Jaque Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I have put a deposit down on a pomeranian pup that was listed on Gumtree. It is supposed to be purebred and from a registered breeder but I'm getting a bad feeling... I wasn't asked any questions about myself at all which seems strange to me. How can I verify that these people are legit and are proper responsible breeders and the puppy is what they say he is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedaler Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Perhaps contact the Pomeranian Club in the State the "breeder" is in. Chances are if they are legit they will be known even if not a club member. If they are not then the club may still know about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roova Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Can you say you have friends who can go and see the puppy on your behalf? They may come up with excuses if there is no puppy. I wish you the best of luck though, I don't feel safe buying anything from Gumtree I can't go see (from past experience). Is it a refundable deposit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 oh That's easy enough - google the kennel name .."joe blow's fluffy pups" or whatever . Ask for their kennel club rego number ..and yes, contact the state's Pom club. Ask if the breeders have a copy of the parent's health test results .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaque Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 Thanks for your suggestion I will contact the pom club in QLD. They are receptive to visiting or picking up in person, I will ask though. I'm going to ask if they have papers too. It wasn't mentioned in the ad. If they do say "no" is there any reason why they wouldn't have them other than the pup not being pure-bred? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 was it one of these http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/puppies/pomeranian.asp If it is a breeder on dogzonline, check the contact details match. Also if you say what suburb the puppies are in - someone on here or someone you know that lives in that state could volunteer to go check them out to see if they're real or not. Occasionally we get Nigerian scammers - and as soon as you say I have a friend who can come check the puppies out for me - they say the puppies aren't where they said they were... and so you say you have a friend in the new place - and they say the puppies are not there either until finally they say the puppies are in Africa and then you know you can't bring them to oz and it's a complete scam. "registered" often means "with the local council" so you could also phone the local council to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Phone the canine association in their state & ask if they are a registered breeder. It is called Dogs Queensland or Dogs New South Wales etc for whichever state its in. Here it is called Dogs SA. That will tell you if they are registered breeders of pedigree dogs. Purebred can mean the 2 parents are Pomeranians & do not have any pedigree. Registered breeder can mean registered with the council to breed dogs, any dogs. Being responsible breeders & the pup being what they say it is is can only be established by visiting them & meeting them & their dogs in their home environment. Its a bit late after placing deposit to be wondering. Your choices are to take the pup & hope you are not being ripped off. Send a friend or relative in that state to check it all out, if you can. Ask for deposit back by giving some excuse/lie, illness, losing your lease or some feasible reason, & hope they are nice about it. Lose your deposit & be thankful you may have had a lucky escape. Gumtree is no dodgier than any other site & genuine breeders do advertise there but you always run a risk buying without a personal visit from any advertisement anywhere. Best of luck with it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaque Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 I think I'm just worrying excessively like expectant fathers do, actually :laugh: I'm pretty sure it's all legit. I will follow you guys' advice though and find out more details. I did rush into it without asking my set of questions but he does seem to be just what I want. I'll ask for a photo with a word or something on a card with the pup. He is absolutely gorgeous but still just a babe, got a month till he's ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaque Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 was it one of these http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/puppies/pomeranian.asp If it is a breeder on dogzonline, check the contact details match. Also if you say what suburb the puppies are in - someone on here or someone you know that lives in that state could volunteer to go check them out to see if they're real or not. Occasionally we get Nigerian scammers - and as soon as you say I have a friend who can come check the puppies out for me - they say the puppies aren't where they said they were... and so you say you have a friend in the new place - and they say the puppies are not there either until finally they say the puppies are in Africa and then you know you can't bring them to oz and it's a complete scam. "registered" often means "with the local council" so you could also phone the local council to check. I don't think it was one of those on dogzonline. They are in Calliope, QLD supposedly registered with DogsQLD. They said buyers were welcome to visit or pick up pup in person. I will ask for their reg number with DogQLD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 You need to phone Dogs Queensland & ask if they are current members. They will tell you & the breeders will not know you have called & asked. A photo with a word or something on a card won't give you any information that is relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) there's a couple on this page for Rockhampton http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/breeders/pomeranian.asp?state=QLD&Submit=Go but you're right - if they're not on there - doesn't mean they're not registered with