, but I worry that by buying him I just enabled his previous owners to get another dog. Which is exactly what they did a few weeks later. I've also found it it's not the first time they've done it.


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## sligy (Jul 3, 2012)

I put a advert on gumtree to get my dog. I desperately wanted a dog but when i showed my partner what it would cost to go to a reputable breeder he said no.

He told me he would never spend that amount of money on a dog as it was more than a month of our rent. 

I tried explaining why they were that costa but he was having none of it. 

So i put up a add for a very specific type of dog and a lengthy description of the type of home i could offer. 

I was surprised by the amount of phone calls i got. I knew Hugo was the dog for me as soon as i met him. He was exactly as my add described personality and looks wise. HAHA having a little giggle to myself as i write this as it sounds more like a personals add lmao . 

Anyhooo. He was the first dog i saw and when i went out i liked the guy who had breed him and got a good vibe so to speak. He was quite happy to tell me what training Hugo needed and was very honest about it, Hugo had been sent back to him after they realized he was too big. But the breeder wanted to be sure of his behavior before he re homed him, he decided Hugo would be happiest homed with children but needed lots of basic training, which i could not agree with more. A plus side he was named Hugo a name that was on my list of names i liked. 

One thing i did not know was Hugo barked none stop at the telly. He didn't come up for air for even a second. 

Anyway thats my story of gumtree, i will add however i was inundated with people wanting me to give me there dog for free for days after i took the add down, i could not believe how many people take a dog and then cant have it a year later. The most common was "i got him when i was pregnant but now the baby's here i cant cope" i must have had about 5 calls like that.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

purpleisa said:


> Hi - can someone please tell me what is wrong with buying or selling a dog from these web sites under genuine circumstances? Seen a few threads about it and worried I'm missing something and being naive somehow.
> 
> Obviously I know there are some nasty people out there whose sole aim is making cash and often to the detriment of the animals who they are selling and care nothing about.
> I bought Boo through gumtree. Her family had to give her up due to a child's medical condition. They were genuinely heart broken and her old mummy was very thorough in checking me out to make sure I was no puppy farmer! Once I was satisfied that Boo was the right dog for us and the seller was happy I bought her. I'm glad I handed over money as it was hard to feel Boo was "ours" at first and paying for her helped me to feel more entitled to her if you see what i mean. I must stress that both myself and the seller were very very very cautious and careful before going ahead.
> ...


Well, I would never sell my dog on a site like that. In fact, being pedigrees they would go to breed rescue where they will be suitably rehomed. But buying is a difficult one. Some people will tell you it is a pup when it isn't, or it might have health problems that are going to cost the earth, all sorts of things to beware of.



redginald said:


> I was scanning through these sites when looking for Bobby, we were after a French Bulldog and they don't seem to turn up in rescues, so searched in hope of a genuine rehome.
> 
> I came across an add where they had a 50/50 staff frenchy and wanted to part ex for a pedigree frenchy
> 
> ...


This is another reason. If people are prepared to just swap their pet because they fancy something else, you can imagine just how little love and attention the dog has had can't you?


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## GermanShepardOwner (Aug 20, 2012)

I wouldnt say itsbad to buy them off gumtree and other sites, aslong as you do all the checks and understand the risks its fine.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

purpleisa said:


> Hi - can someone please tell me what is wrong with buying or selling a dog from these web sites under genuine circumstances? Seen a few threads about it and worried I'm missing something and being naive somehow.
> 
> Obviously I know there are some nasty people out there whose sole aim is making cash and often to the detriment of the animals who they are selling and care nothing about.
> I bought Boo through gumtree. Her family had to give her up due to a child's medical condition. They were genuinely heart broken and her old mummy was very thorough in checking me out to make sure I was no puppy farmer! Once I was satisfied that Boo was the right dog for us and the seller was happy I bought her. I'm glad I handed over money as it was hard to feel Boo was "ours" at first and paying for her helped me to feel more entitled to her if you see what i mean. I must stress that both myself and the seller were very very very cautious and careful before going ahead.
> ...


