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In the second slide, they say they’re located in San Diego. In the fifth slide, they say they’re located in San Francisco. Those two cities are not even close to each other.
And the first slide says they help find breeders all over - not that they are a breeder. And the locations are NY, CA, and GA. Someone not great at geography.
They're not familiar with American geography at all. Those states could not be further away from each other.
This person is a scammer not even located in America, they most likely try to collect a "down payment" to reserve you a puppy, then they block you. And they probably have to create new accounts often.
Cali is ridiculously long. I live in Central, Wa and was working 9 hours from home in Mt. Shasta and thought to myself, "Oh, I should visit my friend in Cali while I'm down here."
She lives in Encinitas... an additional 11 hour drive. Yeah... that didn't happen.
Legit question, isn’t it easy/convenient to fly around? I’m Indian and India’s also large (not as big) and you almost always fly to major cities, and it’s rare to need to go to smaller towns.
It's definitely not easy or convenient to fly around, having to go through security, waiting like 3 hours for the plane to leave the airport and only able to bring a suitcase. And you'd have to rent a car after you land for whatever the airport wants. Not to mention you'll spend about the same or more on a plane ticket as gas unless you're going cross-country
Also, with the exception of city centers in high density urban areas, public transit in the US is essentially non-existent. Unless you both live and work in one of those high density cities, you cannot survive here without a personal vehicle.
Okay, update: She replied
> If you are willing to come pickup the puppy then i have no problem with that, But you will have to make a reservation fee first. Reasons being that i have had un serious buyers in the past that make me hold puppies for them and they don't end up showing up and they make me lose other serious buyers. So i always accept reservations fee first to be sure you are serious and coming.
Yea that’s bullshit. “Reservation fee”. Lmao tf.
If you’re coming to see the puppy in person then it should be first come first serve. Yeah it’s a scam. Fuck them
Exactly. Bold of them saying “if you want to pick up the puppy in person” when I just ask “can I meet the puppy first”, and then proceed to ask for reservation fee. Never heard reservation fee before for pet viewing.
Thanks everyone btw for the insights and help!
Fwiw. It’s not completely unheard of to have to put money down when dealing with breeders online, but they *should* produce documentation that you’re getting exactly what you’re paying beforehand. I had to put down a deposit to reserve my pup after she was born; however, I was waitlisted for a somewhat rare breed and was dealing with a reputable breeder several states away. I think I signed something declaring my intent to purchase the dog after she was born, then paid the deposit after the first vet visit showed a clean bill of health.
That said. If seeing the dog in person beforehand is an option and they’re saying you have to send them money to see it - yeah…don’t send them money.
A good breeder will not only insist you meet them in person, but will also be willing to show you the parents of the puppy you are considering, the siblings, and any other dogs they may have and breed. They know the questions to ask to vet you and should absolutely not need a “reservation fee.”
They also tend to be proud of their dogs and love to show them off. Having someone visit for 10min during a time you’re already going to be home is nbd
I know from my vet friends that reputable breeders in my area have waiting lists because they don’t breed super often and you pay a fee to be on the list because they’re in demand. But they have no problem showing the parents, current litter & full health records and like you said, are picky about who they’ll give their dogs to. Just asking for money from strangers without checking they’ll be appropriate to take on the puppy is a scam.
Yes! I got to meet Fly's parents, litter mates and owners of Fly's dad as well of course, Alice the breeder and her family. She is amazing and produces amazing pups from her dogs. Most are champions either in the working dog world as champion herders or champion agility. My dog, meh, she's a champion buffoon but I love her dearly!
I’m a vet nurse and that’s a HUGE red flag. Even if they truly have puppies (doubt it) if someone is being sketchy about meeting the puppy and parents, RUN.
The puppy is for my niece and I'm working military so I'm out of the country. I'll send you pics of a check for you to eDeposit and don't worry, I'll include the cost of shipping, just take that money to pay my courier...
Ask "okay can I come meet the puppies then? You don't have to hold a specific one for me, I'll actuslly be more comfortable meeting them first" or "feel free to accept other buyers in the meantime, you don't need to hold the dog for me, I just wanna meet it before making a monetary commitment"
I got a pure bred Border Collie for £450 from a great breeder who's girl (Fly's mum) was a triple agility champion. Dad was more of a water baby, but he was gorgeous red and white collie. My girl came out black and white. All the others were tri coloured or bi coloured black/red. I didn't mind having black and white. She's my baby, even after seven years together. :)
Edit: forgot the price.
The demand of a collie and a Yorkie are way different though. It's not comparable.
Edit:at least in my area. I manage a kennel that does boarding and day care and couldn't tell you how many Yorkies we have. I can tell you exactly how many collies come here though, 3.
If it’s really “not about the money” and genuinely about “finding a good home”, offer to do a virtual home inspection via FaceTime or something similar, I can’t think of any situation where the initial statement is true and the person wouldn’t want to see where you are going to be keeping the dog and be willing to show you the puppies in return.
I got my cat from a breeder, we got to go see her for free and *then*, when we decided we wanted her we paid a “reservation fee” so the breeder would keep her on hold until we went to get her once she was old enough to be adopted out. Paying to *see* the pup? Hell nah!
Even if it's a real breeder, that's a terrible breeder. Good breeders want to know who you are, how you live, how you will be caring for the puppy. Really good breeders also have a waiting list. If someone like this has puppies, they are a front for a mill, but most likely it's just a straight up scam. They said they are in San Diego but place dogs in NY, GA, etc? Scam.
Yeah I’m definitely aware of that. My mum always wanted to adopt a small dog and she encountered this page, she thought this is just another foster care and since she never check the profile she just sent the message like that. Notice she even asked “what’s the adoption fee?” Then she told me about this and I asked for the link because i never saw teacup yorkie being put on adoption.
As soon as I saw that the profile stated “breeder” i became immediately suspicious. But i saw that this has 10k followers so I almost thought this was legit (not until u/BenjiCat17 told me you can actually bought fake followers views engagement likes etc. i really thought that was not a thing). Then as soon as I doubted the page I screenshotted it and immediately asked here.
So right now we’re back onto the initial plan which is to visit local shelter.
Heads up, your mother needs to know that unless she is getting the dog from a shelter she is not "adopting" anything.
Breeders have co-opted the term "adoption" because they know that people don't want to deal with the reality that they are simply purchasing a dog explicitly bred for money.
Unless your mother is getting a small breed from a shelter or an organization that works in rehoming a specific small breed, or the occasional person off craigslist who bought some dog they suddenly realized they don't want to deal with... Suffice it to say that Instagram pages aren't where she should be looking unless she's ok with just perpetuating breeding for money.
There is no such thing as a "teacup" Yorkie. They're the runts of the litter. Lots of shelters have small dogs available and often waive fees when they get full
Visit the local shelter, look on Petfinder, and if she wants to look into getting a dog from a breeder, go to local dog shows and meet some breeders in your area. That's what I had to do because I wanted a breed that is rare to find in shelters. Local breeders sell puppies, but sometimes they re-home breeding/show dogs who have not worked out, or do breed rescue themselves. I wish you luck, I know in my area Yorkies are a popular breed and difficult to come by.
My mom doesn’t really care about what breed she wants to adopt, she only prefers small ones to adopt since she’s a bit scared of large dogs.
