Is this too good to be true?

[MonkeyPie]

I emailed a woman online about a Yorkshire Terrier she was adopting out, and this is what she sent me. Does it seem like a phish? Does the line about "your precise location" seem weird to you? My husband thinks it''s a scam and I am so bummed.

Hello,
Thanks for contacting regarding my Tea Cup Size Yorkie Puppies.My little babies are still available for adoption into any home willing to spoil them with the best of love and care.Titi is the male while Tina is the female.The are currently 11 weeks old and are up to date on their shots and vaccines.They are well socialized,home trained,house raised and have great temperaments with children and other household pets.They are little babies you will always want to hold so close and never let go.They are the best babies you can ever have.They are expected to be 4.5lbs when fully frown up making them great teacup and gorgeous designer purse puppies.They love to be held,hugged,kissed and treated like the prince and princess which they have always been.They are just fun to be with.My reason for giving such babies out to a good home is because i shall soon be moving into a new apartment were pets are not allowed so i am forced to give them out real soon.They shall be going into their new home with their health papers,play toys,snuggling blankets,feeding menu,hand manual and other accessories since i will not be using them when they are both gone.I will very much love to give out both puppies to the same home since they are already used to each other but if you would like to adopt just one puppy then no problem.All you have to do is let me know if you are interested in the male or female puppy.I would like to know more about your home including your precise location so i can at least know how the new home of my babies will look like.Below are photos of the puppies.Do you love their photos?Are they your dream puppies?Thanks and expecting your reply.

 

[Shoopy]

The thing that stands out to me to be honest is that the entire letter sounds like some standard letter she writes to everyone and that she hasn''t touched up in a while.

But that doesn''t necessarily mean its a scam.

Maybe you can respond back with a description of your home rather than a precise location. You can say something like "we live in a 3 bedroom, xxsqft home with a big backyard in a gated community." Something generic that will give the owner a feel for the type of home you live in without giving specific details. If she pushes for an address, then I would tell her you aren''t comfortable with that.

Assuming positive intent (

) she may just be an older woman that really wants to make sure her puppies get into the best home available.

 

[atroop711]

I don''t like how it sounds..but I''m normally suspicious (I''m a NYer and a daughter of a cop) lol.

 

[Lorelei]

Proceed with caution but it could be she is just trying to find out what type of home you have and your ' suitability' in giving one of her pups a home. I find many breeders want specific details where their pups or kits will be living, or to interview prospective owners before offering them a baby, but I don't know how things work in the States.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 6/11/2009 11:28:58 AM
Author: fiery
The thing that stands out to me to be honest is that the entire letter sounds like some standard letter she writes to everyone and that she hasn''t touched up in a while.

But that doesn''t necessarily mean its a scam.

Maybe you can respond back with a description of your home rather than a precise location. You can say something like ''we live in a 3 bedroom, xxsqft home with a big backyard in a gated community.'' Something generic that will give the owner a feel for the type of home you live in without giving specific details. If she pushes for an address, then I would tell her you aren''t comfortable with that.

Assuming positive intent (

) she may just be an older woman that really wants to make sure her puppies get into the best home available.

I sent her back an email telling her I had a huge yard (which I do) and live in a home with no children so the puppy would be spoiled. I also mentioned I live right outside of a major city near me, which I do, but without any exact locations. I did ask if she was local - I thought she was but her email address ends in yahoo.ca?

 

[neatfreak]

She sounds weird at the very least...are you sure this is a reputable breeder?

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 6/11/2009 11:34:07 AM
Author: neatfreak
She sounds weird at the very least...are you sure this is a reputable breeder?

No, but I wanted to find out! She says they come with "papers" but that means nothing to me until I know what kind.

 

[monarch64]

That whole paragraph freaks me out, to be honest. I would NOT give her an address.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 6/11/2009 11:36:24 AM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 6/11/2009 11:34:07 AM

Author: neatfreak

She sounds weird at the very least...are you sure this is a reputable breeder?

No, but I wanted to find out! She says they come with ''papers'' but that means nothing to me until I know what kind.

I hate to say it but she sounds like a backyard breeder to me...if she isn''t upfront about health testing, papers, etc. then she probably isn''t breeding ethically...

