Buying a puppy at a service station

Tiddlypom said:
It is known about, but doubtless the puppy sellers will simply go elsewhere for their dodgy hangovers.

Sick puppies sold at Maidstone Services on M20 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-53109792

The featured Cavalier pup who died 3 days after purchase cost £2150, so not cheap.
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Probably much easier than finding a breeder, putting your name down and waiting though. People who do this sort of thing probably decided the week before they wanted a dog and found an ad. It probably seems so simple, if you don’t think about the impending vets bills.
 
There is no cure for stupid. Meeting somebody in a service station to hand over £'000 in cash in the midst of a pandemic? Really?

Meeting somebody in a service station to hand over £'000 in cash during normal times is equally gullible.

Very sad but if there weren't so many stupid people around to feed these scoundrels they wouldn't have a business.
 
I bought Ffee at a service station!
I had already visited her at home but she wasn't ready for another week and I live in Essex and she was in Aberystwyth. The breeder had sold one to Cardiff and four to England so he bought them all down to the Severn Bridge services and we met him there. It did look extremely dodgy!
 
Clodagh said:
I bought Ffee at a service station!
I had already visited her at home but she wasn't ready for another week and I live in Essex and she was in Aberystwyth. The breeder had sold one to Cardiff and four to England so he bought them all down to the Severn Bridge services and we met him there. It did look extremely dodgy!
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Same! I visited Mrs Spaniel at home. Was going to go pick her up a week later but my Nan broke her hip so threw all plans into disarray for a few weeks. The woman who owned her previously was moving into a flat and very keen to get her gone before so as soon as possible. I arranged to go collect her. But that week the woman 'remembered' that it was going to be her daughters birthday that day and she hadnt yet planned a party and she didnt want me understandably to show up at a kids party to take her dog away.
So I met her at 9.30pm at services just the other side of the dartford crossing. Paid her a quid and drove home with her! Must have looked very suspicious!
 
@Clodagh and @Karran every rule needs a few exceptions and you'd visited the homes, I doubt most of the ones in the Maidstone servies did! I think a lot of people right now decide they want a dog because they are bored but visiting the breeder once and then again 3-4 weeks later takes too long and too much effort. Surely CCTV at the service station should identify those selling the pups?
 
I think the sellers are quite savvy about where the CCTV is unfortunately. I have seen recent FB posts about people who have lost puppies after getting them from the M20 service station. Parvo is most often the cause. They buy the puppies believing they are chipped, vaccinated etc. But as said previously there's no cure for stupid. Harsh but fair.

My worry is what's going to happen to lockdown puppies/kittens once people go back to work :(
 
Nicnac said:
I think the sellers are quite savvy about where the CCTV is unfortunately. I have seen recent FB posts about people who have lost puppies after getting them from the M20 service station. Parvo is most often the cause. They buy the puppies believing they are chipped, vaccinated etc. But as said previously there's no cure for stupid. Harsh but fair.

My worry is what's going to happen to lockdown puppies/kittens once people go back to work :(
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There’s going to be a lot of very attractive youngsters in rescue.
 
She added: "He got the puppy out the back of the car. He was quite skinny and tiny but apart from that he seemed okay."

FFS.
"apart from that" - what else did she need to see before alarm bells went off and drowned out the "puppy, puppy, puppy, want, want, want" in her empty fecking head.
FFS again.
 
Nicnac said:
I think the sellers are quite savvy about where the CCTV is unfortunately. I have seen recent FB posts about people who have lost puppies after getting them from the M20 service station. Parvo is most often the cause. They buy the puppies believing they are chipped, vaccinated etc. But as said previously there's no cure for stupid. Harsh but fair.

My worry is what's going to happen to lockdown puppies/kittens once people go back to work :(
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The regulators and rescue centres are dubbing the massive rise in purchasing as 'puppy for covid' instead of 'puppy for Christmas'. There is going to be a massive problem when furlough ends and many people either have no job to return to and can't afford the dog, or do go back to work and the puppy destroys the house. Either way the dog is homeless. It is thought that the massive hike in prices is being funded by the money some people are receiving via the Government business support payments.

The Border Force deals daily with puppies coming into the UK, unfortunately the Border Force keeps the vast amounts of Vodka that is in the same vehicle as the dogs but let the dogs through.
 