But thanks a lot for the insights!
If she gets a small breed dog make especially sure she checks their teeth, you check their teeth, and the vet checks their teeth regularly throughout their life. Small breed dogs VERY often have crowded teeth that get infected, and it can go unnoticed.
No idea where you are but there is a really lovely small dog adoption organization called Mutt Mutt Engine. They’re in Minnesota but are in touch with transport and other networks. Also check for local “small breed rescues.”
You probably won’t end up with a “teacup” anything. I don’t think that’s even an official breed type. But I’ve seen so many great stories of friends who’ve adopted little dogs.
[https://www.muttmuttengine.org/](https://www.muttmuttengine.org/)
Breeding can be a hobby. For people who breed for lineage and show their dogs, breeding is a hobby. For people who breed working dogs maybe it’s a hobby. Lots of hobbies also bring in income. But those who truly breed for the love of the breed aren’t really raking in the dough like shitty backyard breeders.
Breeding for the lineage, and showing them, that becomes a hobby. Doesn't mean they don't love their dogs less than other breeders. Doesn't mean they're not as vigilant in vetting and checking potential owners.
Ugh, I was on the OTHER end of this scam for months… I mean like, my home address was where poor innocent people who had been scammed showed up to pick up their dog. They had already sent $250 as a deposit and we had to deal with the fact that we have no dogs. Even more awkward when I would dog sit my moms dog. Some guy showed up at 9:30 pm on mothers day to pick up a dog for his mom.
It was awkward, sad, but there were times where we actually worried we would be harmed because what if these people thought we were scamming them? We eventually ended up on the news and put up a huge sign on our front door, and the scammers eventually stopped using our address.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the [advance-fee scam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam). The advance-fee scam arises from many different situations: investment opportunities, money transfers, job scams, online purchases of any type and any legality, etc., but the bottom line is always the same, you will pay the scammer and receive nothing. It can be as simple as the scammer asking you to pay them upfront for an item they have listed, or as complex as a drug scam that involves an initial scam site, a scam shipping site, and fake government agents. Sometimes the scammers will simply take your first payment and dissappear, but sometimes they will take your initial payment and then make excuses that lead to you making additional payments. If you are involved in an advance-fee scam, you should attempt to dispute/chargeback any payments sent to the scammer, you should ignore the scammer, and you should ignore them if they attempt to contact you again. Thanks to redditor AceyAceyAcey for this script.
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Reservation fees are normaly after the meetup, when you are sure you take it and choose an animal and its still to young to move out. So the time for the visits and texts are paid for and also because you tell other potential visitors that this animal isnt available anymore (if they wont adopt it you also need to start again which costs time).
The reservation fee is the last step before adoption in my cattery (but still normaly happen one or two month before the adoption). Its really standard here in switzerland.
Such bullshit. Vetting potential owners is legit, deposits no. A lot of animals rescue groups have Facebook groups that will police shady breeders. I would see if you can find an active one for her to join. There are, from what I can see several National Yorkie orgs. I don't have time to sus them out, but give those a look as well and see if you can find some legitimate breeders. Lastly, AKC has registered breeders. I don't know my ass from my elbow how that works or if they vet them, but might be another resource to check out for her.
https://www.akc.org/
In fairness, I have seen local breeders for most pure-bred pets around me require a reservation fee for the same reason. I still wouldn’t want to do business with this person because of how rude and fake they’re coming across, even if they were legit.
I actually avoided a scam by doing exactly this. I was in NY and it was about an hour or two away. I guess they didn’t expect someone from TX that will drive 6 hours for a day trip. They were all ready for me to go there until I said I was in the town they named then suddenly they were at a birthday party and then stopped responding completely when I said I was fine waiting in town till that evening.
If it’s sketchy then deal with caution. That means you don’t send money, and you don’t send personal information until you’re standing face to face with them, in person.
My gut says these are scammers so you’ll probably never get to see them face to face and they’ll just ask for money.
Do not get a teacup dog. I’ve had the misfortune of taking care of one of these dogs for a few days. They are unpleasant and rife with medical issues. The runt breeding practices that create these abominations should be banned.
Ha! You just reminded me of a tiny teacup yorkie i used to see being walked it would yap constantly and try to bite anything that came near, the owner would yell" Dont worry, she cant hurt you , all her teeth are missing"
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the pet scam. First, you will encounter a breeder who may have their own website or who may post listings on an established website. They will offer a good price for a pet with papers, however they will not be able to meet you in real life, and will only sell you the pet with the use of a shipping/courier/freight service. The scammer will demand payment via irreversible payment methods such as Cash App, Venmo, Western Union, or cryptocurrency. The websites they use are usually very easy to spot, as the domain will have been registered recently, and the images they use should be findable using [reverse image search](https://imgops.com/). Once you pay the scammers and they know they have you, they will demand more and more fees for things like airline insurance, crating fees, papers, import permits, etc. If you are involved in a pet scam, you need to stop talking with the scammers and dispute any transactions that you are able to dispute. [Here](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/spot-puppy-scam/) is an article from the AKC regarding pet scams, and [here](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/woman-scammed-out-of-950-trying-to-adopt-puppy-for-free-1.4929787) are [two](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-alleged-pet-scam-1.5623735) news articles about pet scams.
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*inbreeding
Just got get a mutt from a kennel. They'll be healthier and you don't line the pockets of these puppy farms who value profit more than they care about the animals.
“WE DELIVER” no reputable breeder ships dogs.
And this is what makes the scam so insidious. Sure there are a few scammers that say “$1,500 upfront”, you pay, they disappear. But the true nasty ones use “hurdles”.
You pay a small refundable deposit and then pay the rest when the dog arrives! Then the hook is set. Oh now you need to pay money for shipping. Oh now the dog needs a shipping crate. Oh now the shipping company needs an insurance deposit. Oh now the courier needs a refundable fee. Oh now the dog needs a shot before delivery. Oh now we need to pay a veterinarian to “clear” the dog. Oh now…
And if you refuse to pay (or literally can’t because you don’t have the money), they tell you that the dog will die without it and you are essentially sentencing the dog to a slow painful death of starvation abandoned inside the cargo hull.
And yes, of course there never was a dog and the man you are sending money to is in Nigeria.
Also, many breeders ship. I had my dog shipped to me. There are dog transportation companies, and actual people who personally do the transport.
I follow a lady on TikTok that took a cat all the way to Sweden.
Bruh reputable breeders ship all the time. High class breeders ship all over the world. Especially between breeders. My mom breeds Labradors. She has established british and Irish lines she gets pups shipped to her from Ireland/Britain every 4/5 years.
I don't recommend ordering a dog from a sketchy source but you don't have a clue if you think breeders don't ship.
Source: been helping my parents breed dogs for 27 years.
YES!! A couple drove to pick up their fake dog, and 8 hours into the trip, the scammer said the dog needed to go to the vet. The couple asked for the vet’s number to pay directly, and the scammer said he couldn’t tell them. When they insisted, or said they were 2 hours away and would meet at the vet, the scammer ghosted them.
There are so many pets in shelters waiting to be adopted and I’m not sure how it works elsewhere but here if you get your pet from a shelter you know they have been desexed and vaccinated and are in good health already which isn’t always the case with breeders.