 

[MissGotRocks]

Most reputable breeders would not give their dogs away. . . they would have other breeders that they interact with that could sell the puppies for them if need be. It makes me question the dogs pedigrees as well but if you are looking for two adorable little puppies then this might be the ticket for you.

Did she send pictures or are they AKC registered? Again, doesn''t make a difference if you''re just looking for a Yorkie puppy but makes a big difference if you think you are getting a purebred, AKC registered dog. Their looks, health and demeanor rely on their parents - I would just want some more info on these little ones. Well bred Yorkies can be very expensive so I''d be leery of someone just giving them away. . .

 

[mausketeer]

Wow, that sounds so weird to me! Creepy!!!! Ew! There is something wrong here in any case. Sounds like SOME sort of scam or something to me, yeah....... if these are real Yorkie puppies they don''t need to be sold this hard, you know? "Precise location"? Give me a break......

 

[Rock_of_Love]

Date: 6/11/2009 11:36:24 AM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 6/11/2009 11:34:07 AM
Author: neatfreak
She sounds weird at the very least...are you sure this is a reputable breeder?

No, but I wanted to find out! She says they come with ''papers'' but that means nothing to me until I know what kind.

Yeah - make sure you ask what kind of papers. There are a lot of "puppy mills" out there who have "USDA" papers...huh??

The letter I think sounds suspicious, too. Very "standard, form letter." I would definitely be wary. I ran into a lot of crazies when looking for my Cavalier King Charles Spainel. I was armed with questions from my local AKC club, and you could pretty much tell who''s who by the way they answered the questions. If it peaks your intuition that it may be a "red flag" you should go with your gut.

I even ran into a guy who was a "puppy broker" - he said he could get me any color, male or female any time. I was lilke, how is that possible...is he expecting a litter with all colors?? Strange! Well, it sure was! Found out he was a broker who takes your "puppy order" then finds it from a puppy mill breeder for less cost and marks up the cost when he passes the puppy along. GROSS...JUST GROSS!! These guys should be shot!!

Anyway, the reason you should be concerned is in regards to health problems and sociability issues, to name a few. Your puppy may be fine at first, but a few years down the road could develop health problems becasue he/she wasn''t bred responsibly. Or, you may get a puppy that was raised in a kennel with no human contact until it gets to you - so could be fearful, scared, not easy to socialize.

Good luck with your search...and ask LOTS of questions. If red flags go up, go with your gut!!

 

[MonkeyPie]

At the suggestion of my supervisor I did a web search on her name. And it''s a scam

http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?p=81516

Oh well. I thought it would be too good to be true! I just got excited because I would love to have a Yorkie, and there are not any breeders local to me - just Petland.

 

[tlh]

post deleted - due to update.

Moneky- sorry to read it was a scam!!! I hope you find a puppy to warm your heart soon.

TJ warning -Rock of love I have a cav too! Very hard to find a rep breeder in USA. ESP in the midwestern states. (My mom met mine and fell in love and took her a year to find a rep local breeder.. and she ended up not caring about color in the end. Crazy!)

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 6/11/2009 11:55:27 AM
Author: MonkeyPie
At the suggestion of my supervisor I did a web search on her name. And it''s a scam

http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?p=81516

Oh well. I thought it would be too good to be true! I just got excited because I would love to have a Yorkie, and there are not any breeders local to me - just Petland.

Aww MP so sorry

Hopefully you can find a puppy to bring home soon!

 

[Rock_of_Love]

Date: 6/11/2009 12:16:15 PM
Author: tlh
post deleted - due to update.

Moneky- sorry to read it was a scam!!! I hope you find a puppy to warm your heart soon.

TJ warning -Rock of love I have a cav too! Very hard to find a rep breeder in USA. ESP in the midwestern states. (My mom met mine and fell in love and took her a year to find a rep local breeder.. and she ended up not caring about color in the end. Crazy!)

tlh...don''t you just LOVE Cavies??? LOVE them!! Yeah, it was really tough to find a reputable breeder. Mine ended up being from midwest - Oklahoma. But, she came from the sweetest family and she is healthy and well socialized. Her two kids were in charge of socializing the puppies...well, it worked!!

MonkeyPie...don''t worry...there''s a Yorkie out there for ya!!!