It seems you were lucky and it was a genuine case, just as a lot of dogs in rescues are also genuine cases, where for one reason and another, marriage break ups, loss of jobs and homes and illness etc there are good genuine reasons sometimes.

Unfortunately though there are also a lot of cases where owners who advertise dont tell the truth or the real reason they are giving up the dog or want it out.

Only the other week a member sussed several adverts to the same address and phone number, both wanted ads for certain breeds saying they would pay X amount according to age and the dogs had to be vaccinated and un-neutered or un spayed as they had a loving home and wanted a pal for their dog.

There was also even more ads still same people and names, for 2 Labrador puppies different ages and sexes a Husky puppy and numerous others for sale. Giving a couple of excuses that they used time and again why they couldnt keep the pups and had to sell.

We have also had several threads where people have been duped with sick dogs, dogs they brought that were pregnant and allsorts and they hadnt been told, or dogs with behaviour problems where they had been told the dog was fine. So on one hand like yourself you could be lucky but you can also be very unlucky.

On the other side where people put their dogs on their for genuine reasons too, people are not what they may seem always, we had another thread where a person had rehomed a dog in good faith, and it had been used as a bait dog for dog fighting, and had been found dead and the original owners were traced and told, via its microchip that hadnt been changed.

At least if you go to a proper rescue or the breed rescues, dogs will be assessed, and in a lot of causes spayed and neutered, vet checked, micro chipped, vaccinated and wormed and fleaed and you will get a true story of what the dogs really like, plus free up another place for another to come in.
There are dogs of all ages in rescues from pups and very young dogs onwards too, and in all honesty they are safer then going to a back yard breeder or puppy farmer or dealer.


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## purpleisa (Nov 4, 2012)

Thanks to all for your opinions, its been most informative. I was aware of some of the pitfalls but not them all. We are not in a position to have second dog and hopefully will have Boo for many years and by then the kids will be much older so more options from rescue (a lot if the dogs were ok with kids but older than eight seemed to be standard - sensible precautions from rescue centres and breed rescues. It has worked out well for us - both hubby and i are experienced dog owners and the sellers and us were very careful but i dont know if i would take that route again tbh. 
Boo has a pedigree and im not sure why her previous owner didn't try the rescue. Might have been a better option for her given how anxious she was to find the right owner. She was terrified of boo going to a puppy farmer as she hasn't been spayed. Still hopefully the (modest) purchase price may help her do something nice for the kids who must be missing her terribly! 
Good points put forward by all - hopefully some prospective owners will read this good advice!


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## Muze (Nov 30, 2011)

I'd always recommended someone look to take a look at a rescue first, but, sadly lots of people are being turned down.

If people want a dog, they will probably get one, I'd rather see people advised on what to look for and avoid when considering a dog from the free ads then saying it's a total no-go.


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## toffee44 (Oct 21, 2011)

Got our lovely buster from Gumtree accidentally, I did not type in Old English Sheepdog in the search box.......


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## ClaireandDaisy (Jul 4, 2010)

I take it the OP has never heard of the dog fighting rings looking for free dogs to use as bait? 
Or dealers looking for free pups to flog on. 
Or BYBs looking for free breeding machines?


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## Booties (Nov 23, 2012)

If I absolutely, 100% had to give up one of my pets, I would come whining to you guys to take them for free first 

But seriously, I don't see anything wrong with breeders advertising their litters on sites like that, though I am always wary if they're not registered with the KC, or the person doesn't list health details, etc... 

On the other hand, I second other people here. You seem to have had a genuine case, and if every listing on there was by people like you (or your seller) there would be no problem with it at all!


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## Sezzastar (Oct 2, 2012)

I bought my last dog Charlie from preloved. As soon as I seen him I knew I was going to have him, I just had that gut feeling. He was not free, he was £50 :sosp: I would have paid more, he is gorgeous, I love him :001_wub:

The previous owners could not give him the time anymore as they have children with learning difficulties/autism and the woman is pregnant again. Very sad. We were almost waiting for something to pop up that would be the reason why they wanted to re home him. Such as DA or an illness. He is a pain in the bum sometimes but his cuddly nature and personality that shines through makes up for that 

I once put up my 2 rats for re homing as I moved into a room and they were stinking it out, smelly boys , and this lovely girl came forward who had a lot of rats already. She sent me photos and they looked really happy with a huge cage 

Also another time I had one rat, when we rescued our first dog Ozzy we thought we had better re home my Ninky as she would not have been able to come out as much, and had a lovely woman come and take her. She kept me upto date with Ninky for ages after wards, even got her a friend 

So preloved CAN be a good place sometimes!