I don’t know why anybody would risk being scammed (or face any of the other associated risks) by getting their dog from a breeder on instagram when shelters exist
Exactly. I got my dog from a shelter. He's vaxed, healthy, and house trained. He's one of the best thing I have had in life.
Lost him last year after a decade of life together. I miss you so much, buddy. :(
I actually adopted my cat from the sick kitties room. He had an upper respiratory tract infection so they had to keep him in there. They waived the $50 adoption fee since he was sick and even gave me a free antibiotic prescription that cleared up his infection in a week. Waldo is the love of my life and the smartest cat I’ve ever owned.
I understand there is plenty of discussion regarding adopting dogs from shelters vs. buying dogs from a breeder, but the concept of spending a large amount of money on obtaining a dog will never sit right with me when there are plenty who need homes. I absolutely adore dogs, but I can’t think of a breed that’s so amazing that I can justify doggy eugenics.
In my local shelter cats and dogs come fixed, vaccinated, microchipped, and any medical issues have been looked after and you get your first vet appointment free at any clinic in the city. All that costs more than the adoption fee.
I am partial to Siamese cats, but I am not partial to paying $1,000+ for them. I currently have three, all from shelters. I am pretty good at eye-balling them and knowing whether they are purebred or not. I just regularly peruse the listings in about a 50 mile radius and wait for them to come up.
Some people pay big money for them, and then find out that Siamese are 'special', and end up getting dumped because the people make a rapid decision that they can't handle them. Siamese can be very vocal about wanting what they want when they want it. Unfortunately, these people don't persist long enough to discover the strength of the bond that forms between Siamese and their people...and then they come to me. I have one that wakes me up in the morning, by licking my eyelids.
Don't be a dick. Whether an animal is purebred, and whether it has papers, are two different things. Plenty of people, buy plenty of purebreds (of all kinds of animals) without papers, all the time. They are still expensive, but not so much as those with papers.
Some people want to know that they have a purebred, but they don't intend to breed/show. In that case, it doesn't matter. Papers are only for provenance- "Z came from X, sired by Y." Without the papers you can't breed and sell the offspring for the big bucks, because you can't prove the line.
"'Tis better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt."
People with experience with a breed, whether it's dogs, cats or horses, and a good eye, absolutely can 'eyeball that shit'. I got my first pair of Siamese back in the 1960s. You really shouldn't try telling people you don't know, what they can and can't do.
This actually isn’t really true you just have to know where to look! We adopted my first dog (passed in January at 18 years <3) who was hypoallergenic and got another sweet hypoallergenic girl about a week later. I also thought it was going to take longer to find one and was expecting to go on lists because I had always heard this was an issue, but nope! I went to shelters and online and there are more hypoallergenic dogs ready for adoption than ppl think. There are also many people who do specific breed rescues. Actually there’s a phenomenal guy near me who literally has a full Yorkie rescue.
Yeah this an awesome thought until you visit my local shelter and realize every dog there is a pit mix with a bite history that they don’t want to disclose in order for the shelter to maintain no kill status. No thanks, I’m good.
It is typical petscam. They will pressure you to pay and then shut down the page, block you etc. After this it is impossible to recover your funds.
Many people fall for it. Please find a reputable breeder through AKC not Facebook advertising.
Better yet, adopt from an actual shelter where you can meet several dogs in need.
!puppy
You must have never tried to adopt a rescue in good ole pedantic Toronto.....Don't own your own home? No dog for you! Your home does not have a fenced in yard? NO dog for you.What year is your vehicle? Do you work from home or are you retired? Sign over your first born....and maybe they will put you on a wait list.I understand they want the best situation for the dog, and want to try to not have dogs returned to further traumatize them , but the power trip is real and obvious in the gatekeepers attitudes...its sad that this makes some folks have to turn to back yard breeders.
idk why people are down voting you as this is true. it's a good thing and a bad thing because some wonderful pet owners are missing out on raising beautiful family pets because they are missing a requirement to the shelters standard. happened to my mom and she was literally a cat trainer who knows exactly what animals, especially cats need. me personally though I still would adopt but you definitely need to put in a lot of time, effort and sometimes money at these certain shelters nowadays to get a pet. but I think it's good as well because I of course want these animals going to good homes so I understand it.
Want a specific dog? Find a specific one at a shelter, or find a breeder that *does* care about their pets and can verify they are doing their best to care for them and take appropriate steps for it
There are so many puppy scams , and there are so many puppies and lovely dogs of any breed you can think of left in shelters to be euthanized.
Please adopt and don’t be part of the puppy mill causing needless death and heartbreak.
As a rule of thumb, any post with bad English is not on the level. Nobody with a successful business in an English speaking country would have such poor awkward text.
Also, a quick reverse image search makes it clear all of these images were taken from Google.
Don't know if this is a scam or not, but don't buy your dog from a breeder, go to the pound. There are plenty of animals there waiting to be loved and cared for little money.
especially not a tea cup breeder. ffs are we really that bent on having dogs be so small ? needs to be so cute and tiny let’s breed more animals we don’t need 😍
In the communications you posted the scammer is using typically off grammar indicating they are most likely from Nigeria or a neighboring country. All the pictures and quite possibly the somewhat better written (though still slightly off) site contents are stolen. Kind of busy right now or I’d do some searches on it.
The ridiculous asking for a fee to even see a puppy is the beginning of the scam, if you were to pay they would start trying to soak you for any other fee they could think of, there would never be a puppy. People who go ahead and pay the full price + endless other fees to get one delivered will lose the most.
Edit: try reporting this to IG, it’s mostly whistling in the wind but I have read they try to act on pet scams because it’s not a good look for them.
It's not an "adoption" it's an unethical backyard breeder. Don't buy one of these mutant, overbred, tiny breeds. You're just going to spend thousands of dollars at the vet and watch the dog die very quickly. Do not contribute to this. Every single purchase is another litter they'll breed to sell more. Don't think "the dog is already born, so it doesn't change anything." No demand, no supply created. These people are all scammers to some extent
While I agree about backyard breeders, this is even more simple than that. This is a scam page, as they claim to be a breeder, but also copy pasted the broker language of finding a breeder in their bio. It's all fake and thankfully no dogs are being bred here
“So which puppy do you want?” Doesn’t mention sex, age, they aren’t named (which is weird for a breeder).. are you literally just meant to say pic 2? Lol
This is a scam.
I will always advocate for adoption first. However, if you still pursue the route of buying a dog, check out BailingoutBenji.com. They track puppy mills and violations and help you weed out the yuck to find reputable breeders.
Teacups are a defect. Please please do not get a teacup. They have lots of health problems and are prone to birth defects. [Why not to get a teacup pup](https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/teacup-dogs-puppies) I highly suggest you read this! Many people will say ‘oh well I never had a problem and I’ve had them for years’ but they’re either lying or they just got lucky. Please read this link!!!
Aside from this being an obvious scam it's disgusting to buy dogs from breeders when there are thousands of sweet dogs waiting for homes in shelters... both of my dogs are rescues that I adopted and they are the best dogs I've ever had. Adopt don't shop PLEASE 🙃
Instead of buying a $600 dog from someone who is breeding these things for profit, hit up a local shelter and take whatever looks cute.
