It is truly a sad time when there is need to write this page to
warn people who are searching for a yorkie puppy for sale. Unfortunately many
people were uninformed on their first attempt to adopt a yorkie puppy and to
put it nicely, they got screwed.
Here are some tips to help protect yourself and tell you some warning signs you
should look for and what to avoid when you are searching for a yorkie
puppy to adopt.
Please don't buy your yorkie on impulse and know who you are buying your puppy
from. You will save yourself both money and heartbreak.
I’ve seen people that bought a sick puppy and now the person they bought the dog from won't answer their phone, much less refund their money.
There are three kinds of breeders: Scammers, Backyard Breeders/Puppy Mills and Quality Breeders. In most cases, none of them will want you to come to their home, but for very different reasons. In the first two cases, the condition the dogs are in and/or their living conditions are deplorable, or the pup does not exist and they are trying to sell you on a cute puppy picture stolen from the internet. For the Quality Breeder, the first consideration is the wellbeing of the mom and her babies. Some moms are stressed when strangers are in the house and this can cause milk to dry up or aggressive behavior as she seeks to protect her babies. Puppies are susceptible to many diseases that can be carried into the home with shoes. Even a small dot of bird poo on the bottom of a shoe can lead to a fatal disease that will rip through the entire litter. Additionally, there is great risk to the family and the pups with many who use the excuse of looking for a puppy to “case” your home for future breakins, or worse those who will assault you and steal the puppies to resell for profit.
So the question is, how do you know the difference? Technology makes so much possible. Ask to face time with the breeder and puppy you are interested in. You can even ask them to show you where the puppies sleep, and both parents. Ask for photos of the breeder holding the puppy with an item you designate in their hand. Many things can be slapped on a photo that already exists, but a photo of the breeder holding the puppy with the item you identified is a far greater challenge.
Must know tips!
1.
Ask for I.D. You have no idea if the person is who they are
claiming to be. So many people have bought a yorkie and were given a fake name.
They had no recourse to find who really sold them their very sick dog.
2. If you are meeting the seller in a neutral location, write down the make and
model of the vehicle and the plate #.
3. Before buying a puppy from someone, do a Google search of their name, then
do another search or their business name, then their phone number. Doing these
Google searches will return Yelp reviews, Facebook profiles, Rip Off Reports
and many times, tons of shocking information. Right click on the
puppy pictures and search them on Tineye and google. Surprising how many of
those pictures are sourced from the internet. If the picture is protected so
you cannot do the search, another redflag.
Please take the time to do your homework before buying your puppy and don't
make an impulse purchase. Get to know the breeder, if they have a FB page, are
they updating it with new pictures? Ask the breeder what vaccines have been
given and at what age? Is the breeder asking you questions, or just pushing to
get your money? A good breeder will want to assure her puppy is going to a good
home and will interview the buyer, just as you should interview the breeder.
Many scammers will give you a US location when they are really located overseas. They promise you a purebred teacup yorkie puppy for a cheap price! (WARNING #1, no breeder can guarantee a size, so ask about the genetics of the pup. How big were the parents and ask for pictures. Reputable breeders will NEVER use words like teacup or micro, instead they will say the estimated adult size is such and such. Does the price seem too good to be true? It probably is. Breeding Yorkies is very expensive. A breeder may invest a couple thousand dollars in a litter of one or two puppies. Some scam artists will even go as far as to setup a website with a stolen credit card to make themselves appear to be a legitimate source to purchase a yorkie puppy!
Here are some things to watch for in yorkie puppy scams.
1. They want payment through Western
Union or through a money order.
I promise if they are asking
you for Western Union, it is a scam! They use Western Union because it
cannot be traced back to them and you cannot recover your money as you would
with Paypal or a credit card. (the
exception is overseas purchases where Western Union is often used)
2. They won't let you pick up the yorkie
puppy and the Yorkshire puppy must be shipped.
If you are buying a yorkie puppy for sale off
the internet or are having a yorkie puppy shipped to you please do the
following:
1. If possible, ask for references or have someone check
the yorkie breeder out. Keep in mind references can always be phony. Scammers often
have family members or friends give fake recommendations. And who would give
you an unhappy client as a reference?
3. Have all guarantees, contracts and papers written in
agreement as to what the terms are and what recourse you have for genetic
issues, or receipt of a sick puppy. (Keep in mind there are some things that
can affect a puppy due to the stress of transition, such as hypoglycemia and coccidia,
these are normally not covered in a contract, but indicators and how to resolve
them should be clearly explained to the buyer).
4. Speak with the vet that the breeder is taking the
yorkie to for their vet check. As the vet for any genetic issues
present in the parents, and the general health of the puppies. All dogs must be
vet checked before going on a plane, and should have been vet checked at least
once before leaving the breeder.
5. Have your yorkie vet checked as soon as you pick up your
puppy. You should do this even before bringing them home, especially
if you have another dog.
6. Are they willing to sell you a yorkie under 10 weeks of age? Most likely a BYB/Puppy Mill. Many sold under this minimum age pass away soon after receipt. No ethical breeder would risk the life of their babies.
How to avoid a yorkie puppy scam:
* Beware of free or cheap yorkie puppies for sale! Yorkshire
terriers are not cheap. There is a lot of time and money in yorkie puppies. If
it sounds too good to be true then it usually is!
* Never purchase a yorkie puppy over the Internet without talking to the yorkie
puppy breeder on the phone! Responsible Yorkshire terrier breeders will want to
talk to you first too!
* Beware of anyone promising to deliver a Yorkshire terrier puppy within so
many hours of payment. Most common is 24 hours. It takes much longer to get a
yorkie puppy vet checked and booked for a flight to be properly shipped.
* Ask for a vet reference. This is better than using references given to you by
the yorkie breeder. A yorkie breeder can always give you names and numbers of
friends and family members. If you talk with a vet this is a place of business
and is more reputable. Ask the vet if this client exists and if they are a dog
breeder they would recommend.
* Do NOT send payment via money order or Western Union. These
payment methods offer no fraud protection. It is much safer to use PayPal or a
credit card. If you are scammed you can do a charge back and the credit card
company will refund your money. The credit card company will then pursue legal
action against the yorkie scammer.
Tips to spot a yorkie scammer posting:
~ Cameroon Africa. If it has to do with Cameroon
it is a scam 100% of the time, no question about it!
~ Payment via Western Union or money order. An honest yorkie
breeder will never ask for payment through Western Union. They will accept
PayPal or credit cards and are in good standing with their merchant account.
~ Unable to post multiple photos of the yorkie puppy in question.
Don't believe any excuse they may have not to send you photos.
~ A Yahoo email account. The majority of yorkie scammers use
Yahoo for some reason.
~ An invalid phone number. Make sure you call and speak to the yorkie breeder.
With Google Voice it is easy to have a phone number with any area code. If the
scammer does have a phone number they generally don't answer the phone. Their
bad English and accent is a dead giveaway.
~ Misspellings and awkward, backwards English. There is just something not
right with the way they write and word things.
~ They often have their email watermarked on the photo of the puppy they are
selling. This is to fool the classified ad, many classified ads don't allow
email addresses to be posted due to so many scammers.