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## Sezzastar (Oct 2, 2012)

Booties said:


> If I absolutely, 100% had to give up one of my pets, I would come whining to you guys to take them for free first


Me too, I already know who I would ask to have our leo 

:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Sezzastar (Oct 2, 2012)

Sled dog hotel said:


> we had another thread where a person had rehomed a dog in good faith, and it had been used as a bait dog for dog fighting, and had been found dead and the original owners were traced and told, via its microchip that hadnt been changed.


Thats awful.. 

Some people are sick.


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## laurahair (Apr 21, 2011)

I looked on gumtree, preloved etc but what put me off a lot of the dogs listed were those stated as being true pedigrees but not kc registered (which i believe isn't very expensive to do?), struck me as quite odd. One dog I was very interested in had a very vague listing and when I contacted the seller for more details she was equally as vague in person, I got the impression there was a genuine reason for the sale (new partner was terrified of dogs), but that the dog hadn't perhaps had the best start.
Anyway I do think that if you are clued up, ask the right questions etc it can be ok to buy a dog from gumtree etc, BUT there is more potential for things going wrong than getting from breeder/rescue.


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

Sezzastar said:


> Me too, I already know who I would ask to have our leo
> 
> :lol: :lol: :lol:


 *OOH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE PLEASE *

Re the free sites: problem is, they're totally unregulated. So if folk do behave unethically, who can one complain to? Not sure the site owners/organisers really care?


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## Tillydog (Jun 7, 2012)

We got Tilly from preloved, I asked so many questions about her before we eventually went to see her. The day we went to meet Tilly, the whole family were there, the couple who were selling her (which was due to their shift patterns at work changing) their respective parents and even brothers and sisters - it felt like an interrogation!

Matt and Nicky were very genuine people and I am still in touch with them 2 years on. We got a 10 month old dog who was loved to bits, had been to training classes, was microchipped and fully vaccinated. We came away with Tilly, her crate, basket, toys, bags of food, collars and matching leads.

We didn't feel we wanted a young puppy, what we got was an 'older' puppy where the hard work had already been done (house training, lead training etc) and what we got was the most loveable and affectionate girl who suits our lifestyle perfectly.


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## goodvic2 (Nov 23, 2008)

Puppies - NO

Adult dogs - YES


Puppies not because they are probably puppy farms.


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## Hanlou (Oct 29, 2012)

As has been said - it's a case of weighing things up. I would certainly consider Preloved or Pets4Homes if I was seeking an older dog and I do believe there are a lot of genuine cases that rehome via there.

There are, as mentioned, a lot of very dodgy adverts on there too. When someone can't even spell the name of the breed they are rehoming it's always very worrying - especially when they are a 'breeder'! 

I've rehomed several small animals from there - mostly Free to Good Home hamsters and rats. Every small animal I've ever rehomed from there had an awful cage - either tiny and no toys, or very dirty or very small _and_ very dirty. I always hope that maybe, just maybe the next time I rehome the animal will have come from a genuine person who has tried their best for them but sadly it hasn't happened yet. There are of course far less risks associated with taking on a small animal than there are when rehoming a dog so I would be very careful and very wary.

The adverts that make me the most angry are those that say they need to 'get rid' of said pet 'as soon as possible'. Bleurgh.


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## purpleisa (Nov 4, 2012)

ClaireandDaisy said:


> I take it the OP has never heard of the dog fighting rings looking for free dogs to use as bait?
> Or dealers looking for free pups to flog on.
> Or BYBs looking for free breeding machines?