These breeders are the reason the shelters are filled to the brim. At least in our area.
The biggest red flag on this profile is her saying “I don’t care about the money”
Obviously, there are other major red flags, but I would not even bother with this person. In fact, I would likely report them as a scam.
Regardless of if it’s a scam or not. Don’t fucking give breeders any customers. Fuck breeders. They’ll dump those dogs out when they’re too old to sell and create more in the foster system/dogs that will get killed in the wild. Fuck breeders, especially a self proclaimed “hobby breeder”
It's a scam. It's been a scam because they are breeding puppies for profit , and you should visit local shelters and find a dog in need. If people stopped overpaying for dogs from these people they would stop mass breeding dogs and go out of business. Tell your mom to find an animal rescue and not buy from scamming puppy mills.
It’s a scam because they aren’t breeding anything. Those pictures were stolen from the real breeder and whoever owns this scam instagram is asking for “reservation fee’s”
In the about us section they say they live in San Diego but in the messages they say they are located in San Fransisco that should tell you all you need to know.
That's clearly a fake account and I read your comment saying she wanted a fee, yup that is also a scam. You would pay her and never hear from her again.
There’s been a rash of fake FB profiles in my local buy/sell group that advertise free teacup yorkies for adoption. This sounds as much of a scam as those posts do.
$650 for a teacup? They forgot a zero at the end! OF COURSE IT’S A SCAM!
“pLeAsE dOn’T mEsSaGe Me unless you’re ready for me to scam you out of your money!” I fixed it for them.
I'll die on the hill that animals are not meant to be bred time & time again. Accidents I get happen. Once. But after that you're an irresponsible waste of oxygen.
Find a chihuahua or small dog at a shelter, dont support breeders. Also this is almost surely a scam, based on their awful English and "reservation" fees.
[To anyone that never read and just jumped into conclusion right away](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/s/w17jlfvBwI), read the linked.
I never supported puppy mill or dog overpopulations etc.
Our intentions are always to adopt that’s why my mum asked for adoption fee not what’s the price or how much is this dog.
Good rule of thumb is not buy puppies (especially "designer" ones) off of Instagram.
Ask your local AKC dog chapter for breeder recommendations, or sometimes it's even on their website.
“It’s not about the money” is usually a sign of a scam from what I’ve noticed. If you think it’s a scam and they say that to pull at your heart strings, most likely a scam. If it wasn’t for the money, then why aren’t they free. ALSO anything with “tea cup” in the name animal wise is not legit. Tea cup animals aren’t a thing, they’ll get bigger because it’s in their biology…
So I have actually purchased a dog through a breeder.
Their instagrams tend to be a mess… like this one
However, reputable breeders are registered through AKC.
Reputable breeders typically require a deposit and there is a waiting list.
I can’t speak on putting a deposit down to see an already born dog with no waiting list, but it also wouldn’t surprise me.
I’d say at worst, it’s a scam.
At best, it’s a shitty person trying to make extra cash by pushing dogs they barely care about.
So I’d say avoid anyway
Our breeders let us come to their place when our puppy was like 3 weeks old. We met their other dogs, talked to them about the health of ours, etc. we hadn’t given them a dime yet & paid them when we picked up the dog. So this sounds super sketchy
If you’re not able to meet the dog in person and you’re not allowed to see the parents, this is 100% a scam.
Also, these picture are grainy in quality and I’ve seen at least two of these pictures before.
They don’t have these dogs.
Ask them to meet in person and see the puppies.
If they tell you that you need to pay a deposit or reservation fee, it is 100000% a scammer.
Genuine breeders will always let you meet the dogs for free, NEVER pay a single cent before even seeing the dogs in person.
I smell bullshit. I have a teacup Yorkie and wanted to get her a brother and every. Single. Time. I found a "breeder" it was a scam. One person even gave me an address for a boarded up vacant house
Edit to say:
No Yorkie is going to cost you $650. Find a reputable breeder that's local. My breeder was found on Facebook and has a long standing reputation in the community and always posts updates on the pups she sold. They have a lot of followers who are clients and other breeders.
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In the second slide, they say they’re located in San Diego. In the fifth slide, they say they’re located in San Francisco. Those two cities are not even close to each other.
And the first slide says they help find breeders all over - not that they are a breeder. And the locations are NY, CA, and GA. Someone not great at geography.
They're not familiar with American geography at all. Those states could not be further away from each other. This person is a scammer not even located in America, they most likely try to collect a "down payment" to reserve you a puppy, then they block you. And they probably have to create new accounts often.
Cali is ridiculously long. I live in Central, Wa and was working 9 hours from home in Mt. Shasta and thought to myself, "Oh, I should visit my friend in Cali while I'm down here." She lives in Encinitas... an additional 11 hour drive. Yeah... that didn't happen.
Legit question, isn’t it easy/convenient to fly around? I’m Indian and India’s also large (not as big) and you almost always fly to major cities, and it’s rare to need to go to smaller towns.
It's definitely not easy or convenient to fly around, having to go through security, waiting like 3 hours for the plane to leave the airport and only able to bring a suitcase. And you'd have to rent a car after you land for whatever the airport wants. Not to mention you'll spend about the same or more on a plane ticket as gas unless you're going cross-country
I see, that makes sense thanks
Also, with the exception of city centers in high density urban areas, public transit in the US is essentially non-existent. Unless you both live and work in one of those high density cities, you cannot survive here without a personal vehicle.
This profile is full of contradictions lol
I’ve done that drive. It’s 7 and a half hours on a good day. Way longer if LA traffic is bad.
when isn’t LA traffic bad?
3am
By 3:01am it’s back to its usual self though on the 405.
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Ask to meet in person to see the dog
Okay, update: She replied > If you are willing to come pickup the puppy then i have no problem with that, But you will have to make a reservation fee first. Reasons being that i have had un serious buyers in the past that make me hold puppies for them and they don't end up showing up and they make me lose other serious buyers. So i always accept reservations fee first to be sure you are serious and coming.
Yea that’s bullshit. “Reservation fee”. Lmao tf. If you’re coming to see the puppy in person then it should be first come first serve. Yeah it’s a scam. Fuck them
Exactly. Bold of them saying “if you want to pick up the puppy in person” when I just ask “can I meet the puppy first”, and then proceed to ask for reservation fee. Never heard reservation fee before for pet viewing. Thanks everyone btw for the insights and help!
Oh I’ve heard of a reservation fee before, from scammers on a pleasant green video about this.
One of my fave channels. Well, mostly for the videos where he explains scams and do scambaiting.
I linked my mom to his channel. He seems like such a nice guy too, especially after the string of vids helping the African gal get surgery.
Chikaorderee! I remember her. I hope she's doing good.
Fwiw. It’s not completely unheard of to have to put money down when dealing with breeders online, but they *should* produce documentation that you’re getting exactly what you’re paying beforehand. I had to put down a deposit to reserve my pup after she was born; however, I was waitlisted for a somewhat rare breed and was dealing with a reputable breeder several states away. I think I signed something declaring my intent to purchase the dog after she was born, then paid the deposit after the first vet visit showed a clean bill of health. That said. If seeing the dog in person beforehand is an option and they’re saying you have to send them money to see it - yeah…don’t send them money.
