Merle cockapoo

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For puppies and kittens, use our Pet Payments service so you will be covered by the Pets4Homes Guarantee. It protects you and your pet against bad breeders and fraud. It also creates a paper trail to deter puppy farmers!

For other pets - never send a deposit unless you have viewed the pet at the seller's premises and are confident that the seller is genuine. You should always pay the final amount when you collect the pet, never before.

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Note: Pets4Homes may ask you to upload your ID if you claim on the Pets4Homes Guarantee.

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Rehoming a puppy is a massive commitment and different breeds have vastly different characteristics. For more info read our breed profiles. Make sure that you have researched the breed fully and ensured that it's the right breed for you, and your family. Our friends at PAAG have put together some great advice on how to buy a pet. Also ensure that the seller or breeder is genuine and ask alot of questions. A good breeder will help you choose a puppy whose temperament will suit your lifestyle and family circumstances, and won’t rush you into making a decision. Here are the most important questions to ask the breeder before viewing a puppy.

Always view the puppy at the seller’s home with the puppy’s mother. Do not accept any excuses for sending money without a viewing having taken place, or if the advertiser attempts to meet you at any other location than their own home. Unscrupulous sellers will often suggest another location to avoid showing the puppy’s true living conditions. The advertiser should ALWAYS let you see the puppies interact with their mother. Pets4Homes do not allow third party sale of puppies and all litters of puppies advertised, MUST have been bred by the advertiser. Make sure that the interaction between the puppy and its mother is natural to avoid the setting being staged.

Reputable breeders will be happy to answer any questions you have to help you find the right puppy. Important questions are about health tests and checks, the puppy’s parents, and much more.

Listen closely, is the breeder being evasive? If so, they may have something to hide.

Puppies must be at least 8 weeks old and fully weaned before they can leave their mothers. Please make sure to check the paperwork to ensure the puppy is old enough.

By law, all dogs over 8 weeks must be microchipped. Ask the seller for evidence and how to transfer the microchip details.

For puppies, breeders need to microchip their puppies under their own details first. You should ask for a copy before collection and never accept any excuse for sending them later.

Check the registered address matches where you visited. Puppy farmers will try and explain away why details don’t match - walk away.

Licensed breeders: Licensing regulations vary across the UK so please check the rules on your local council’s website or where you plan to buy.

Licensed breeders need to pass strict inspections to get their licence. They will be given a star rating from 1 to 5 and undergo periodic re-inspections to ensure they are meeting welfare standards. Pets4Homes checks their licence to give them the green badge on their advert. You can filter by licensed breeders in the search results.

Hobby breeders: These breeders usually have litters every now and then but don’t do it often enough to require a licence. Hobby breeders usually focus on one or two breeds and will be just as happy as licensed breeders to provide viewings with the mother and paperwork.

Puppy farmers: These are the ones to avoid! They can be hard to spot but they won’t do everything in this checklist. Look out for people avoiding your questions, trying to hide the pup’s mother, not showing an interest in how you will look after the puppy, or pressuring you to make a decision. Keep an eye out for any differences in addresses or personal details on paperwork too.

Great breeders will health test the parents to look for genetic conditions or potential diseases. Tests include hip scores, elbow scores, inbreeding coefficients, and many more. Different breeds have different tests - see our breed profiles.

Ask what health tests have been done and for paperwork to prove the results.

Breeders who do these tests tend to have healthier pups and will likely charge more as a result of running the tests.

The seller should be willing to let you take the pet to a vet of your choice for a health check and return the pet within 48 hours for a full refund if there are health issues. If the puppy has already been health checked, make sure you have this documented and phone their vet. The vet may not be able to disclose specific health information due to GDPR, however they should confirm the puppies have been checked. When you meet the puppy, they should be sociable and alert, with bright eyes and no visible health issues. Read about how to check the health of a dog here.

If the breeder claims the animal has been vaccinated and/or microchipped, ask to see records of these, including vaccination certificates and evidence of worming and flea treatments. It is required by law that all dogs over 8 weeks of age are microchipped and that the keepers' details registered against them are kept up to date. The breeder is responsible for microchipping the puppies and must have their details registered on the microchip database first. These records should be sent before collection and you should never accept any excuse for sending them later. For puppies, if they are advertised as Kennel Club registered, make sure you get a copy of their Registration Certificate before you buy the puppy.

If the breeder says the pet has been vaccinated ask to see vaccination certificates and any paperwork.

Ask about the puppy’s worms and fleas treatment schedule. Depending on the breeder’s schedule you may need to do the final treatments yourself.

Never send money outside of Pets4Homes unless you have viewed the pet (in person or virtually) and are confident that the seller is genuine. We strongly recommend you pay through Pets4Homes’ own payment service as you’ll be covered by the Pets4Homes Guarantee.

If you do decide to pay offline, always know you can walk away at any time if something sounds suspicious. And report the seller to us.

We also encourage all prospective puppy owners to sign a contract with the seller to make sure that what has been agreed and said verbally is also formalised. You can find a specialised puppy contract here.

If you believe a puppy may be subject to irresponsible breeding, do not “rescue” the puppy by rehoming it. Walk away and report the seller to us immediately. Read on to learn how to recognise a puppy farm here.

You should also report your concerns directly to the local council as they have the authority to inspect the premises if there are any welfare concerns, and can take further action if required. We work closely with several local councils, trading standards and police forces and we are able to provide any account or advert details if requested and if a data protection request is sent to us. Find contact details to your local council.

For serious welfare and / or cruelty issues, please contact the RSPCA (England & Wales) on 0300 1234 999, or SSPCA (Scotland) on 03000 999 999 immediately.

You should always get your pet insured as the cost of unexpected vet bills can be very high. Insure as early as possible as companies do not usually cover existing medical conditions. You want to be insured before anything develops.