Dog Selling Scams – Buyers beware!!!!

Currently, all over the world - and especially In South Africa, there are a lot of scamsters, pretending to be selling litters. They negotiate until they get a deposit from you for the puppy, and then they vanish.

If you see an advert advertising registered puppies in SA, please ask the advertiser for their Surname and KUSA registration number, then you phone The Kennel Union on 021 – 423 9027 and verify the existence of that person as a breeder.

All dogs bred from our kennel were sold with a strict contract, preventing people to just switch ownership without our knowledge. Our prices is the normal going rate for a KUSA registered English Mastiff puppy in SA. If you find advertisers that advertise for half the price and indicates that the pups are KUSA registered etc...be warned – if it sounds too good to be true, then it is NOT true. During the past 4-5 years, to prevent severe inbreeding, we started neutering the pet puppies at an early age. Previous years we have not done that and some of our dogs ended up in the hands of backyard breeders who will breed anything as long as they can produce puppies to sell. Buying from a NON KUSA registered breeder, you put the breed and yourself at risk for lots of issues. This is a specialised breed and you need to make sure to buy from a reputable, KUSA registered breeder ONLY! The Kennel Union Of SA (KUSA), is the only registration body in SA who is acknowledged worldwide. If your dog is not KUSA registered, you cannot show your dog as well.

Herewith a few tips before buying:

  • Breeder kennels/place must be visited if possible. Check the condition of the dogs overall, check if the entire place is clean. If you stay too far away, ask a friend or family member close to the breeder to check it out for you.

Also check the following at the breeder (it will tell you the story):

  • Are they doing Micro chipping (Kusa members have to, but some other registration bodies don't insist on it)?
  • What exactly are they feeding the dogs?
  • Do they participate in dog shows? If not, why?
  • Are they involved in Rescue Clubs for their breeds? They create these animals and when the client dumps the dog, the dog ends up at the SPCA. Reputable breeder will take back his dog in case of need.

I worry when breeders have more than 2 breeds that they are breeding. No one can give proper care to too many dogs and a lot of people doing dog breeding for money, have 3 and more breeds which they are breeding.

  • Ask the breeder the name of his/her vet. And call the vet to check if the breeder does regular vaccinations or had incidents of diseases like Parvo.
  • Find the breed clubs as well as the training clubs specialising in the breed you are looking for. Although there are sometimes a lot of politics between dog breeders, the client will get an idea if there are valid complaints etc. If you have a lead of complaints, you know what to look out for.
  • Check if the breeder is really registered as claimed. Ask for their registration number and verify that they are legit. I follow up on dog scams in SA daily and a lot of people claim that they are KUSA registered and I recently checked some with KUSA and we found that they had no knowledge about such ''Breeder''.
  • Check if the breeder has a website. Most backyard breeders doesn't bother with something like a website as it is costing money, which they don't have.
  • Never buy a puppy from a pet shop, newspaper, Junk Mail, OLX etc. There are way too many dog scams advertising there. Search for a puppy through Breed clubs, KUSA etc or search through "The Dog Directory", "Animal Talk" or "All about Dogs". Most reputable breeders spend a fortune on advertising their dogs in these dog magazines.
  • If a breeder calls himself reputable, he should sell puppies with contracts, which will be in the best interest of the NI
  • A reputable breeder will include in the contract, if necessary, that the dog can be returned to the breeder, instead of being dumped somewhere. (in case of death, divorce cases etc)
  • Ask the breeder for client references, as many as possible - and PHONE the people...If they already had problems with the breeder, then you don't buy!!! And if the breeder don't have referrals - Stay away!!!
  • Please report Dog Scams in SA to my Facebook page: Dog Scams RSA - I follow up and remove them from the internet if at all possible
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