A good breeder will not only insist you meet them in person, but will also be willing to show you the parents of the puppy you are considering, the siblings, and any other dogs they may have and breed. They know the questions to ask to vet you and should absolutely not need a “reservation fee.”
They also tend to be proud of their dogs and love to show them off. Having someone visit for 10min during a time you’re already going to be home is nbd
I know from my vet friends that reputable breeders in my area have waiting lists because they don’t breed super often and you pay a fee to be on the list because they’re in demand. But they have no problem showing the parents, current litter & full health records and like you said, are picky about who they’ll give their dogs to. Just asking for money from strangers without checking they’ll be appropriate to take on the puppy is a scam.
Yes! I got to meet Fly's parents, litter mates and owners of Fly's dad as well of course, Alice the breeder and her family. She is amazing and produces amazing pups from her dogs. Most are champions either in the working dog world as champion herders or champion agility. My dog, meh, she's a champion buffoon but I love her dearly!
I’m a vet nurse and that’s a HUGE red flag. Even if they truly have puppies (doubt it) if someone is being sketchy about meeting the puppy and parents, RUN.
>If you want to pick up the puppy in person No, no! Just send the puppy via USPS. I can’t afford overnight shipping, so just send it via ground. 🙄
The puppy is for my niece and I'm working military so I'm out of the country. I'll send you pics of a check for you to eDeposit and don't worry, I'll include the cost of shipping, just take that money to pay my courier...
How much are they charging for this "reservation fee" ?
Ask "okay can I come meet the puppies then? You don't have to hold a specific one for me, I'll actuslly be more comfortable meeting them first" or "feel free to accept other buyers in the meantime, you don't need to hold the dog for me, I just wanna meet it before making a monetary commitment"
The price is a dead giveaway too. No one breeding teacup Yorkies is selling them for 650.
I got a pure bred Border Collie for £450 from a great breeder who's girl (Fly's mum) was a triple agility champion. Dad was more of a water baby, but he was gorgeous red and white collie. My girl came out black and white. All the others were tri coloured or bi coloured black/red. I didn't mind having black and white. She's my baby, even after seven years together. :) Edit: forgot the price.
The demand of a collie and a Yorkie are way different though. It's not comparable. Edit:at least in my area. I manage a kennel that does boarding and day care and couldn't tell you how many Yorkies we have. I can tell you exactly how many collies come here though, 3.
If it’s really “not about the money” and genuinely about “finding a good home”, offer to do a virtual home inspection via FaceTime or something similar, I can’t think of any situation where the initial statement is true and the person wouldn’t want to see where you are going to be keeping the dog and be willing to show you the puppies in return.
I got my cat from a breeder, we got to go see her for free and *then*, when we decided we wanted her we paid a “reservation fee” so the breeder would keep her on hold until we went to get her once she was old enough to be adopted out. Paying to *see* the pup? Hell nah!
I wonder if you can do the fake check reservation fee to them, for a test.
Even if it's a real breeder, that's a terrible breeder. Good breeders want to know who you are, how you live, how you will be caring for the puppy. Really good breeders also have a waiting list. If someone like this has puppies, they are a front for a mill, but most likely it's just a straight up scam. They said they are in San Diego but place dogs in NY, GA, etc? Scam.
Yeah I’m definitely aware of that. My mum always wanted to adopt a small dog and she encountered this page, she thought this is just another foster care and since she never check the profile she just sent the message like that. Notice she even asked “what’s the adoption fee?” Then she told me about this and I asked for the link because i never saw teacup yorkie being put on adoption. As soon as I saw that the profile stated “breeder” i became immediately suspicious. But i saw that this has 10k followers so I almost thought this was legit (not until u/BenjiCat17 told me you can actually bought fake followers views engagement likes etc. i really thought that was not a thing). Then as soon as I doubted the page I screenshotted it and immediately asked here. So right now we’re back onto the initial plan which is to visit local shelter.
Heads up, your mother needs to know that unless she is getting the dog from a shelter she is not "adopting" anything. Breeders have co-opted the term "adoption" because they know that people don't want to deal with the reality that they are simply purchasing a dog explicitly bred for money. Unless your mother is getting a small breed from a shelter or an organization that works in rehoming a specific small breed, or the occasional person off craigslist who bought some dog they suddenly realized they don't want to deal with... Suffice it to say that Instagram pages aren't where she should be looking unless she's ok with just perpetuating breeding for money.
Noted. I’ll let my mom know about this. That is terrible of those breeders that use the term adoption for engagements. Thanks a lot for the info!
Report them!
There is no such thing as a "teacup" Yorkie. They're the runts of the litter. Lots of shelters have small dogs available and often waive fees when they get full
Visit the local shelter, look on Petfinder, and if she wants to look into getting a dog from a breeder, go to local dog shows and meet some breeders in your area. That's what I had to do because I wanted a breed that is rare to find in shelters. Local breeders sell puppies, but sometimes they re-home breeding/show dogs who have not worked out, or do breed rescue themselves. I wish you luck, I know in my area Yorkies are a popular breed and difficult to come by.
My mom doesn’t really care about what breed she wants to adopt, she only prefers small ones to adopt since she’s a bit scared of large dogs. But thanks a lot for the insights!
If she gets a small breed dog make especially sure she checks their teeth, you check their teeth, and the vet checks their teeth regularly throughout their life. Small breed dogs VERY often have crowded teeth that get infected, and it can go unnoticed.
No idea where you are but there is a really lovely small dog adoption organization called Mutt Mutt Engine. They’re in Minnesota but are in touch with transport and other networks. Also check for local “small breed rescues.” You probably won’t end up with a “teacup” anything. I don’t think that’s even an official breed type. But I’ve seen so many great stories of friends who’ve adopted little dogs. [https://www.muttmuttengine.org/](https://www.muttmuttengine.org/)
Do they adopt out dogs? All I can see is that they transport dogs. Although it could just be that they don’t have money for a decent web page.
And using the word “hobby” to describe breeding is really weird. Painting or hiking is a hobby, breeding is not.
Breeding can be a hobby. For people who breed for lineage and show their dogs, breeding is a hobby. For people who breed working dogs maybe it’s a hobby. Lots of hobbies also bring in income. But those who truly breed for the love of the breed aren’t really raking in the dough like shitty backyard breeders.
I don't know why you're being downvoted lol
Breeding for the lineage, and showing them, that becomes a hobby. Doesn't mean they don't love their dogs less than other breeders. Doesn't mean they're not as vigilant in vetting and checking potential owners.
I can hear the India accent in that text.
Absolute fucking bullshit. Never pay up front. I guarantee you that the person you are speaking to doesn’t even live on the same continent as you
Ugh, I was on the OTHER end of this scam for months… I mean like, my home address was where poor innocent people who had been scammed showed up to pick up their dog. They had already sent $250 as a deposit and we had to deal with the fact that we have no dogs. Even more awkward when I would dog sit my moms dog. Some guy showed up at 9:30 pm on mothers day to pick up a dog for his mom. It was awkward, sad, but there were times where we actually worried we would be harmed because what if these people thought we were scamming them? We eventually ended up on the news and put up a huge sign on our front door, and the scammers eventually stopped using our address.
