Better Business Bureau and Veterinarians Caution Consumers about Buying a Holiday Pet on Impulse

Adding a puppy to your family over the holidays may sound appealing, but Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises consumers to think twice before giving or adopting a pet this holiday season.

Many families buy pets as holiday gifts at this time of year, without thinking ahead about the required investment of time, money and energy.  In some cases, children are unable or unwilling to care for a cat, dog or exotic animal, and the pets are sometimes euthanized because of shelters’ inability to find a new home for them.

Experts counsel potential pet owners to avoid introducing a new pet, especially a young one, into the family during the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  Anyone whose heart is set on surprising a family with a dog should consider the family’s needs and desires first.  One alternative is to give a “pet voucher” that can be used to pick out a pet after the holidays.

BBB advises families looking for a puppy to check breeders out carefully before buying or adopting to avoid potential health problems or fraud.

Regardless of when you get a dog, BBB and the American Kennel Club offer the following advice:

Look out for puppy scammers. Criminals may make an emotional appeal to unsuspecting consumers, commonly through classified newspaper or online ads.  A better way to find a good breeder is to ask friends for referrals or to look for a rescue group or animal shelter.  Always check out the firm’s BBB Business Review at www.bbb.org.

Check a breeder’s or shelter’s credentials. If you locate a puppy through a website, do not send money without speaking to the breeder and checking references and credentials first.  Ask if the breeder is a member of an American Kennel Club-affiliated club and contact the club to verify membership.

Avoid puppy mills. Unless you can visit the breeding facility before the purchase and bring your puppy home personally, do not purchase a puppy from a website. When you have a puppy shipped from another area, you don’t know how that puppy has been treated, how healthy or young it is, or whether or not the puppy exists at all.

Don't be fooled by a well-designed website.  Unscrupulous sellers will often create a professional-looking but fraudulent website designed to lure the potential buyer with cute puppy pictures.

Beware of scammers who offer to "re-home" their purebred puppy in exchange for transportation or vaccination fees.  If a free purebred puppy sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  Scammers will continually ask for more money for unexpected and fraudulent costs, and you may never receive the puppy.

Finally, consider rescuing a pet from an animal shelter.  Some wonderful pets are waiting for families to adopt them. 

-Submitted by Howard Schwartz, Executive Communications Director, Connecticut Better Business Bureau 

Do you like Connecticut Better Business Bureau posts?   If you don't want to miss any of our helpful posts, you can subscribe to our blog by clicking this link and then click "Get email updates," and our posts will arrive in your email.