Question about website

JokerD

Hi everyone, I'm seriously considering getting the family a puppy and a few different breeds have been catching my eye. One is particular is a pug. Now I seen them fronm about €350-700 but I stumbled across this site and seen someone giving them away for free.
http://www.adoos.ie/post/9390166/4_pug_puppies_for_free_swisspa100gmailcom
I'm a bit wary about someone giving these dogs for free when they could get a nice amount of money for them. Is this common? Thanks.

FAYESY

I have always found it to be a site full of scams - however I am NOT saying the ads you saw were scams! The ones for marmosets & capuchin monkeys are!

Be very careful!

Zapperzy

Very very likely to be a scam, you can send them an email if you want to be sure but you'l probably get an email back telling you their daughter/wife died and they can't bare to look at them, and all you have to do is send them a few hundred for a delivery company to deliver the puppy. Of course there never is a puppy to start with. :mad: Golden rule is if it sounds too good to be true then it's a scam, no breeder gives pups away for free unless sometimes if it was a accidental litter of crossbreeds but even then usually something small like €50 is asked to cover costs.

Don't go looking for a cheap pup especially a breed like pugs where there can be so many health problems stemming from bad breeding. A good breeder who health tests and shows their dogs can spend a lot of money raising a litter so will not give them away for next to nothing.

Try contacting the IKC and asking for a list of pug breeders, or go to a few dog shows and ask around. The money you pay initially will pay off in the end, you could get a cheap pup but end up paying hundreds or even thousands in the long run for vets bills if the pup gets sick.


ETA: I just had a quick look on that site and Id say well over half those ads are scams. Look for american spellings of words and american terms like potty training and shots. On the first page alone Id say there's only 1 ad I would even consider as being genuine.

JokerD

Zapperzy wrote: »

Very very likely to be a scam, you can send them an email if you want to be sure but you'l probably get an email back telling you their daughter/wife died and they can't bare to look at them, and all you have to do is send them a few hundred for a delivery company to deliver the puppy. Of course there never is a puppy to start with. :mad: Golden rule is if it sounds too good to be true then it's a scam, no breeder gives pups away for free unless sometimes if it was a accidental litter of crossbreeds but even then usually something small like €50 is asked to cover costs.

Don't go looking for a cheap pup especially a breed like pugs where there can be so many health problems stemming from bad breeding. A good breeder who health tests and shows their dogs can spend a lot of money raising a litter so will not give them away for next to nothing.

Try contacting the IKC and asking for a list of pug breeders, or go to a few dog shows and ask around. The money you pay initially will pay off in the end, you could get a cheap pup but end up paying hundreds or even thousands in the long run for vets bills if the pup gets sick.


ETA: I just had a quick look on that site and Id say well over half those ads are scams. Look for american spellings of words and american terms like potty training and shots. On the first page alone Id say there's only 1 ad I would even consider as being genuine.

Thank you, I did as you suggested and e-mailed the IKC for a list of breeders. How about the donedeal.ie site? That seems to be pretty detailed and looks a lot more realistic with prices etc. In an ideal world the pound would be the best option but this would be my first dog and I want to train it from scratch and get a breed that is suitable for the house also. I liked the Beagle was a bit put off by articles saying it's a difficult dog to train.

suziwalsh

You can get puppies in rescue shelters and pounds try www.irishanimals.ie or www.dogstrust.ie (no pups on website you would need to call in). Always loads of pups of different sizes & breeds available and with a rescue you will get advice and support which is great when you are getting your first dog!!! You might even come across a pug mix beagle as there are a lot of them in pounds at the moment. I have a beagle and I wouldn't advise them as first time dogs they are difficult to train.

Sigma Force

Deffo be extra careful with pugs they can come with a whole host of health issues the IKC is a starting point but research the breed before hand so you know what to look for in a healthy dog, get a receipt, ensure the pup has been vet checked, vaxed and chipped etc.

Pugs aren't the healthiest of the pb dogs out there though, had thought about this breed and king charles and a few others but all the health issues or health risks put me right off.

Ended up with a Papillon which make great house dogs, very clever and for a pb toy breed have less of a risk of health issues esp. is responsibly bred.

Mabey have a look at the irishanimals.ie site they have lists of dogs with pictures etc. if you do go for a pug deffo. take out doggy health insurance.

