Lets be honest, even if I tell you 100 times to look for a pup through the Kennel Club, most of you (myself included) are still going to do an online search. It’s quite normal. Internet is brilliant for finding anything. And I’m pretty sure, once you start you will end up on a popular site full of puppy ads. I did once. And I found one of my boys (and one of most wonderful breeders) there. I also came across dozens and dozens of ads that must be avoided at all costs.

The biggest problem with an ad is the fact that once you see photos, you fall in love. And once you’re in love, you cannot think straight.

This is when many people choose puppies who come without pedigrees, from non-tested parents, from parents one of which may not be a cocker, and even pups from puppy farms or stolen litters.

To help you out, I picked an ad you can trust and the one you must avoid (you can zoom on both)

YES advert is by a kind of breeder I’d happily get a puppy from. It’s perfect in every way & gives you a peace of mind when it comes to puppy’s breeding history and health. I have included the text to give you an idea what a safe & professional ad should look like.

AVOID any ads that look like this & are from private seller, not licensed by council (current rule is that anyone producing at least one puppy for sale must obtain a license); pups are not KC registered, only one of the parents is health tested CLEAR or neither of the dogs are tested at all; dogs are described as “family pets” as the main reason to breed from them “just once”; breeder offers pedigree certificates even though pups are not KC reg; price for the pups is too low (usual cost is around £1000); dad is nowhere to be seen.

Unfortunately, the AVOID ads take about 2/3 of the site space. Be careful and think with your head when making a choice.

Photo source: image by Katrina_S from Pixabay