Dog fighting - that one honestly hadn't occurred to me! How horrible!
That said I (although I didn't put forward in my first post) I am thinking from a buyer rather than seller perspective. I wouldn't rehome through a site like that (hopefully never ever ever - it wd have to be something massive to make me consider it and then id go to family or rescue centre)
. 
The other two - well yes they had occurred to me. That's what put me off some of the ads in the first place they just made me suspicious.

I just felt this was a worthwhile topic to highlight the pitfalls and inform us all. And its been nice to hear that others have had success here too. I was starting to think I had committed some kind of dog buying "sin" lol. Thought I had gone into it with my eyes open but then started to wonder about the concept. (Not about Boo - she is perfect!).

Well done Pet Forums for making me think more deeply about all the doggy issues I have come across! May it make me a better owner!


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

I won't ever agree with these cheap/freebie websites. Animals are not something that can be sold or bartered, or even given away for free on a whim, rescues are there or animals that can be given away. 

If someone breeds an animal, they should be responsible for that animal, and provide a life time back up. If they can't do that, they shouldn't be breeding.


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## purpleisa (Nov 4, 2012)

toffee44 said:


> Got our lovely buster from Gumtree accidentally, I did not type in Old English Sheepdog in the search box.......


I never put Newfoundland in the search box either!!! Oops!


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

I had a look at Gumtree out of interest as it has been talked about on here as the place NOT to go and I have to agree with that and much of what has been said on this thread. Ignorance of a breed and spelling and just badly written adverts were the first thing I noticed. Lack of paperwork and KC reg came next. Also, and I hope I don't upset anyone here, a number of adverts were from Wales which I understand there tends to be more puppy farms.
Pups from an accredited breeder are expensive, but imagine how much a sickly badly bred pup will cost in vet fees over the years, beside the heartache it will cause. Do your homework on breeders if buying a pup. Check they have the mother of the pups and see how they are cared for. Ask questions, a genuine caring breeder will welcome that and not be resentful. Remember, if something is being sold off at a cheap price, then all may well not be kosher.


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## Luz (Jul 28, 2012)

I have had a look lately for cats. 

It has to be said some Rescues also advertise on there. I am sure reputable breeders advertise too. They tend to be the ones with a proper website and KC/or cat equivalent registration and charge what you would expect. 

I tend to google the phone numbers to check if they are selling lots of different pups/kittens and sometimes check the photos to see if they are actually from Google images.


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## RockRomantic (Apr 29, 2009)

I got Sammy of gumtree, he was 6 months at the time, the owners seemed okay, they fetched him to us in a van, they seemed more interested in our reptiles at the time rather than anything else to be honest. They didn't stay long to say they didn't know much about us, we weren't informed about Sammys issues which came apparent minutes after they left when he ran upstairs, started shaking and wasn't able to come back down them. 

I don't have an issue with people offering a home via the websites i really do dislike the amount of litters of there though. My main mistake i did with Sammy was not ask questions, i asked basic questions but i didn't really know anything about him, other than his age an he was fetched up to Manchester from London a week before, and i didn't really think getting him through. His issues were severe anxiety to the point what should have took a half hour walk actually took nearly 3 hours i think it was, he froze at everything, letterboxes, bins, people, shop signs just everything, he also wasn't toilet trained and was still going through the chewing thing. The owners also asked us to stay in touch, which i did, it became apparent they weren't all that interested in any updates which still saddens me. 

So i don't see the problem as long as potential owner and current owner have both one there homework and really think it through.


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## Luz (Jul 28, 2012)

The Prazsky Krysariks both came from registered breeders in the Czech Republic. Abi's breeders get in touch every couple of months to ask how she's doing and do we have new pictures. I send some to Bruno's breeders at same time but not sure if they would ask.


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

I got Rupert from Dogs Trust and all they picked up on in the months he was there was that he could be iffy with other dogs. His fear issues were so bad that I seriously considered having him put to sleep because he had no quality of life at all. They had absolutely no idea what he was like in a home environment. And believe me, it was VERY different to what he was like in the shelter!

So I don't think going with a rescue necessarily means you won't have any nasty surprises to deal with.


