Don’t be fooled: is your puppy as advertised?
This weekend we were all ready to collect Mia, our eight week old Flatcoat Retriever puppy and welcome her to our pack. As you’d expect from someone like myself, we’d researched the sire and dam and the five generations within the pedigrees. We’d chosen Mia based on the sire being from Sweden and the COI (Coefficient of Inbreeding) being only 0.2%. Having previously owned and trained this breed, it was important to ensure we made the right choice and didn’t rush into just choosing the cutest puppy in the litter.
For the past eight weeks we’ve been in constant communication with the breeder and other potential owners through a group chat. So when the day arrived this Sunday, we were excited to collect Mia. It wasn’t a huge drive to collect her but with a round trip of just over half a day, we needed to plan how to transport Mia home. Fortunately, my secure dog box from my sponsor Transk9 was the perfect solution.
Is your puppy KC Registered?
When we arrived Mia was the last puppy left. Straight away my wife made a bee line to say hello, after of course allowing the pup the chance to relieve herself outside. Whilst Jade watched the pup I got down to the formalities of the paperwork. It was at this point I noticed an anomaly. The pups were advertised as KC registered and microchipped. The paperwork of pedigree registration wasn’t for the Kennel Club but for a company called Kennel Reg Org. Obviously this is a huge problem and one that none of the other seven new owners had noticed or queried. Also the dog was not microchipped as advertised. Upon challenging the problem the breeder was adamant that she’d the registered the dogs with the KC. After I’d explained, a conversation was had to agree on what should be done.
Having a dog that isn’t KC registered is a problem for us. It limits what we are able to do if we decided to breed her or work her in KC tests/trials. It was agreed we’d leave Mia until Monday when both parties would speak with the Kennel Club. On Monday it was agreed with the KC that the pups could be registered. However, when we’d left on Sunday the breeder said we couldn’t have Mia, she was keeping her. It was my belief she was worried that I’d found out and the other owners would either not want their puppies or demand a refund for some of the money as they were not sold as advertised.
Is your puppy microchipped?
Buying a puppy isn’t an easy decision. It’s one we live with for a long time so it’s important we research everything. Always check the paperwork before making the final payment and leaving with the puppy. All the other seven owners were caught up in the moment of collecting their new addition. They obviously didn’t look at any of the paperwork. When challenged about the microchipping, the breeder said they only ticked the box as it wouldn’t allow them to post the advert without this. It was never their intention to microchip any of the puppies. That cost will now fall to the new owners.
The whole point of posting this blog is to highlight no matter how much you know about researching and purchasing a new dog/puppy, there are always breeders/sellers who are prepared to lie and dupe unsuspecting potential owners who are smitten with the thoughts of their new bundle of fluff. So be careful before you hand over your money and leave with the dog/puppy as often, you can’t return them.
Posted: October 7, 2019