Archangel said:
She added: "He got the puppy out the back of the car. He was quite skinny and tiny but apart from that he seemed okay."

FFS.
"apart from that" - what else did she need to see before alarm bells went off and drowned out the "puppy, puppy, puppy, want, want, want" in her empty fecking head.
FFS again.
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Not to mention the fact they didn't notice the dog had a deformed spine and back legs.... how do you not notice that?! Mind blown.
 
It's all really scary that some people have that much spare money and yet are so unaware of the checks that should be carried out.

I know someone who has just bought a puppy, they got it the day after they moved out. Apparently the kids (18, 21 and 23) had done their research and were adamant they wanted a Husky. They paid nearly £2,000 for this puppy and didn't see it in the home "because of Covid-19) and I don't think they saw mum either. It just screams Puppy farm :( but you can't educate some people. This is someone who I consider to be a responsible and level headed person too...
 
SAujla said:
Forgive my ignorance but I always thought if you take on a rescue all you'd pay is a nominal adoption fee?
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Some of the adoption fees I’ve seen are £300 upwards. I understand the rescue has had to feed, house, maybe vaccinate, but there is a sliding scale on some, the more desirable the dog, the higher the fee. A young, trainable dog without issues is far more expensive than an older dog who needs a specialist home.
 
Cinnamontoast said:
Some of the adoption fees I’ve seen are £300 upwards. I understand the rescue has had to feed, house, maybe vaccinate, but there is a sliding scale on some, the more desirable the dog, the higher the fee. A young, trainable dog without issues is far more expensive than an older dog who needs a specialist home.
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Some dog naivety on my part I just thought the rescue centres would be happy to free up a space and just have a small adoption fee. They will need all the space they can get and then some more very soon...
 
SAujla said:
Some dog naivety on my part I just thought the rescue centres would be happy to free up a space and just have a small adoption fee. They will need all the space they can get and then some more very soon...
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Rescue centres have costs though. A good one will have had vet checks, vaccinations, worming and neutering and fed the dog for however long it’s there.
My dad got his dog from a good but quite large centre. As he was 9 I think he paid around £300. Considering what a perfect match they are and the back up he got, I think it was pretty barganous.
 
To be honest and I know they have to cover a lot of overheads but 10 years ago I tried to get a dog from rescue and it was much cheaper and les hassle to buy a pup. I think it is the holier than thou attitudes that got me they didnt seem to want to rehome the dogs or at least only the unhomable ones were offered eg biters, dog aggressive and kill the cat type. I must admit I tried for about 4 months different rescues and all were as arrogant as each other. I then found willow it must have been fate as she is perfect in every way chose her at 5 weeks she is 10 next month.
Not sure I would be tempted to try again
 
Sorry, I’m going to rant.... please be assured that this isn’t aimed at any individual on here, and it isn’t in response to any particular post, it’s just me on my rescue organisation soapbox ?

In my experience a rescue organisation will charge £160-£200 for a dog. That sum will give you a fully vaccinated, neutered, MOT’d dog (for example in the case of greyhounds, teeth will have been done and off the track injuries will have been rehabbed)

I appreciate not all rescue dogs will have health issues to resolve, but the fee doesn’t even cover the cost of neutering the animal!!!! For people to object to paying for a rescue is beyond me to be honest, do people think that these rescue charities run on thin air??!!!

Have a look at this lad..... how much do you think it cost to restore him to health after some disgusting human being neglected and abused him? So if anyone would like to pop a donation through to AADNE I’m sure it would be appreciated (and those who have been around will know Cayla of course ?)

ETA - ah sorry it won’t let me link the video! If you are on Facebook you can find Adopt a Dog North East to see Sidney, a horrendous case of neglect and abuse. He was 11.5kg when he came in, with wounds down to the bone which were infected - he has now been rehabbed successfully and has gone to his new home (which was almost me ?) weighing 26kg ???
 
Plus all the hundreds of hours put in by volunteers who support the rescue, drive the animals to the vet for neutering or treating, pick them up again, go round home checking, collecting and fostering these unwanted animals.

Re Sidney. That poor dog, I hope that piece of shit his former owner was prosecuted.
 
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