having a puppy shipped

[gizmorocky]

Hi,

I have one quiet little couch potato of a cavalier king charles spaniel who will be 2 in July. We love her so much. But she is very inactive and will only play with smaller dogs. So, I am planning to purchase a second cavalier. But since my dog has a few minor genetic problems, I needed to find a different breeder. I found one on the internet and have talked with the breeder who seems super! I picked out a little male pup with his help about temperament and after seeing pictures. In five weeks, the breeder will ship him from Texas to Philadelphia. Has anyone done something like this? I havent and I am a bit nervous about the process.

[jude09]

Hi there,

I picked out a little male pup with his help about temperament and after seeing pictures. In five weeks, the breeder will ship him from Texas to Philadelphia. Has anyone done something like this? I haven't and I am a bit nervous about the process

Here's a few snippets from a recent article I was working on about buying online.

I am not trying to scare you off, but just offer some tips to help.

There are many people out there ready to try and cheat you.


Did you know that According to the American Pet Product
Manufacturers Association, last year more than 200,000 puppies were
bought online by American families eager to find just the right pet
for themselves or their kids.


A staggering number of dogs right?


But as you may have guessed, not all online puppy tales have a
happy ending.


Although sellers will invariably ensure a bouncing, healthy puppy,
upon arrival many puppies have been reported either sick, suffering
from a chronic illness, or to have suffered injuries in transit.


Here's some tips to help.

--------
CONTACT
--------

Does the seller have a phone number? Dial it now and see if it's
correct and in working order.


-------
VERIFY
-------

The names, phone numbers or e-mail addresses of people who have
bought puppies from the online seller before.


Contact other customers to ensure that they have had honest and
helpful dealings with the seller and their overall satisfaction
with them.



-----------------
HEALTH GUARANTEE
-----------------

Purchase a puppy online if the breeder does not agree to
provide you with a health guarantee.


Health guarantees are usually provided for up to one year.


Before you buy a puppy online, it's always important to make sure
that this is included in the information or you should ask
otherwise.


-------------------
HEALTH CERTIFICATE
-------------------

Make sure that the breeder will also provide you with a health
certificate from a veterinarian.


This should state that the puppy has received all of its
vaccinations and it should include other information about the
health of the puppy.


Once you have received this certificate, it's important to contact
the veterinarian to make sure that it is legitimate.


----
BBB
----

Check with the Better Business Bureau in the seller's area to see
if any complaints have been filed.

Remember dog's aren't the same as the clothes and the gadgets that
we buy online.


If a gadget gets broken we can return them but If our dog gets sick
after a few days at our home, the dog is NOW OUR RESPONSIBILITY.


We can't just leave the sick dog and return him/her right? That
would be inhumane.


So, always keep in mind that there are dangers in buying your dog online,
and as a dog owner or an aspiring dog owner you should be vigilant about these things.


If you can avoid buying online the I suggest that you buy your dog
using the safest and most natural way which is to communicate and
visit the BREEDER himself.

But this is not always possible for everyone and these tips should help.

[Sarah]

Excellent tips, thanks for the information. I'm not sure I would ever buy a dog without seeing it first. For me at least , pictures are not enough.
But if you followed the tips, that you provided it seems safe enough.

Let us know how it goes when you get your new puppy. There is nothing like puppy breath!

[gizmorocky]

Thanks for the tips. I have called the breeder on the telephone line posted on their website, and we spoke for about 45 minutes. I also have seen pictures of him at some prominent dogshows as an owner.

He indicated he would give me health guarantees...

So, it might be ok?

[luvpekes]

Hello. I have had 2 puppies shipped in the last year. I live in S.E. Idaho and my little girl peke was shipped from Birmingham,Al. My little boy came from Washington. Both arrived healthy,happy and full of kisses,with wagging tails. No stress,injury,etc. They also had health gurantees for 1 year after arrival. I think you will be fine. Good luck with your new baby and the years of love you will receive from him.

[Gingerbred]

We shipped our daughters dog out from louiseanna to Washington state and she come through just fine. happy and healthy. I know other people who had pups shipped and had no problem. It sounds like you have talk a lot with the breeder and have a good feeling about her so you should be ok.
The tips in the first post were great, you should always do your homework, if after you have checked thing out and feel comfortable with the breeder then shipping you pup should be fine.

[trendi]

Hi,

I have one quiet little couch potato of a cavalier king charles spaniel who will be 2 in July. We love her so much. But she is very inactive and will only play with smaller dogs. So, I am planning to purchase a second cavalier. But since my dog has a few minor genetic problems, I needed to find a different breeder. I found one on the internet and have talked with the breeder who seems super! I picked out a little male pup with his help about temperament and after seeing pictures. In five weeks, the breeder will ship him from Texas to Philadelphia. Has anyone done something like this? I havent and I am a bit nervous about the process.

Where in Texas is the breeder (I'm in Texas)? I have two Cavaliers who are 1 1/2 years old. One from a breeder in Georgetown and one from Houston. Just be sure you do your research on the breeder and be sure they give you a health check guarantee. Is there no breeder close to you? I like to see the parents and the temperment of the puppies before I buy. I have only had one bad experience with a breeder - extremely rude over the phone. Does the breeder ask you alot about you and your home? Mine did. Cavalier breeders tend to be VERY protective of who gets their puppies. If the breeder asks no questions I would be a bit nervous. There are puppies mills out there. Ask for the name and number of someone else who has bought a puppy from the breeder. If they won't give you that, ,caution!! Most owners are eager to talk to prospective owners about how wonderful Cavaliers are. Good luck!!!

[MaryAnn]

I disagree with getting another puppy as a playmate for your current dog. My suggestion would be to check into a local Doggy Daycare for your dog. The dogs at my dog's daycare all have to be checked out by their Vet and are assessed prior to attending. The daycare personnel are dog trained and interact with the dogs. They also separate the small dogs from the larger dogs. When I say to my dog..."Do you want to go play with your friends?" She gets excited and cannot wait to get in the car. ALSO....you may want to try different activites for you and your dog to enjoy together. like Agility or Rally or Obedience or Tracking. These will increase the bond between you, and get her active. She probably hasn't found an activity she really enjoys yet, but when she does ...she'll have you hopping.

But if you are deadset on getting a playmate for your present dog, be prepared if that does not to the trick. And PLEASE FOLLOW THE SUGGESTIONS FROM JUDE above if you do decide on another puppy.

Best of luck to you in whatever you choose to do.

[springer]

I am also have a cavalier puppy shipped from Texas in about the same time frame! Perhaps the same litter and breeder? We are shipping from TX to NY. The whole thing scares me too. Can you give the breeder name? If it is the same breeder I would love to swap opinions with you!

[mia]

I would never buy a puppy and have it shipped. I want to see the Mother and the Dad if possible and what conditions the puppy is living in. Those puppy mills make me ill just thinking of the hell those poor dogs are living in.

They live in a cage and are just bred over and over again to produce litter after litter. They never get to run in the grass or play or anything. That is no life at all, It makes me so sad but mostly mad. If I ever come across one I will turn them in in a heartbeat and I hope everyone else will do the same.