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## sligy (Jul 3, 2012)

RockRomantic said:


> I got Sammy of gumtree, he was 6 months at the time, the owners seemed okay, they fetched him to us in a van, they seemed more interested in our reptiles at the time rather than anything else to be honest. They didn't stay long to say they didn't know much about us, we weren't informed about Sammys issues which came apparent minutes after they left when he ran upstairs, started shaking and wasn't able to come back down them.
> 
> I don't have an issue with people offering a home via the websites i really do dislike the amount of litters of there though. My main mistake i did with Sammy was not ask questions, i asked basic questions but i didn't really know anything about him, other than his age an he was fetched up to Manchester from London a week before, and i didn't really think getting him through. His issues were severe anxiety to the point what should have took a half hour walk actually took nearly 3 hours i think it was, he froze at everything, letterboxes, bins, people, shop signs just everything, he also wasn't toilet trained and was still going through the chewing thing. The owners also asked us to stay in touch, which i did, it became apparent they weren't all that interested in any updates which still saddens me.
> 
> So i don't see the problem as long as potential owner and current owner have both one there homework and really think it through.


After i got hugo from the breeder whom he had been sent back too i noticed he had a tag on. I decided to ring it in case it was the owners who had sent him back to the breeder, which it was.
They gave me a bit of info on him and seemed genuinely interested that he had been re-homed. I went thru the problems i was having with him and they agreed these had been problems they had with him, i was told i probably would not get rid of the problems he had, i was also told i would never be able to get him to swim.
Once he had settled in and a few of his problems had completely gone i rang them to ask if they wanted to meet me while i was on a walk, see how he is. I was told they were very busy but they were very pleased and i just felt they wanted me off the phone. 
I wish i had just had Hugo from day one but never mind.


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## Luz (Jul 28, 2012)

sligy said:


> After i got hugo from the breeder whom he had been sent back too i noticed he had a tag on. I decided to ring it in case it was the owners who had sent him back to the breeder, which it was.
> They gave me a bit of info on him and seemed genuinely interested that he had been re-homed. I went thru the problems i was having with him and they agreed these had been problems they had with him, i was told i probably would not get rid of the problems he had, i was also told i would never be able to get him to swim.
> Once he had settled in and a few of his problems had completely gone i rang them to ask if they wanted to meet me while i was on a walk, see how he is. I was told they were very busy but they were very pleased and i just felt they wanted me off the phone.
> I wish i had just had Hugo from day one but never mind.


Maybe they felt guilty/embarassed?


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## sligy (Jul 3, 2012)

Luz said:


> Maybe they felt guilty/embarassed?


I kind of hope they do, they say he was too big, but he was always going to be big, he is rotti x dobe for goodness sake. The mind boggles 
So if they have a little bit of guilt for being so lame then good  lol


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## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

Ill admit when I got Benny it was through a private ad one one of these sites..
While I asked the seller for his passport and history she asked me nothing, we turned up there and she couldnt wait to get him into our car and get rid..

Admittedly she didnt really want anything for him e50 for a pedigree Beagle..!
But she didnt ask the right questions ...well any questions really..

I could have been anyone with who knows what intentions.....

When trying to rehome Remy ( I didnt think I could cope with 3 when he first arrived) I did do home checks, asked questions, ect I did insist that he come back if for any reason they doubted he fitted in..
To be honest part of that was the control freak in me and part because I didnt think the local rescue would take as much care in finding him the right forever home and the little tiny bit that secretly hoped he would bounce


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## malusa (May 26, 2017)

purpleisa said:


> Hi - can someone please tell me what is wrong with buying or selling a dog from these web sites under genuine circumstances? Seen a few threads about it and worried I'm missing something and being naive somehow.
> 
> Obviously I know there are some nasty people out there whose sole aim is making cash and often to the detriment of the animals who they are selling and care nothing about.
> I bought Boo through gumtree. Her family had to give her up due to a child's medical condition. They were genuinely heart broken and her old mummy was very thorough in checking me out to make sure I was no puppy farmer! Once I was satisfied that Boo was the right dog for us and the seller was happy I bought her. I'm glad I handed over money as it was hard to feel Boo was "ours" at first and paying for her helped me to feel more entitled to her if you see what i mean. I must stress that both myself and the seller were very very very cautious and careful before going ahead.
> ...