Dogs QLD. You could also ask Dogs QLD - how many litters they registered last year or this year. if I was buying - I'd want to see a low number here. PS what do they say about whether the puppies will be registered with Dogs QLD. according to ANKC rules - all puppies of registered breeder and registered dogs must also be registered - they can use a "limited" register if they want. I found the gumtree ad but it doesn't say the breeder prefix - it does say registered with Dogs QLD. It doesn't look scammy to me. this is the gumtree policy - I guess it's not possible to provide microchip numbers until the puppy gets microchipped (probably 8 weeks) but the breeder is supposed to provide buyer with their registration details for council and Dogs QLD. If the puppies are not going to be ANKC registered - they're supposed to put the price in the ad - and it be not more than $500 (really?). http://www.gumtree.com.au/scam-security-centre/policies-guidelines/pets/ Edited October 11, 2015 by Mrs Rusty Bucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaque Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 I am asking them via email for their breeder name and reg no. and puppys' microchip no. I think it is fake though The ad says the litter is of 6. 3 girls and 3 boys. When I asked how many are still available the woman on the phone seemed confused then said two, only to have send me photos of all three boys to choose from. I have googled and apparently normal pom litter size is 1-3, apparently more than 4 is extremely rare or a result of low quality parents. I have called bank and requested a "recall" of my funds. I am not too worried about the money to be honest. My real worry was puppy turning out to have a deformity, temperament or health problems as a result of being poorly bred. Or growing into an Great Dane when I wanted a lap dog :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) I am asking them via email for their breeder name and reg no. and puppys' microchip no. I think it is fake though check with dogsQld - if it is fake (or the breeder won't give you details) - report to gumtree as it is a breach of their policy. You can look up microchip number here - that it exists at least - but the puppies won't have microchips until they are at least 8 weeks old. A vet or RSPCA or your council animal management would be able to verify the chip is assigned to a pom puppy or not - they get more access. http://www.petaddress.com.au/Default.aspx Edited October 12, 2015 by Mrs Rusty Bucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 That's disappointing .. but well done for checking. Contacting your local state breed club if there is one, is probsbly a good access point to getting a purebred Pomeranian. Going to a dog show where Pomeranians are being shown and talking to some of the people showing (when they're not busy :)) is a good way to get some directions, and information as to where you might source a pup. On the Dogs SA website you can find details of upcoming shows. And provided that you've done your homework, and you and the breeder of your future pup are comfortable with each other, there is no problem IMHO getting a pup from interstate. Of course it's ideal to be able to meet at least the mother, and preferably see the litter, but it's not always possible. Good luck with your search. Poms are great little dogs .. a friend has one who is a Tracking Champion, and well ont he way to being a Track and Search Champion, as well as doing obedience and Dances with Dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I found the ad and to be very honest, the parent dogs do not look like show line or bred to standard Pomeranians. The bitch especially. The parent dogs pictures looked like the oversize byb pet style Poms that hit my grooming table frequently. They look more like gigantic Chihuahua mixes. Of course over standard size byb 'Poms' make perfectly good pets for many people, but if you are after a registered pedigree Pomeranian bred to the written standard, then make absolutely sure that is what you are getting. Make sure you know what the breeders prefix is, and check with that states registry (Dogs Qld) that they are current registered members. If they are members, they are obliged to register all puppies, and provide buyers with pedigree papers. They can be full registered or limit registered papers, both are acceptable for a pet puppy. A red flag for me on the gumtree add was that they are asking more for one sex than the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Any breeder that was only interested in my money would be one I would run from. Poms are not low maintenance, leave in the back yard dogs (I don't think any dog is really). If they aren't asking you questions about your suitability to own a Pom, run a mile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaque Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) Ended up backing out and getting my deposit back. They were for real, I'm pretty sure, but the dog wasn't papered and they couldn't give me their breeder prefix or reg number so I have decided to go with a different breeder I found on DogzOnline. The pup is flying here later this week! I'm much more comfortable with this one. She wanted to know about me and my lifestyle etc. and I found out a lot about how the pup and how he was raised. He's 11 weeks old and stunning! Anyway, thanks for your advice guys. It helped a lot, knowing what questions to ask. :) Edited October 12, 2015 by Jaque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 That sounds much better :) looking forward to photos ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 but the dog wasn't papered and they couldn't give me their breeder prefix or reg number So that would mean that by gumtree policy they couldn't ask more than $500 sheesh. Did you report the ad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Well done to you Jacque. Sounds like the universe was organising things nicely. Looking forward to seeing more from you .. and of course the obligatory pictures :laugh: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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