Pets

Whilst there are many pitfalls in buying an animal over the internet, the internet is such a convenient way to research a pest, that for many people the obvious next step after researching is to then buy a pet online. At www.mypets.net.au we allow breeders to offer animals for sale on our site but ask our site visitors to consider the issues involved in purchasing an animal from the internet.

1. Beware the puppy miller. It is very easy to appear genuine over the internet and it can be difficult for the novice to tell the difference between a breeder that is breeding for quality of animal first, and with profit as a secondary issue.
   
   (a) Always ring the seller, and confirm their membership number to the relevant accreditation organization, then call the organization to confirm the breeder is licensed and legit. All breeders on www.mypets.net.au?and www.your-pets.com?are required to list their breeder accreditation numbers(though some haven't as yet, ring them to check please). Don't buy a pure bred animal EVER without doing this, anyone breeding pure breed animals(or even new cross breeds like labradoodles) should be accredited with a relevant breed association. If the breeder can not for any reasons provide such membership you should assume they are a puppy miller and not buy from them. Forget how good the deal is, you will be sorry.
   
   (b) Wherever possible, use the internet to research your potential purchase, but then attend the breeder s residence for an inspection. Are the premises clean? Are the animals housed with sufficient space(ie, not like the picture above) Ask to see the parents. Do they seem well fed and cared for? If you are unable to do this, then see (a) above and DO IT!
   
   (c) Don't be fooled by professional looking pictures or websites. Professional looking, may still be a puppy or other animal mill.
   
   (d) All pure breds animals should come with a health check from a vet, to show the animal is healthy, and that the parents are free from known genetic problems. Insist on seeing such documents and ensure they are genuine, a puppy miller will likely promise them, but be unable to produce them.

2. Beware scams from Africa and some parts of Asia. Plenty of people are prepared to place advertisements for puppies, fake their credentials, then con you into paying money into an account in Cameroon or Nigeria. The acid test is, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.
   
   Such scammers usually have poor English skills, and promise perfection in their animals which is not possible. Never purchase an animal from overseas over the internet and never despoil money into a foreign bank account. Even if buying domestically, offer to pay using an escrow service.
   
   Always ring, and it MUST be a number you recognize as local.

3. Why not consider a rescue animal? A rescue animal comes with shots, is neutered, and the rescue operator is not doing it for the money, so you will get good information about the temperament and any health issues of the pet you are looking at. Many rescue animals make fine pets and there are more than enough animals already in rescues already without you needing to consider any other place to source your new pet.
   
   You will find both pure and mixed breed rescue animals as rescues, many rescues focus on an individual breed, wheres as others will have breeds and animals of any type, including mixed breeds

4. Beware illegal animals and fraudulent sales. Wow! Someone is offering a tiger for sale? Don't be silly, it's not legal for you to buy it, and you'll never get it into the country. Common scams are for sale of monkeys, macaws, fertile parrot eggs,bulldogs and yorkies... but also offshore sales of savannah cats etc, Savannah Cats are illegal in Australia, as are many types of rodents so beware what can or can not be brought into your country.

5. Beware funky new cross breds. I don't want to get into an argument about whether cockapoodles should or should not be bred, but don't let anyone convince you as they are a new breed, many breeders don't belong to organizations. It's not true.

6. Classified ads are a bit different. We do get some ads on this site where someone needs to give up and animal due to moving, illness etc. Often, these are perfectly good reasons, but they should be able to provide:-
   
   a. Details of the breeder or rescue from where the pet came from.
   b. The name of their Vet, so you can check vaccinations, and any health problems. NEVER get such an animal freighted to you. Use the internet for research, then go and road test your potential new pet first.

Pets, are not goods and chattels. it would bad enough to get ripped off, but to play a role in furthering the evil pet milling industry would be horrid, so do you homework and don t get ripped off, or help a miller keep an unethical breeding program going.

Nici Bruckner