purpleisa said:


> Hi - can someone please tell me what is wrong with buying or selling a dog from these web sites under genuine circumstances? Seen a few threads about it and worried I'm missing something and being naive somehow.
> 
> Obviously I know there are some nasty people out there whose sole aim is making cash and often to the detriment of the animals who they are selling and care nothing about.
> I bought Boo through gumtree. Her family had to give her up due to a child's medical condition. They were genuinely heart broken and her old mummy was very thorough in checking me out to make sure I was no puppy farmer! Once I was satisfied that Boo was the right dog for us and the seller was happy I bought her. I'm glad I handed over money as it was hard to feel Boo was "ours" at first and paying for her helped me to feel more entitled to her if you see what i mean. I must stress that both myself and the seller were very very very cautious and careful before going ahead.
> ...


Hi,you were lucky I bought a dog in preloved thinking that I could help a owner and we pick up one but I made the mistake to take the children with us we travel for a hour she was advartice as a colly pure breed, when we were there I feel something was wrong she didn't have a bed, toys, she was lock in the kitchen and very shy, I cryed and my husband told the guy that I was sad because we were taking the dog out of her family, the guy very quick told my children that she was ours, they were excited, happy and I couldn't say anything the dog was nervious and the guy keep her close to him all the times, she didn't have any papers, no miccroship and also not spayed,I new she was cross colly but he continue saying that she was pure breed, my husband paid him the £100 and I was in shock of him he trusted and he didn't ask anything, i didn't see any children in the house, any way we took her to our house and still I was worried but I thought I give it a go, we bath her I saw that she was showing her teeth now and them and we quick went to play balls and etc, we gave her a lot of attention as treats, next day I took her for walks and she gave warnings she wanted to be left alone and the she nip someone that try to stroke her, and them another person in one day she had nip 3 people that came close to her, the third day some one approche to us and she nearly attack him I was scared, and then my husband contact the owner and he denied he had a dog, well we didn't have how to proof any way he never contact us to know how she was getting on and them my husband made the dessition to take her to the rescue he saw me stress he started to think I couldn't manage the dog and he did think a stress dog bites , we didn't about her nothing also we weren't preppared to rehome a dog. I begged him some much not to do that, my son was in tears and my husband was so worried that she could bite my 5 years old,we took her to the shelter, I was hoping to get some advice there but not they didn't ask question they only took her and made him to sign,even that i feel omething was wrong I loved her in the days that she was here I spoil her with treats, walks she was my jogger companion a play mate for my 11 years old son, were 4 days that I had her and she gave live to our rutine, to the garden even my couch feels empty, the house is silent because she used to bark from the window. Now I don't know If I could buy a dog from this webs, rehoming centers are expensives and also for me with young child difficult, that is why I went to a private but i was in shock to find people like him , I didn't know to much about rehoming a dog and everything went wrong I'm from another Country and that made also to look bad for the rehoming center they think I stoled and I wanted to breed the dog.I can't get over the experience and how I put my children in risk in that house,I'm gratefull that was her and not other dangerous dog the price could have been bigger .


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## steveshanks (Feb 19, 2015)

We got Pip from Gumtree, we got lucky and so did he, but i wouldn't do it again now i know more.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

malusa said:


