At PetFuse.com we are concerned with your online safety so we have a few tips to make sure your pet buying experience is a positive one. It can be a wonderful experience looking for that perfect animal to bring into your family, but making sure that you find a good breeder and get exactly what you are wanting can be difficult. One of the best ways to protect yourself is to make sure you have tons of information. Know a lot about the animal that you are looking for and make sure you are very comfortable with the breeder before making a purchase.  Here are a few tips to help you along the way: 

1. Always use an escrow service! An escrow service will make sure that you do not end up with a sick animal or something that you did not want. Avoid sending money through Western Union . There is no way to protect the funds in case a problem of fraud arises. You can sign up for Escrow.com at the top of the page.
2. Make a trip to visit the animals and breeder if possible. If this is not possible try to get as much information about the breeder as possible.
3. Make sure you ask for as much information from the breeder that you can get. Do NOT allow email to be the only form of contact with any breeder. Ask for a phone number and talk to the breeder directly. If they avoid giving you a phone number run away from the transaction, you are setting yourself us to be scammed. Get the address of where the animals are kept. If they state that they cannot allow you to visit the animals, avoid the transaction; however some breeders will not allow you to visit until the animals have been inoculated, however after that they should not have a problem allowing you to visit.
4. Ask to  meet the parents of the animal
5. If one of the parents is not available, ask for pictures and pedigrees of the absent parent.
6. Find out how many litters the breeder has per year. If they state that they “always” have animals available; chances are they may have a mill.
7. Find out how many different types of animals the breeder has. If they breed many types of dogs, they might be a mill.
8. Find out many specifics about how the breeder cares for the animal.
9. Make sure the breeder is knowledgeable about the type of animal they breed.
10. Find out when the breeder will let the animal go to its new home. For puppies and kittens this should NEVER be before 8 weeks of age.
11. Find out if they are affiliated with any breeder associations, and if not why.
12. Get references, names, numbers, and email addresses, talk to the people personally. Do not just take a breeders word for it.
13. Get references for the veterinarian, contact him or her and ask them about breeder.
14. If the breeder seems more concerned with the money than the proper placement of the animal, avoid the transaction.
15. Ask if the breeder offers any guarantees. If so what are they?
16. Ask if a contract is required, this will help safe guard your purchase.
17. Find out what happens if you can’t keep the animals. A good breeder will almost always take it back, or find it a new placement.
18. Ask the breeder to send you pictures of the specific animal with an object that you choose. Example a coffee cup, something with your name on it, or a cell phone; anything  that you can identify that was placed there just for you. This ensures they in fact do have the animal you are looking at.
19. And last but not least, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it! Trust your own instincts, use your common sense, and remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. If you find an animal advertised at a ridiculously low price when they would otherwise be very expensive, remember, they are probably trying to scam you. If you find an advertisement that you believe might be a scam please report it to support@petfuse.com   

Please consider adoption when looking for a new pet. There are thousands of pets all over the country that are in need of good homes, you could help save a life!  

Please Note: PetFuse.com does not knowingly allow “puppy mills” or scammers to advertise on our site. We do not offer any guarantees, and at this time we do not pre-screen any advertisers on this site. However, we do not want scammers or people with questionable breeding practices on our site any more than you do, so if you have concerns about a specific breeder, PetFuse.com will investigate. If our investigation proves they are in fact a scammer or have questionable breeding practices, they will be removed from the site.