 

[SeaStar]

I don''t like the formality, too many "shalls" and the whole thing seems run together. I would avoid, why would she need your "precise location"? Sounds like one of the Nigerian scam letters. I actually heard of something like this happening, they weaseled money out of the person for "travel fees" for the pet and was supposed to pick up the dog at the airport, but guess what? No dog.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 6/11/2009 12:37:55 PM
Author: Rock_of_Love

Date: 6/11/2009 12:16:15 PM

Author: tlh

post deleted - due to update.

Moneky- sorry to read it was a scam!!! I hope you find a puppy to warm your heart soon.

TJ warning -Rock of love I have a cav too! Very hard to find a rep breeder in USA. ESP in the midwestern states. (My mom met mine and fell in love and took her a year to find a rep local breeder.. and she ended up not caring about color in the end. Crazy!)

<threadjack>

tlh...don''t you just LOVE Cavies??? LOVE them!! Yeah, it was really tough to find a reputable breeder. Mine ended up being from midwest - Oklahoma. But, she came from the sweetest family and she is healthy and well socialized. Her two kids were in charge of socializing the puppies...well, it worked!!

</threadjack>

MonkeyPie...don''t worry...there''s a Yorkie out there for ya!!!

These little guys are sure cute, too! What sweethearts.

I have a friend with a Yorkie, and he''s in great shape and super friendly, so I will talk to her about her breeder.

 

[risingsun]

When we got our Cavalier, the ethical breeders interviewed us on the phone before permitting us to see the puppies. Then we had an in person interview. They had as many questions for us, as we had for them. We ran into one breeder who said she had puppies and we could come that weekend and pick one up. Needless to say, we didn't. If you go to the AKC site and look up the parent club for Yorkies, there will be a list of breeders. Be sure to ask a lot of questions. If they don't grill you with questions, there is something wrong. Good luck finding your puppy!

 

[Barcelona]

Please, please, please do not buy dogs from newspaper ads, online postings, etc. If it's a mutt it's one thing (which in that case you should go through a shelter), if it's a purebred that is a whole other thing.

Reputable breeders do not call their dogs teacup or designer purse puppies for starters. If you are interested in purchasing a Yorkshire Terrier please go through the national club and ask for referrals:

Yorkshire Terrier Club of America, Inc.
Secretary Corresponding : Robert Owen
Address: 822 Freeman Lake Rd, Elizabethtown, KY , 4270121592
Website: www.ytca.org
Email: [email protected]

And for anyone interested in purchasing a purebred, please go through the AKC and the National Clubs and ask them for breeder referrals in your area. It may takes months to find a breeder who has a pregnancy planned and get your name on the waiting list for a puppy, but it is well worth it.

I have known far too many people to purchase purebreds from pet stores and these so called breeders, that end up with many health problems down the line. I'm not saying you can't get lucky and have a perfect dog from a pet store or elsewhere, but those places/people do not care about breed standards or breeding out genetic diseases (heart, eye, etc.). Their bottom line is to make money.

I'll get off my soapbox now

Edited to add: Petland has been found to have purchased dogs from puppy mills. http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/petland_puppy_mill_112008.html

 

[whitby_2773]

monkeypie -

most breeders will only let puppies go at 8 weeks at the earliest, but more often 10 weeks. so unless she bred these dogs herself, she has only had them between 1 and 3 weeks and is now getting rid of them. i just dont believe she didnt know she was planning on moving 1-3 weeks ago, so what she''s saying just isnt logical. she cant have had these dogs for, say, 2 weeks, then woken up this morning and said to herself ''i think i might move to an apartment! must get rid of my brand new puppies..." she HAS to have bred these dogs herself, meaning she''s a backyard breeder or a scam artist of some sort.

don''t go there.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 6/11/2009 1:26:07 PM
Author: Barcelona
Please, please, please do not buy dogs from newspaper ads, online postings, etc. If it''s a mutt it''s one thing (which in that case you should go through a shelter), if it''s a purebred that is a whole other thing.

Reputable breeders do not call their dogs teacup or designer purse puppies for starters. If you are interested in purchasing a Yorkshire Terrier please go through the national club and ask for referrals:

Yorkshire Terrier Club of America, Inc.
Secretary Corresponding : Robert Owen
Address: 822 Freeman Lake Rd, Elizabethtown, KY , 4270121592
Website: www.ytca.org
Email: [email protected]

And for anyone interested in purchasing a purebred, please go through the AKC and the National Clubs and ask them for breeder referrals in your area. It may takes months to find a breeder who has a pregnancy planned and get your name on the waiting list for a puppy, but it is well worth it.

