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Pets are not good Christmas gifts

If you think a cute puppy or other pet would be an ideal holiday gift, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises gift-givers and prospective pet owners to consider waiting until a less hectic time of year.

Pet ownership can be more complicated and expensive than some consumers realize, and prospective pet owners have to be extra cautious about unscrupulous puppy mills and scammers at this time of year.

“Puppies are adorable, but bringing them into your home during the holidays could put stress on them as well as your family,” said Michelle L. Corey, BBB president and CEO. “Puppies need a lot of time and attention, and training can be difficult when your routine isn’t predictable.”

The BBB also reminds consumers to be aware of the potential for fraud or poor service from companies that sell pets. The BBB has issued previous warnings about online puppy scams.

More recently, the BBB issued an alert about a dog breeder who failed to provide customers with promised paperwork needed to register their pets with the American Kennel Club.

Many experts counsel prospective pet owners to avoid introducing any new pets, including dogs, cats and rabbits, especially young ones, into the family during the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Anyone whose heart is set on surprising a family with a dog or other pet should consider the family’s schedule and needs first.

It is also important to consider that what you may like or prefer in a pet, may not coincide with the intended recipient’s lifestyle. Especially with puppies and dogs, the animal’s size, personality, temperament, activity level, and grooming, exercise and training requirements should all be carefully considered before buying or adopting the pet.

One alternative is to give a “pet voucher” that can be used to pick out a pet after the holidays.

When the plan is to purchase a pet rather than adopt from a shelter or rescue, consumers should also carefully research the breeder, business, or organization that is selling the dog or other pet to avoid potential health problems or scams.

Missouri is among the top states for so-called “puppy mills,” which often raise dogs in unsanitary and inhumane conditions.

A 2010 BBB study of the puppy industry found that one-fourth of the nation’s breeders were in Missouri, partly because of lax laws on licensing. A law aimed at tightening regulation of dog breeders was passed that year, but results have been mixed.

Regardless of when you get a dog or puppy (or any other pet), the BBB and the American Kennel Club offer the following advice:

Avoid scammers. Scammers may make an emotional appeal to unsuspecting consumers, commonly through classified newspaper ads or online advertising sites such as Craigslist.

A better way to find a good breeder is to ask friends for referrals or to adopt from a rescue group or animal shelter.

Adopting a pet from a rescue or shelter has many advantages over buying from a breeder. The animals have already received a full veterinary examination and recommended vaccinations and have been spayed or neutered. The initial cost of adopting a new pet rather than buying from a breeder is almost always less because the cost of a pet’s initial vet care is already included in the adoption fee.

Virtually any breed, whether you’re looking for a purebred animal, a “designer” dog, or a mixed-breed, can be found through animal rescues and shelters.

For those who are set on buying from a breeder, always check out a business’s BBB Business Review at bbb.org. Read the results of a BBB investigation of one puppy scammer to familiarize yourself further with puppy scam techniques.

Check a breeder or shelter’s credentials. If you locate a puppy (or other animal) through a website, do not send money without speaking to the breeder and checking references and credentials first. For puppies, ask if the breeder is a member of an American Kennel Club-affiliated club and contact the club to verify membership. You can also search for a business’s BBB Business Review at bbb.org.

Avoid puppy mills. Unless you can visit the breeding facility before purchase and bring your puppy home personally, do not purchase a puppy from a website. When you have a puppy shipped from another area, you don’t know how that puppy has been treated, how healthy or young it is or whether the puppy exists at all.

Don’t be fooled by a well-designed website. Unscrupulous scammers will often create a professional-looking but fraudulent website designed to lure the potential buyer in with cute pictures they have downloaded from other breeders’ websites.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of scammers who offer to “re-home” their purebred animals in exchange for transportation or vaccination fees. If a free purebred puppy sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Scammers will continually ask for more money for unexpected and fraudulent costs, and you may never receive the puppy.

If you think a cute puppy, or any other pet, would be an ideal holiday gift, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises gift-givers and prospective pet owners to consider waiting until a less hectic time of year. It is also important to consider that what you may like or prefer in a pet, may not coincide with the intended recipient’s lifestyle. 

If you think a cute puppy, or any other pet, would be an ideal holiday gift, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises gift-givers and prospective pet owners to consider waiting until a less hectic time of year. It is also important to consider that what you may like or prefer in a pet, may not coincide with the intended recipient’s lifestyle. 

Amy Patterson is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-518-3616 or apatterson@dailyjournalonline.com.

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