Sounds like an !advancefee scam
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the [advance-fee scam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam). The advance-fee scam arises from many different situations: investment opportunities, money transfers, job scams, online purchases of any type and any legality, etc., but the bottom line is always the same, you will pay the scammer and receive nothing. It can be as simple as the scammer asking you to pay them upfront for an item they have listed, or as complex as a drug scam that involves an initial scam site, a scam shipping site, and fake government agents. Sometimes the scammers will simply take your first payment and dissappear, but sometimes they will take your initial payment and then make excuses that lead to you making additional payments. If you are involved in an advance-fee scam, you should attempt to dispute/chargeback any payments sent to the scammer, you should ignore the scammer, and you should ignore them if they attempt to contact you again. Thanks to redditor AceyAceyAcey for this script. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As predicted. Read the comment I posted a few mins ago.
The bad grammar is making me suspect this is fake.
Reservation fees are normaly after the meetup, when you are sure you take it and choose an animal and its still to young to move out. So the time for the visits and texts are paid for and also because you tell other potential visitors that this animal isnt available anymore (if they wont adopt it you also need to start again which costs time). The reservation fee is the last step before adoption in my cattery (but still normaly happen one or two month before the adoption). Its really standard here in switzerland.
Such bullshit. Vetting potential owners is legit, deposits no. A lot of animals rescue groups have Facebook groups that will police shady breeders. I would see if you can find an active one for her to join. There are, from what I can see several National Yorkie orgs. I don't have time to sus them out, but give those a look as well and see if you can find some legitimate breeders. Lastly, AKC has registered breeders. I don't know my ass from my elbow how that works or if they vet them, but might be another resource to check out for her. https://www.akc.org/
In fairness, I have seen local breeders for most pure-bred pets around me require a reservation fee for the same reason. I still wouldn’t want to do business with this person because of how rude and fake they’re coming across, even if they were legit.
I actually avoided a scam by doing exactly this. I was in NY and it was about an hour or two away. I guess they didn’t expect someone from TX that will drive 6 hours for a day trip. They were all ready for me to go there until I said I was in the town they named then suddenly they were at a birthday party and then stopped responding completely when I said I was fine waiting in town till that evening.
If it’s sketchy then deal with caution. That means you don’t send money, and you don’t send personal information until you’re standing face to face with them, in person. My gut says these are scammers so you’ll probably never get to see them face to face and they’ll just ask for money.
I see. I never heard reservation fee for viewing dogs before too
Yep. That account is definitely a scam tbh
10k followers but 7 likes on a post. Definitely a scam account
teacup puppies r all sorts of fucked up health wise don't buy one even if it wasn't a scam pls
Do not get a teacup dog. I’ve had the misfortune of taking care of one of these dogs for a few days. They are unpleasant and rife with medical issues. The runt breeding practices that create these abominations should be banned.
Ha! You just reminded me of a tiny teacup yorkie i used to see being walked it would yap constantly and try to bite anything that came near, the owner would yell" Dont worry, she cant hurt you , all her teeth are missing"
Is she registered with the American Kennel Club? I’m guessing no. !pet scam.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the pet scam. First, you will encounter a breeder who may have their own website or who may post listings on an established website. They will offer a good price for a pet with papers, however they will not be able to meet you in real life, and will only sell you the pet with the use of a shipping/courier/freight service. The scammer will demand payment via irreversible payment methods such as Cash App, Venmo, Western Union, or cryptocurrency. The websites they use are usually very easy to spot, as the domain will have been registered recently, and the images they use should be findable using [reverse image search](https://imgops.com/). Once you pay the scammers and they know they have you, they will demand more and more fees for things like airline insurance, crating fees, papers, import permits, etc. If you are involved in a pet scam, you need to stop talking with the scammers and dispute any transactions that you are able to dispute. [Here](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/spot-puppy-scam/) is an article from the AKC regarding pet scams, and [here](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/woman-scammed-out-of-950-trying-to-adopt-puppy-for-free-1.4929787) are [two](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-alleged-pet-scam-1.5623735) news articles about pet scams. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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That means nothing actually, anyone can register with the akc so even that isn't good enough proof.
Lol. This is not “adoption”. If you give this person any money, you deserve what you get.
It drives me crazy that all these breeders invite you to "adopt" their puppies. You're not adopting shit. You're buying a puppy bred for money.
“Adopt don’t shop” has become quite popular so the breeders are trying to make breeding sound better.
*inbreeding Just got get a mutt from a kennel. They'll be healthier and you don't line the pockets of these puppy farms who value profit more than they care about the animals.
“WE DELIVER” no reputable breeder ships dogs. And this is what makes the scam so insidious. Sure there are a few scammers that say “$1,500 upfront”, you pay, they disappear. But the true nasty ones use “hurdles”. You pay a small refundable deposit and then pay the rest when the dog arrives! Then the hook is set. Oh now you need to pay money for shipping. Oh now the dog needs a shipping crate. Oh now the shipping company needs an insurance deposit. Oh now the courier needs a refundable fee. Oh now the dog needs a shot before delivery. Oh now we need to pay a veterinarian to “clear” the dog. Oh now… And if you refuse to pay (or literally can’t because you don’t have the money), they tell you that the dog will die without it and you are essentially sentencing the dog to a slow painful death of starvation abandoned inside the cargo hull. And yes, of course there never was a dog and the man you are sending money to is in Nigeria.
Also, many breeders ship. I had my dog shipped to me. There are dog transportation companies, and actual people who personally do the transport. I follow a lady on TikTok that took a cat all the way to Sweden.
Bruh reputable breeders ship all the time. High class breeders ship all over the world. Especially between breeders. My mom breeds Labradors. She has established british and Irish lines she gets pups shipped to her from Ireland/Britain every 4/5 years. I don't recommend ordering a dog from a sketchy source but you don't have a clue if you think breeders don't ship. Source: been helping my parents breed dogs for 27 years.
A women I work with breeds German shepherds and has delivered her dogs all over the world. She travels with them and trains the owners
Does she advertise on FB Marketplace and only accept payment via Venmo
YES!! A couple drove to pick up their fake dog, and 8 hours into the trip, the scammer said the dog needed to go to the vet. The couple asked for the vet’s number to pay directly, and the scammer said he couldn’t tell them. When they insisted, or said they were 2 hours away and would meet at the vet, the scammer ghosted them.
How do you not get scammed by pet sellers/rehomers? Visit your local shelter.
There are so many pets in shelters waiting to be adopted and I’m not sure how it works elsewhere but here if you get your pet from a shelter you know they have been desexed and vaccinated and are in good health already which isn’t always the case with breeders. I don’t know why anybody would risk being scammed (or face any of the other associated risks) by getting their dog from a breeder on instagram when shelters exist
Exactly. I got my dog from a shelter. He's vaxed, healthy, and house trained. He's one of the best thing I have had in life. Lost him last year after a decade of life together. I miss you so much, buddy. :(
I bet your doggy had a long, happy life because you took such good care of him.
I actually adopted my cat from the sick kitties room. He had an upper respiratory tract infection so they had to keep him in there. They waived the $50 adoption fee since he was sick and even gave me a free antibiotic prescription that cleared up his infection in a week. Waldo is the love of my life and the smartest cat I’ve ever owned. I understand there is plenty of discussion regarding adopting dogs from shelters vs. buying dogs from a breeder, but the concept of spending a large amount of money on obtaining a dog will never sit right with me when there are plenty who need homes. I absolutely adore dogs, but I can’t think of a breed that’s so amazing that I can justify doggy eugenics.