> Hi,you were lucky I bought a dog in preloved thinking that I could help a owner and we pick up one but I made the mistake to take the children with us we travel for a hour she was advartice as a colly pure breed, when we were there I feel something was wrong she didn't have a bed, toys, she was lock in the kitchen and very shy, I cryed and my husband told the guy that I was sad because we were taking the dog out of her family, the guy very quick told my children that she was ours, they were excited, happy and I couldn't say anything the dog was nervious and the guy keep her close to him all the times, she didn't have any papers, no miccroship and also not spayed,I new she was cross colly but he continue saying that she was pure breed, my husband paid him the £100 and I was in shock of him he trusted and he didn't ask anything, i didn't see any children in the house, any way we took her to our house and still I was worried but I thought I give it a go, we bath her I saw that she was showing her teeth now and them and we quick went to play balls and etc, we gave her a lot of attention as treats, next day I took her for walks and she gave warnings she wanted to be left alone and the she nip someone that try to stroke her, and them another person in one day she had nip 3 people that came close to her, the third day some one approche to us and she nearly attack him I was scared, and then my husband contact the owner and he denied he had a dog, well we didn't have how to proof any way he never contact us to know how she was getting on and them my husband made the dessition to take her to the rescue he saw me stress he started to think I couldn't manage the dog and he did think a stress dog bites , we didn't about her nothing also we weren't preppared to rehome a dog. I begged him some much not to do that, my son was in tears and my husband was so worried that she could bite my 5 years old,we took her to the shelter, I was hoping to get some advice there but not they didn't ask question they only took her and made him to sign,even that i feel omething was wrong I loved her in the days that she was here I spoil her with treats, walks she was my jogger companion a play mate for my 11 years old son, were 4 days that I had her and she gave live to our rutine, to the garden even my couch feels empty, the house is silent because she used to bark from the window. Now I don't know If I could buy a dog from this webs, rehoming centers are expensives and also for me with young child difficult, that is why I went to a private but i was in shock to find people like him , I didn't know to much about rehoming a dog and everything went wrong I'm from another Country and that made also to look bad for the rehoming center they think I stoled and I wanted to breed the dog.I can't get over the experience and how I put my children in risk in that house,I'm gratefull that was her and not other dangerous dog the price could have been bigger .


That's such a sad story, thanks for sharing it with us. It certainly underlines the necessity for careful rehoming and the importance of properly run rescues who vet prospective owners and compatability with the dogs.


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

malusa said:


> Hi,you were lucky I bought a dog in preloved thinking that I could help a owner and we pick up one but I made the mistake to take the children with us we travel for a hour she was advartice as a colly pure breed, when we were there I feel something was wrong she didn't have a bed, toys, she was lock in the kitchen and very shy, I cryed and my husband told the guy that I was sad because we were taking the dog out of her family, the guy very quick told my children that she was ours, they were excited, happy and I couldn't say anything the dog was nervious and the guy keep her close to him all the times, she didn't have any papers, no miccroship and also not spayed,I new she was cross colly but he continue saying that she was pure breed, my husband paid him the £100 and I was in shock of him he trusted and he didn't ask anything, i didn't see any children in the house, any way we took her to our house and still I was worried but I thought I give it a go, we bath her I saw that she was showing her teeth now and them and we quick went to play balls and etc, we gave her a lot of attention as treats, next day I took her for walks and she gave warnings she wanted to be left alone and the she nip someone that try to stroke her, and them another person in one day she had nip 3 people that came close to her, the third day some one approche to us and she nearly attack him I was scared, and then my husband contact the owner and he denied he had a dog, well we didn't have how to proof any way he never contact us to know how she was getting on and them my husband made the dessition to take her to the rescue he saw me stress he started to think I couldn't manage the dog and he did think a stress dog bites , we didn't about her nothing also we weren't preppared to rehome a dog. I begged him some much not to do that, my son was in tears and my husband was so worried that she could bite my 5 years old,we took her to the shelter, I was hoping to get some advice there but not they didn't ask question they only took her and made him to sign,even that i feel omething was wrong I loved her in the days that she was here I spoil her with treats, walks she was my jogger companion a play mate for my 11 years old son, were 4 days that I had her and she gave live to our rutine, to the garden even my couch feels empty, the house is silent because she used to bark from the window. Now I don't know If I could buy a dog from this webs, rehoming centers are expensives and also for me with young child difficult, that is why I went to a private but i was in shock to find people like him , I didn't know to much about rehoming a dog and everything went wrong I'm from another Country and that made also to look bad for the rehoming center they think I stoled and I wanted to breed the dog.I can't get over the experience and how I put my children in risk in that house,I'm gratefull that was her and not other dangerous dog the price could have been bigger .


I am so sorry you had a really bad experience, and I think, even though you have updated this old thread as everything there will be genuine people online, and use the I internet rightly or wrongly in whose peoples eyes to rehome their dogs. Rescue centres use some of these sites too.

I am sure from your post you have learnt a great deal. Which is good, and please do not let this put you off from getting another dog.