JokerD

Thanks everyone for the advice, much much appreciated, I've done a lot of research on different breeds so I don't make a mistake in getting a dog that wouldn't suit the family. As I expected a Beagle would be difficult to train as my first dog and I read that Pugs can have health problems, that's actually what put me off a Westie as I read they were overbreed and as a result can have health issues. The mix I'm after is a dog that won't be too big for the house but isn't lazy and can handle a good walk.
Beagle: Hard to train
Pugs: Health problems
Westies: Health problems
Jack Russell: This is an option, I heard they're lunatics as a pup:D
King Charles: I got a feeling that they'd be a little lazy.

Actually a relative of mine has just got a Bichon Frise and it's absolutely lovely, low shedding and easy to train I've been told, also very lovable and can handle a walk. My only hesitation with this is that I was also told they might need grooming every 8 weeks. I'm not really a fan of that afro they grow:) Decisions, decisions.

suziwalsh

Yeah Bichon coat needs regular professional grooming otherwise gets matted and sore. Needs to be cut not brushed.

I would recommend a book called choosing the perfect dog for you by gwen bailey goes through all breeds and very accurate.

Otherwise myself I would go with a little wire haired terrier mix....low grooming, healthy, happy, sturdy, friendly dogs! Just homed a fab little one today so cute...here she is....and so so tiny!!!

JokerD

So much choice:) At first I thought the Beagle was perfect until I read about the difficulty to train, I'd take the dog to obedience classes no problem though. If I was living on my own then I wouldn't mind how difficult the pup was, the fact that there are other people to consider makes me want to make sure that my decision is an informed one. When I seen the Frise yesterday he looked like he'd be no trouble at all apart from the regular grooming. Is the grooming expensive?

Zapperzy

Donedeal.ie I wouldn't really reccommend either but it does seem a little better than adoos in that there aren't as many scams on it, there are a great deal of puppy farmers on it though. There's no harm in looking through it anyways but be very careful if your buying a pup advertised on it.

You say jrt's are lunatics as pups, well from my experience all breeds are lunatics as pups. One thing Il say about jrt's is don't be fooled by how small they are, people have this notion that because they are small they need very little exercise so they are usually under exercised and hence get bored very easily which results in dug up gardens, constant barking and over excitedness.

What about a staffordshire bull terrier? They are small to medium sized and can handle a good walk. Loads of them in rescue centres also.

JokerD

Zapperzy wrote: »

Donedeal.ie I wouldn't really reccommend either but it does seem a little better than adoos in that there aren't as many scams on it, there are a great deal of puppy farmers on it though. There's no harm in looking through it anyways but be very careful if your buying a pup advertised on it.

You say jrt's are lunatics as pups, well from my experience all breeds are lunatics as pups. One thing Il say about jrt's is don't be fooled by how small they are, people have this notion that because they are small they need very little exercise so they are usually under exercised and hence get bored very easily which results in dug up gardens, constant barking and over excitedness.

What about a staffordshire bull terrier? They are small to medium sized and can handle a good walk. Loads of them in rescue centres also.

There would be no problem in the Jack Russell getting the exercise, I've a very active family. I also like the idea that they think they're the business:D. In regards to the bull terrier, personally I'd consider all options if it was my decision alone but I know the stigma involved with staffies and I don't want people to fear my dog even though most of the time the dog they are fearful of are very gentle. But the main reason is that he'd be a little bigger than what I'm looking for. Once again though personally I understand a Staffie can be as good as any dog, any size.

tulipi

I have a pug and I have to say she's the cutest thing. She's pretty hyper though - as all puppies are. I researched the breed for months before getting her though. I would say that if you want a pug then go for it, they are great with kids, really friendly and outgoing.

BUT be aware of the health risks - hip dysplasia, PDE etc and just generally things like the fact that their eyes are so big and they don't have a brow bone like other dogs means that they can damage their eyes more easily etc. So like someone else said - get pet insurance.

I have to say though, I think that they're a really special breed despite some of their problems and as long as your aware of these issue going into things and prepared to pay for and fix any issues then you should go for it.

JokerD

The advice has been great so far and I'd like to pick your brains again. I did one of them....What Dog breed is for me? question sheets.... and one that came up was a Maltese. Now I've since researched the breed a little and it seems to tick all the boxes. Anyone have a Maltese they could tell me about? Thanks:)

messrs

we got a sheepdog pup - purebreed - for nothing on

no scam or anything - they just wanted dogs to go to good home, good site and some adoreable dogs on it!