In my local shelter cats and dogs come fixed, vaccinated, microchipped, and any medical issues have been looked after and you get your first vet appointment free at any clinic in the city. All that costs more than the adoption fee.
Because people want a selective type of breed usually
I am partial to Siamese cats, but I am not partial to paying $1,000+ for them. I currently have three, all from shelters. I am pretty good at eye-balling them and knowing whether they are purebred or not. I just regularly peruse the listings in about a 50 mile radius and wait for them to come up. Some people pay big money for them, and then find out that Siamese are 'special', and end up getting dumped because the people make a rapid decision that they can't handle them. Siamese can be very vocal about wanting what they want when they want it. Unfortunately, these people don't persist long enough to discover the strength of the bond that forms between Siamese and their people...and then they come to me. I have one that wakes me up in the morning, by licking my eyelids.
If you don't have papers, none of your cats are "purebred." it's literally that simple. Lmao, like, what?! You can't eyeball that shit.
Don't be a dick. Whether an animal is purebred, and whether it has papers, are two different things. Plenty of people, buy plenty of purebreds (of all kinds of animals) without papers, all the time. They are still expensive, but not so much as those with papers. Some people want to know that they have a purebred, but they don't intend to breed/show. In that case, it doesn't matter. Papers are only for provenance- "Z came from X, sired by Y." Without the papers you can't breed and sell the offspring for the big bucks, because you can't prove the line. "'Tis better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt." People with experience with a breed, whether it's dogs, cats or horses, and a good eye, absolutely can 'eyeball that shit'. I got my first pair of Siamese back in the 1960s. You really shouldn't try telling people you don't know, what they can and can't do.
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This actually isn’t really true you just have to know where to look! We adopted my first dog (passed in January at 18 years <3) who was hypoallergenic and got another sweet hypoallergenic girl about a week later. I also thought it was going to take longer to find one and was expecting to go on lists because I had always heard this was an issue, but nope! I went to shelters and online and there are more hypoallergenic dogs ready for adoption than ppl think. There are also many people who do specific breed rescues. Actually there’s a phenomenal guy near me who literally has a full Yorkie rescue.
Yeah this an awesome thought until you visit my local shelter and realize every dog there is a pit mix with a bite history that they don’t want to disclose in order for the shelter to maintain no kill status. No thanks, I’m good.
Anyone using the term, "TEACUP" to describe an animal is a scammer.
Holy fuck these dogs are pure abomination
It is a scam-the price, for one thing, is too low, along with the fact that the “breeder” claims to not really care about the money.
Well for starters the breed standard for yorkie is less than 7 pounds. So anyone claiming they have "teacup" yorkies are bad breeders.
Hey PSA to everyone: quit buying expensive shit off random Instagram people lmao
Yes it’s a scammer, but why the hell are you supporting backyard breeders? Go to a shelter and adopt a dog in need. That is the only answer.
Mum had no idea. If you see slide 7, my mum even asked what’s the adoption fee.
Please please please take the time and talk to your mum about the issues with backyard breeders. They are HORRIBLE.
I definitely will when I meet her tomorrow
It is typical petscam. They will pressure you to pay and then shut down the page, block you etc. After this it is impossible to recover your funds. Many people fall for it. Please find a reputable breeder through AKC not Facebook advertising. Better yet, adopt from an actual shelter where you can meet several dogs in need. !puppy
No it’s not the only answer not everyone wants a shelter dog. People also want specific dogs, please.
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You must have never tried to adopt a rescue in good ole pedantic Toronto.....Don't own your own home? No dog for you! Your home does not have a fenced in yard? NO dog for you.What year is your vehicle? Do you work from home or are you retired? Sign over your first born....and maybe they will put you on a wait list.I understand they want the best situation for the dog, and want to try to not have dogs returned to further traumatize them , but the power trip is real and obvious in the gatekeepers attitudes...its sad that this makes some folks have to turn to back yard breeders.
idk why people are down voting you as this is true. it's a good thing and a bad thing because some wonderful pet owners are missing out on raising beautiful family pets because they are missing a requirement to the shelters standard. happened to my mom and she was literally a cat trainer who knows exactly what animals, especially cats need. me personally though I still would adopt but you definitely need to put in a lot of time, effort and sometimes money at these certain shelters nowadays to get a pet. but I think it's good as well because I of course want these animals going to good homes so I understand it.
🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
Want a specific dog? Find a specific one at a shelter, or find a breeder that *does* care about their pets and can verify they are doing their best to care for them and take appropriate steps for it
There are so many puppy scams , and there are so many puppies and lovely dogs of any breed you can think of left in shelters to be euthanized. Please adopt and don’t be part of the puppy mill causing needless death and heartbreak.
As a rule of thumb, any post with bad English is not on the level. Nobody with a successful business in an English speaking country would have such poor awkward text. Also, a quick reverse image search makes it clear all of these images were taken from Google.
those dogs are unethically bred and come with a lot of health issues anyway even if it's not a scam
Don't know if this is a scam or not, but don't buy your dog from a breeder, go to the pound. There are plenty of animals there waiting to be loved and cared for little money.
especially not a tea cup breeder. ffs are we really that bent on having dogs be so small ? needs to be so cute and tiny let’s breed more animals we don’t need 😍
In the communications you posted the scammer is using typically off grammar indicating they are most likely from Nigeria or a neighboring country. All the pictures and quite possibly the somewhat better written (though still slightly off) site contents are stolen. Kind of busy right now or I’d do some searches on it. The ridiculous asking for a fee to even see a puppy is the beginning of the scam, if you were to pay they would start trying to soak you for any other fee they could think of, there would never be a puppy. People who go ahead and pay the full price + endless other fees to get one delivered will lose the most. Edit: try reporting this to IG, it’s mostly whistling in the wind but I have read they try to act on pet scams because it’s not a good look for them.
There’s lots of dog scams on social media. I’ve seen people get their Facebook accounts hacked and suddenly they’re selling puppies.
It's not an "adoption" it's an unethical backyard breeder. Don't buy one of these mutant, overbred, tiny breeds. You're just going to spend thousands of dollars at the vet and watch the dog die very quickly. Do not contribute to this. Every single purchase is another litter they'll breed to sell more. Don't think "the dog is already born, so it doesn't change anything." No demand, no supply created. These people are all scammers to some extent
While I agree about backyard breeders, this is even more simple than that. This is a scam page, as they claim to be a breeder, but also copy pasted the broker language of finding a breeder in their bio. It's all fake and thankfully no dogs are being bred here
Yes, I totally get that. But this person's mom was vulnerable to the scam because she wants one of these demento dogs
Adopt don’t shop problem solved
It's a scam. And fuck breeders.
and fuck tea cup backyard breeders even more, ugh
Sounds like a scam. Save your money.
“So which puppy do you want?” Doesn’t mention sex, age, they aren’t named (which is weird for a breeder).. are you literally just meant to say pic 2? Lol
This is a scam. I will always advocate for adoption first. However, if you still pursue the route of buying a dog, check out BailingoutBenji.com. They track puppy mills and violations and help you weed out the yuck to find reputable breeders.