You may have naively made the mistake and gone to a rescue with no back up, and any dog can be different as already mentioned in kennels than in a home, as well so any rehoming can have shaky starts. Its very rare a dog just slots into someone's life with no problems at all, it does happen though.

I have had rescues, private rehomes and my most recent addition came from an ad on preloved. From reading between the lines of the ad I knew my new addition would need some work. I was grilled by her owner and I mean grilled, and she was truthful with me, to some degree. I have had her since April, she's still learning to be here, and she's a great dog. I don't regret my decision because she is what I expected maybe not as bad. Still early days, but I I haven't contacted her previous owner in a few days, she contacts me. They were tearful to see her go! Her reason to let her go was understandable, and hence problems behaviour wise I can see where they stem from. I guess am lucky, but if it hadn't felt right I would have walked away.
Thankfully my children are grown up, but when they were younger we let them choose names of the dogs...thankfully they chose great names and it was important we chose the dog. Children can be swayed by looks etc and aren't knowledgeable on what is needed for a good fit family dog.


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## kirksandallchins (Nov 3, 2007)

You have to be wary from wherever you buy from - even some KC Assured Breeders are puppy farmers.

My last 3 dogs were off Preloved - but I checked out as much as I could about the breeders by Googling their names and phone numbers. I won't pay a deposit - if the breeder is not happy, then tough and they can sell to someone else

The ads that I would ignore totally are those where the owner can't spell the name of the breed correctly, or if a pedigree where it says both parents KC reg but pups are not. To me that sounds dodgy. Health tests that are relevant to the breed also have to be stated

On Facebook you recognise the same names selling pups regularly, and on Pets4homes and Preloved it shows a general indication of where the seller lives - it is amazing how many are located in the same semi-rural area which has only a few houses on it


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

wow this is an old thread dug from the grave lol.


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

Wiz201 said:


> wow this is an old thread dug from the grave lol.


True but the message is still the same..

Research research research before you get a dog from anywhere.


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## hugie boo boo (Sep 21, 2014)

Both of mine were from online ads. I just wanted to say that it worked out for us but definitely caution is needed if u have children and definitely not for first time dog owners . I would never buy puppies either . When I took Benny (19 months old ) home , the owner and her 2 children cried , I cried and it was heartbreaking for all concerned. He was up for £100 but the owner would not exempt any money and said she only wanted a good home for him. Since getting him, the family have made a 250 mile round trip to see him , send Benny and his "brother " Christmas presents and is friends with me on Facebook so they can follow his life.


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## rottieboys (Jan 16, 2013)

I got my Diesel on Gumtree, went to see him, he was only 8 months old. bit of a handful, well, he came home with me. The husband of the family loved him, I could tell. I told him I would let him know how Diesel was getting on. Every birthday I would send a picture of Diesel. He was also shocked when my last email to him was telling him Diesel had died at the age of 6.
3 Weeks later I started looking again on Gumtree. Thats when I found my lovely Honey. Went to see her, the owner had too many dogs. So, Honey came home with me. She was 3 years old...Losted her recently. 
I get upset when they advertise FREE...or they say...Got to get rid...These dogs need loving home. I was the 3rd owner of Honey...She was beautiful, and so was my Diesel.


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## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

I would never buy a puppy without going to the house to meet the breeder and see the puppies with their Mom and siblings. 
Word of mouth goes a long way as well.


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## Tamberlane (Jul 8, 2014)

To add to the list of people saying proceed qith caution......Its also a good way to buy a stolen dog or cat.If the price and story doesnt add up then alarm bells should be ringing.

We scan new clients pets for chips when they arrive at our vet clinic as part of our routine.Theres been a few who were sold as not chipped who turned out to be stolen. 2 were given back to their original owner's...with much heartbreak and financial loss for their new families.
The third had been stolen 2 years before and his owners came to visit,seen how well settled he was and as decided he would be better in his new home.
Handling stolen property is an issue....any dog whos supposedly unchipped should be treated as stolen until proven otherwise atm. 
Its a legal requirement to chip now so id be making sure they had some paper's and were available to sign change of ownership documents.


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