I have known far too many people to purchase purebreds from pet stores and these so called breeders, that end up with many health problems down the line. I''m not saying you can''t get lucky and have a perfect dog from a pet store or elsewhere, but those places/people do not care about breed standards or breeding out genetic diseases (heart, eye, etc.). Their bottom line is to make money.

I''ll get off my soapbox now

Feel free to use the soapbox - this is stuff I need to know!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I would get a Yorkie magazine which you can easily pick up at the local PetSmart for around $10.00 or so and there are a list of breeders in the back with puppies available.

Many kennels don''t have websites, so finding them without a guide can be hard and discouraging. But this type of magazine will give you focused information on not only breeders but also the breed in general.

You may also want to consider rescue, if cost is an issue. You can prehaps get a sweet dog, a year or so old--out of the puppy phase, but nevertheless small and sweet. The org''s usually charge the amount equal to the vet bills, or ask for a donation. Not to mention, it''s a really wonderful cause.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 6/11/2009 1:30:30 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor
I would get a Yorkie magazine which you can easily pick up at the local PetSmart for around $10.00 or so and there are a list of breeders in the back with puppies available.

Many kennels don''t have websites, so finding them without a guide can be hard and discouraging. But this type of magazine will give you focused information on not only breeders but also the breed in general.

You may also want to consider rescue, if cost is an issue. You can prehaps get a sweet dog, a year or so old--out of the puppy phase, but nevertheless small and sweet. The org''s usually charge the amount equal to the vet bills, or ask for a donation. Not to mention, it''s a really wonderful cause.

I actually looked into this just yesterday, because I would love to, but the vast majority of the doggies I found in rescues are either old or not your "typical" Yorkie - I want one that is the usual brown and black, and most of the ones I found were that steel gray that makes them look like little old men lol. Not to mention it makes me nervous adopting a dog that has health issues - what if I don''t do it right? This will be my first dog and the idea of taking on a hard one freaks me out a bit. I don''t want to hurt an animal just because I''m dumb.

 

[Barcelona]

This page of FAQ''s will be helpful:

http://www.ytca.org/faq.html


You should also be aware that Yorkies and toy breeds in general can suffer from patellar luxation. This is when their knee cap slips out of place. One our friends has a Pomeranian that this happened to a couple times and eventually had to have surgery. Some believe it''s genetic, so it might be something to ask a breeder about. Any breeder should be willing to discuss in depth the health issues about their breed, even if it may make the dog seem undesirable!

 

[trillionaire]

US Yorkie Breeders by state

A legit breeder will ask LOTS of questions! I had to fill out applications for my dog, and pay a deposit for one litter (which I got back when I didn't get a puppy from them). You can also join groups on Facebook, there tend to be legit dog people that are hardcore in the groups, you can ask for referrals and sometimes find out about upcoming litters!

Oh, and purebred dogs are PRICEY! I'm sure you know that, but be forewarned!

 

[Barcelona]

Date: 6/11/2009 2:28:39 PM
Author: trillionaire

Oh, and purebred dogs are PRICEY! I''m sure you know that, but be forewarned!

Really? I found most breeders to be on par with what I''ve seen in pet stores and even less for some purebreds. Now if you go for a show dog (where the breeder guarantees it) then yes that can get extremely pricey.

 

[purrfectpear]

"gorgeous designer purse puppies"
"i shall soon be moving into a new apartment were pets are not allowed so i am forced to give them out real soon"

I don''t know if she''s scamming or not, but I can tell you this...she''s sure no responsible breeder or pet owner. Naturally a person who bought designer purse puppies wouldn''t think twice about giving them up because she decided to move to a place that didn''t allow dogs.

 

[purrfectpear]

Just so you''ll know, Yorkies are supposed to have some silver on their topline. They are only black and tan for the first 6 months or so, and then they should begin to get some silver or bluegrey.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Sorry it''s a scam.

I just wanted to add that when I adopted out two of my cats a few years back, even though they were the standard domesticated house cat, I interviewed people. Of course I never asked exact addresses, but did inquire about living location - as in an apartment or on acreage. The cats I had needed room to roam and by asking questions like that, it helped determine who would be an excellent match for the kitties I had so not wanted to adopt out - but had no choice.