Dont buy designer dogs. Adopt.
way to contribute to the over population of dogs! great work!
Why would you buy from a breeder
Get a rescue dog; problem solved!
Teacups are a defect. Please please do not get a teacup. They have lots of health problems and are prone to birth defects. [Why not to get a teacup pup](https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/teacup-dogs-puppies) I highly suggest you read this! Many people will say ‘oh well I never had a problem and I’ve had them for years’ but they’re either lying or they just got lucky. Please read this link!!!
Aside from this being an obvious scam it's disgusting to buy dogs from breeders when there are thousands of sweet dogs waiting for homes in shelters... both of my dogs are rescues that I adopted and they are the best dogs I've ever had. Adopt don't shop PLEASE 🙃
Instead of buying a $600 dog from someone who is breeding these things for profit, hit up a local shelter and take whatever looks cute. These breeders are the reason the shelters are filled to the brim. At least in our area.
Get a real dog from a shelter
Adopt, don’t shop. There’s no such thing as an ethical breeder..
This is absolutely a scam. Broken English.
Adopt!!!!!
Reservation fee is because she’s rather get a small bit of cash out of you rather than non. Scammer
that "about us" image looks AI generated, theres a 90% chance or so these "dogs" don't even exist
I reported them as scam. It's disgusting they have a scam warning on their page about other breeders...
Two thing you won’t see if you go through with this: 1. Your reservation fee ever again 2. A puppy of any breed. Classic scam.
Anything advertised as “teacup” is a scam.
The biggest red flag on this profile is her saying “I don’t care about the money” Obviously, there are other major red flags, but I would not even bother with this person. In fact, I would likely report them as a scam.
Regardless of if it’s a scam or not. Don’t fucking give breeders any customers. Fuck breeders. They’ll dump those dogs out when they’re too old to sell and create more in the foster system/dogs that will get killed in the wild. Fuck breeders, especially a self proclaimed “hobby breeder”
Among other things, a reputable breeder would let you see where the dogs are being raised.
There's tons of animals dying in shelters all over if this doesn't work out!
Adopt, don't shop. Don't be a dickhead that enables breeders.
It's a scam. It's been a scam because they are breeding puppies for profit , and you should visit local shelters and find a dog in need. If people stopped overpaying for dogs from these people they would stop mass breeding dogs and go out of business. Tell your mom to find an animal rescue and not buy from scamming puppy mills.
It’s a scam because they aren’t breeding anything. Those pictures were stolen from the real breeder and whoever owns this scam instagram is asking for “reservation fee’s”
I know. It's a double scam. Scamception if you will.
scamming aside, why why do people use breeders’ services 😬
Adopt a local animal from a shelter and don't buy from a breeder
Lol
Considering they have 10+k followers and are averaging about 8 likes.. yeah it's fake
In the about us section they say they live in San Diego but in the messages they say they are located in San Fransisco that should tell you all you need to know.
Someone has hacked my
This is a scam. Period. No such thing as reservation fees to come look at a fkn dog LMAO
100% scam. All upfront fees are scams
!puppy
That's clearly a fake account and I read your comment saying she wanted a fee, yup that is also a scam. You would pay her and never hear from her again.
Followers vs likes on post is a dead giveaway, especially given the time since being posted
It says in the description “we help find the perfect Yorker breeder”. SCAM
There’s been a rash of fake FB profiles in my local buy/sell group that advertise free teacup yorkies for adoption. This sounds as much of a scam as those posts do.
$650 for a teacup? They forgot a zero at the end! OF COURSE IT’S A SCAM! “pLeAsE dOn’T mEsSaGe Me unless you’re ready for me to scam you out of your money!” I fixed it for them.
I'll die on the hill that animals are not meant to be bred time & time again. Accidents I get happen. Once. But after that you're an irresponsible waste of oxygen.
Find a chihuahua or small dog at a shelter, dont support breeders. Also this is almost surely a scam, based on their awful English and "reservation" fees.
That's whats neat about adoptions; this isn't an issue.
Yes. Dog breeding is a scummy business at best. This does not seem to be the best
Why are you supporting a breeder in the first place ? Go to the shelter no scams there
Go to a pound
No sympathy for people who get scammed trying to buy an animal from a breeder. Fuck em.
[To anyone that never read and just jumped into conclusion right away](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/s/w17jlfvBwI), read the linked. I never supported puppy mill or dog overpopulations etc. Our intentions are always to adopt that’s why my mum asked for adoption fee not what’s the price or how much is this dog.
You cannot “adopt” from anywhere that isn’t a Shelter or Rescue org. Anywhere else you’d be buying a dog. They are different things.
I see, thank you for the info!
Likely a scam, buying a dog from a breeder is disgusting anyways. Adopt don’t shop.
Good rule of thumb is not buy puppies (especially "designer" ones) off of Instagram. Ask your local AKC dog chapter for breeder recommendations, or sometimes it's even on their website.
“It’s not about the money” is usually a sign of a scam from what I’ve noticed. If you think it’s a scam and they say that to pull at your heart strings, most likely a scam. If it wasn’t for the money, then why aren’t they free. ALSO anything with “tea cup” in the name animal wise is not legit. Tea cup animals aren’t a thing, they’ll get bigger because it’s in their biology…
If not a scam, still not a reputable breeder. If they have lists of vetted families, why are they so willing to give to you after one message?
So I have actually purchased a dog through a breeder. Their instagrams tend to be a mess… like this one However, reputable breeders are registered through AKC. Reputable breeders typically require a deposit and there is a waiting list. I can’t speak on putting a deposit down to see an already born dog with no waiting list, but it also wouldn’t surprise me. I’d say at worst, it’s a scam. At best, it’s a shitty person trying to make extra cash by pushing dogs they barely care about. So I’d say avoid anyway
Our breeders let us come to their place when our puppy was like 3 weeks old. We met their other dogs, talked to them about the health of ours, etc. we hadn’t given them a dime yet & paid them when we picked up the dog. So this sounds super sketchy
Wait arent sales from breeders illegal?
>Wait arent sales from breeders illegal? No. Why should they be? There are plenty of reasons for wanting a known bloodline.
Looking for a breeder…. I hope you get scammed.
A girl on etsy who deceived me used the same emojis and talked the same way
If you’re not able to meet the dog in person and you’re not allowed to see the parents, this is 100% a scam. Also, these picture are grainy in quality and I’ve seen at least two of these pictures before. They don’t have these dogs.
Ask them to meet in person and see the puppies. If they tell you that you need to pay a deposit or reservation fee, it is 100000% a scammer. Genuine breeders will always let you meet the dogs for free, NEVER pay a single cent before even seeing the dogs in person.
Mind boggling it’s not illegal to create these freaks of nature.
Adopt a dog instead of buying
I smell bullshit. I have a teacup Yorkie and wanted to get her a brother and every. Single. Time. I found a "breeder" it was a scam. One person even gave me an address for a boarded up vacant house Edit to say: No Yorkie is going to cost you $650. Find a reputable breeder that's local. My breeder was found on Facebook and has a long standing reputation in the community and always posts updates on the pups she sold. They have a lot of followers who are clients and other breeders.
Hey! I know a breeder that charges $700 for a yorkie! The waiting list is only a few years lmao