On-line dog buying/adoption

Question
Hello, I have been looking into adding a standard poodle to my family for some time now. I have not been able to find the right one in my area so I checked online and found one! Except the breeder is in Minnesota. I found this particular poodle on Californiapoodlebreeders.com and am not able to directly talk to the breeder I have to go through what they call an "assistant" which worries me. So I guess I was wondering if you have heard any bad remarks about this website? Also what are some "red flags" with purchasing a dog on-line?

Answer
Hello Michele,
You really need to be sure of the breeders and people who sell dogs on-line these days.  When people are just out to make money, scams run rampant.  Your best bet would be to try and find someone in your area that has Standards so that you can go and actually see the puppies and the parents.  Call local Show breeders in your area and see if they have Pet puppies available.  A lot of the time, Breeders will have a large litter where only a select few of the puppies are show quality.  They will sell the very nice, but not ring perfect puppies to Pet homes.  You can find a very nice puppy this way, and can also be assured that the puppy you get will be from good, healthy lines.  

The problem with buying a puppy on-line is that you can't see or actually talk to the people who breed the dogs or see their dogs personally.  Even the pictures they send you could be of other dogs, not the dog you are getting.  They can make their facility and dogs look and sound wonderful, when really they are just a Puppy Mill.  I have never heard of California Poodle Breeders, but you could probably find out more about them by asking around at places such as the American Kennel Club or the Poodle Club of America.  When personally looking for a Poodle, I went to Poodles Online.com and found some nice breeders there.  I will put these places at the bottom so you can check them out.  

http://www.akc.org/classified/search/landing_breed.cfm  Fill out the information to find a puppy in your area.
http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/ You can find out lots of information about Poodles and also search their Breeder Classifieds.
http://www.poodlesonline.com/  A Great place to find a Poodle by size, color, location, etc.

Red Flags:
The ASPCA warns of four common scams to avoid by being forewarned and informed.

1. Bait-and-switch is common in the puppy-appeal world of websites. Adorable pictures (often stock photos) of (in reality) unavailable dogs are posted as being in need of a good home. E-mails fly and back and forth, with the buyer sending money without ever seeing the dog.

The catch is that the dog arrives with undisclosed health problems, and it may be a completely different dog than what was represented. Guilt or compassion prevents buyers from breaking the deal, which could be the beginning of a lifetime of heartbreak and vet expenses.

2. "Free to Good Home" is rarely free of disastrous results. Buyers are often requested to mail shipping costs (often $350 to $500) through Western Union wire transfers or money orders, equivalent to cash because buyers can't recover the money. New owners are told to pick up their dogs at the airport once they've made the deal, but no dog ever arrives.

3. Save a dog from a rescue or sanctuary. Sound good? But many of these websites aren't based in reality. "Adoption fees" often exceed $1,000. Beware. Real rescues want to find great homes, not rack up profits. Real rescues may charge according to age, breed, and the amount of vet care put into an animal, which should produce dated vet receipts or some kind of official paperwork. They might also need to charge a transfer fee, but many times volunteers will cross borders and deliver a "rescue dog" cost-free.

Also, be aware that responsible rescues have already paid to have the dog spayed/neutered, which might be part of the adoption fee. Beware if the dog is unaltered. That is irresponsible. In emergency placements, i.e., a death or sudden serious illness in the family, in which a dog had to be re-homed quickly, our dog adoption organization sometimes had the new adopters take the dog to their own vet within two weeks of the adoption date. That was agreed to in writing, and we checked by calling the vet for follow-up. Our contract also allowed us to take back a dog if the owners didn't comply with any of our terms, not only the s/n condition.

4. Beware of dogs presented with the highly-coveted AKC papers, which are supposed to make them more valuable. Note that AKC registration means that both parents must have papers, but many puppy-mill dogs come from AKC-registered dogs. Paper registration does not guarantee quality. Many unscrupulous and disreputable breeders use the AKC as a "brand name" to label low-quality dogs.

Also, watch for anyone who doesn't sell their dogs with a Health Guarantee, or won't refund or replace a dog that is sick or dies.  

Be sure anyone you talk to about getting a dog will answer questions about their dogs, such as How many litters do you produce a year, and if its a lot, How Many litters do each female produce per year (you want the female to not produce more than 2 litters a year, and it should actually be one litter a year).  
Are your dogs wormed/vaccinated and tested for Genetic Diseases?  
Do you Line Breed? (this doesn't mean In-Breeding, but staying within certain lines when breeding)
Do your dogs have any Certifications or Titles?  (such as having a Championship or Obedience title, Hunting, Tracking, or Agility title)  
Do you have a Spay/Neuter Policy when you sell your dogs? (meaning do you require the person getting your dog to have it spayed or neutered)  
Do you belong to any Clubs or Organizations, such as the AKC, or Poodle Club of America?  How long have you been involved with owning/Raising Poodles?  
Do you raise any other Breeds?  
Do you try to Match the Temperament of your puppies to their prospective buyers?  Tell them the puppy you are getting is going to a Family home with Active Children.  

Read this over and check out the web pages.  If you have other questions about getting a quality Standard Poodle, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim