What: PuppySpot maintains that the site is a vetted, no-cost service advertising service for breeders but it has generated a pile of complaints
Expected pay: NA
Husl$core: $$
Commissions & fees: none (for breeders)
Where: Nationwide
Requirements: Animals to sell
Review:
Dwayne from PuppySpot maintains that the site is a vetted, no-cost service for breeders. Only families buying puppies pay the site. He added that 1.5 million families regularly use the site, which brags about 250 page views per puppy.
That said, PuppySpot clearly marks up the dogs it sells, sometimes by a wide margin. The company (previously known as Purebred Breeders) also had so many complaints from buyers on sites ranging from the Better Business Bureau to Yelp that I’d advise sellers to stay away.
Although the site’s terms and conditions demand that you sell healthy animals and take them back when they have a medical problem, this was the most common complaint from buyers. If you actually do sell healthy animals, this appears to be the wrong place to market them. The site’s reputation becomes your reputation.
There are plenty of better places to sell, including Craig’s List (free), Puplookup.com (free) and PuppyFind ($30 per month) and, of course, AKC Marketplace for purebreds.
What their users say:
From MeasuredUp:
“I started the process of buying a Yorkie puppy through purebred breeders and was told I had to pay an additional $400 for shipping dog from out of state on top of $3600 for the dog itself. I later found some pictures online of puppies from the same breeder on the exact same couch with other puppies born on the same day. Turned out it was the same breeder, and the puppies were only $550, and about 50-miles from me in the same state At the breeders house I saw the mom and pictures of dad, and they weren’t even CLOSE to the pictures I received from pure bred breeders. Nothing that pure bred breeders said was true, and they added a lot of flight fees and 5X the cost while the actual breeder still only gets their asking price plus (IF they really shipped puppy), the actual expenses for flights etc. They do NOT give the breeders the money when they lie about shipping etc.,
“First off they’ll lie to sell the puppies and they also charge double what the breeder does. They change their name, is that normal? They are the biggest puppymill supporter in America.”
From Yelp
“Puppy Spot was Purebred Breeders. My puppy had to have a surgery for a congenital hip problem when he was less than 1 year old. This company did NOT want to honor the contract and provide a refund. They told me to send him back before they would give me a refund! Right! Who would send back their puppy??
“I bought a puppy here for six hundred. Took dot (my puppy) to their recommended vet and warranted her. I bought her six weeks ago. She has worms and they won’t go away she had them at her initial check up but who wants to go get their money back when they’re already in love with their new best friend. If u love animals, dont buy one here. It’s heartbreaking.”
“Please read this before buying a puppy on Puppy Spot formally Purebred Breeders.I purchased a Shih-Tzu puppy on this site. I was told Toby was 12 weeks old but my vet said he was actually 8-9 weeks old. He arrived in a crate from the breeders state of Texas to California. He was covered in vomit, urine and feces. He was shaking and ill. He had gardia, kennel cough and perhaps parvo. They are just a fancy Internet Puppy MILL.”
From Trust Pilot
“If you can figure out who the breeder is that your pup will come from – you can get it for about 50% of what they charge.”
“My husband bought a golden retriever puppy from purebredbreeders.com for our family shortly after we lost our 12 year old golden retriever to cancer. We took her to the vet the next day after she arrived and found out she had Giardia and worms. After six months of the puppy constantly vomiting, having extreme diarrhea and giving her constant medication, she is now fairly healthy but still undersized for 10 months old. Not only that, the puppy can’t be registered with any nationally accredited registration such as AKC, etc. I should have disputed the credit card charge but there is no way that I would send the puppy back (probably to be a lab test animal) if they demanded the return of the “property” so I did not. Stay far, far away from this company and do not believe the doctored photos and false promises.”
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I purchased what I was guaranteed to be a teacup Pomeranian. While they now state they make no guarantees to the size of the dog, they did listen to recordings and the agent did indeed guarantee this pup would be 5 lbs or under. At the “ripe old age” of 8 months, this pup is already 12 lbs. I called and spoke to the office numerous time, each time they assured me that they would get back to me. They blow me off, don’t get back to me and have not kept their word on any type of refund. Once the pup leaves them, there is no such thing as Customer Service. I paid $3,749 for a puppy that I could have rescued at the humane society for. Completely disappointed and let down by this organization and will NEVER recommend them to anyone I know.
I am a breeder. I considered using puppyspot. Unfortunately the more I tried to work with them the more I realized that this was just a consignment pet store. They told you what they wanted but there was no way they knew whether or not you complied. They told you what they would you but nothing in writing and I have found out since that they don’t comply. This is not a place for a reputable breeder to sell a puppy. You don’t know what kind of home they will go into you don’t know anything about what’s going on this is a place where backyard breeders and puppy Millers can lie their heads off sell puppies inappropriately and make money.
If you have good puppies well cared for healthy and respect yourself and them you find your own new families so that you know they will be taken care of the way you want.
My one really big question is what the h is the AKC thinking by endorsing such a site? I think we need to find out.
Bottom line you have good puppies good protocols take care of it yourself you have puppies that you don’t know how to get rid of because they aren’t healthy they aren’t good quality and you really don’t care it’s a good site for you
AKC does not know anything about the breeders on their pages. They only need to have shown a dog in an AKC endorsed show. I thought they would be a good resource to find a reputable breeder, but they are NOT.
I feel that AKC used to be a trusted organization, but through the years have found they are only on it for the money. I no longer trust them to be a reputable organization, especially when they link themselves to puppy brokers.
Marilyn- We are looking for a Bichon Frise…you don’t by chance breed them?
No reputable breeder would ever sell thru a retail outlet or online. You will know you are dealing with a reputable breeder and not a puppy mill when you have access to the mother, father and the living conditions. NO breeder with any credibility is going to hand over a dog to you site unseen. PLEASE read reviews from Yelp, TrustPilot and the BBB. Purchasing a dog from Puppy Spot (or any like business) is supporting the puppy mill industry! Please DO NOT support animal cruelty!! Please know this is a for profit business. These are about $$$$s and nothing more. After speaking w/Keffe (sp) in Florida I confirmed what I already knew about this business. He actually told me NO breeder info would be given out until there was a commitment to purchase!!! Always consider adopting first, If you are breed specific there are rescue groups for every breed of dog. As a last resort find a reputable breeder. Do NOT support puppy mills!!!!!!
We also fell victim to puppyspot..time to bring them to Justice
I raise Toy Poodle and I used to use purebred Breeders also known as Puppy Spot to facilitate the sale of my puppies. First off, they sold my puppies for $2700 plus shipping and I would receive $900 for puppy plus $310 for shipping, when I asked why I was told that they hold insurance on puppy for 10 years, true or not, I don’t know.
One day I got a conference call between Puppy Spot, the prospective buyer and myself, after they were done asking me questions I was to be disconnected and Puppy Spot continued talking, the buyer. They in fact did not disconnect me and I heard the buyer ask them what kind of set up I had and if the puppies came from a clean environment, Puppy spot told them what they wanted to hear, (although their answer was true) the buyer asked how they knew for sure and puppy spot BALL FACED LIED TO THEM and told the buyer that the actually came to my house and inspected everything!!!! They have never ever been to my house! Needless to say, I never used them again.
Thank you for you post. I almost bought a minature poodle from them. I some how found this page my mistake. I have had a cockapoo and 4 mixed dogs. Due to my allergies I will keep looking for a poodle who wants to be spoiled.
Thank you for speaking up.
Barbara Backman
If you know any rescues please let me know. I can also do a cockapoo and can fly to get it.
I lost my sweet Lucy due to the horrible antics of PuppySpot. We only had her overnight. She died of parvo during the early morning hours. Picked her up at the airport around 11 pm. My husband tells me Lucy was lucky to feel the love we gave her that night. She deserved more. PuppySpot doesn’t care if your pet comes from a puppy mill. Do research; make sure you can visit; contact the breeder. Horrible experience. I give them a negative million rating.
I just bought a puppy from there. They told me they were going to drive it up from some place in Indiana and it would be ready in three to four weeks. After reading all of these negative reviews I’m glad there is at least one person that has had a positive experience. I hope mine will be just as good.
Was it positive?
I got a golden doodle puppy from Puppyspot a month and a half ago. I am livid with my experience.
Before the puppy arrived:
I asked Puppyspot questions regarding my puppy that they never answered. The first red flag should have been that they keep the breeder anonymous and offer no proof that you aren’t buying from a puppy mill. I called multiple times asking questions and they were very good at not being direct and avoiding the questions at all costs.
Puppy’s arrival:
Puppy spot and/or the breeder chose to put my puppy on a non-direct flight (I am sure it was cheaper), which made a 4 hour journey into an 8 hour journey. My puppy was so shaken up upon arrival, he wouldn’t eat, come out of the crate and he was covered in his own urine and feces. He was so weak he could barely stand or walk.
Puppy now:
When I went to the vet the day after my pup got to me, he had double ear infections, completely matted ears covered in black gunk and yeast, and a nasty infection on his private parts. He had clearly not been in clean conditions or been tended to. He had such bad anxiety he wouldn’t go to the bathroom outside, he wouldn’t let people touch him, and he now has severe separation anxiety. I have spent thousands on training and materials to try and fix the situation. Every trainer has said that there was likely neglect going on (although I can’t prove this).
I would NEVER recommend getting a dog from puppy spot for all of these reasons.
We too have been husk-Ed by PuppySpot. This health guarantees don’t seem to exist. Dog arrived with scratching her ears. After 2 visits of not seeing an infection, they did a culture! EARMITES! $266 to pluck the fur and clean out the ears. Just heard back from PuppySpot that I cannot prove she came with them (Hello- scratching from day 1). Also has a hernia and tear staining (which I specifically asked about). Then Third Party Pet that they are teamed with are a scam. Still waiting on AKC papers! Learn from our mistakes before you buy!
Have you received your puppy? My daughter and I just gave our deposit?
Ericka how was your experience?
Oh wow. I was just looking for a puppy the other day on there and I kept holding off. I guess it was the good lord making me wait on it. Thanks guys. Although it breaks me to not want to help those puppies get away from all that. And I really wish that people would not call a puppy or a dog poor quality bc it’s a living being not food..
I have had a totally different experience with PupSpot. I am a breeder and have successfully sold over 10 puppies. I am still in contact with each of the families. The staff has always been very professional with me. As a breeder I will continue to use Puppy Spot to place my babies.
I paid for my puppy who was 7 weeks old. got the app on my phone, by the way does not work. A so call puppy manager does not exist. Once the company got my money, you can’t get in touch with them. Now my puppy is 9 weeks old and no sign of travel plans. I requested to talk with the breeder, but that has not happened. No one will answer the phone. Two of there websites had my puppy listed at different ages. Also the company had lisited my dog a champion breed, but registered as a apri which is for a puppy mill breeder. Not sure if I will get my puppy or money back. Will contact my Lawyer.
I have had the exact same experience,. One excuse after another in failing to deliver the puppy. No customer service. They don’t answer their phones,don’t return calls. I’m wondering if the whole deal is a scam
I am grateful to read the reviews about Puppy Spot. I will never buy from Puppy Spot.
This place is a scam. They expect you to pay thousands of dollars for the dogs and they won’t disclose the breeder name. If you have been sold a sick or dying dog from puppyspot, please fill out our pet shop complaint form. Thank you!
https://www.caps-web.org/your-action-plan/caps-complaint-form/
Woah, I really regret buying now.. We just bought our Pomeranian puppy off of the website. All of my questions have been answered and we have gotten updates regularly. I hope my puppy arrives in good shape or else I’ll be heartbroken. I don’t want to see another one of my dogs get cremated..
Do you have an update on your experience?
“We make lives better by placing healthy puppies into happy homes. “
This is what this business claims. But this is a BIG LIE, PUPPIES ARE FROM PUPPY MILLS and the site does nothing to monitor or hold the breeders they use to account!
Our problems began from the very beginning. Originally the puppy we selected was advertised as a boy name Cody. About two days before we were supposed to receive it, we were told that it was a mistake, and that Cody is in fact a girl. We thought this was an odd mistake but did not think much of it and decided to move forward with the adoption. We have so much love to give and the pup needed a home. We named her Eevee.
The problems began shortly thereafter. Our sweet girl vas not growing! She started having diarrhea and would throw up no matter what we fed her. After numerous visits to the vet, she was diagnosed with an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (a common genetic defect that arises from irresponsible breeding). It was at this point that we were referred to a surgeon.
An exploratory laparotomy was performed, and the aberrant shunt vessel was identified, however her caudal vena cava was absent cranial to the shunt. A liver biopsy was obtained and Eevee was recovered from anesthesia as the surgeon could not move forward.
An Abdominal CT scan subsequently performed the following day (8/11/20) to ensure that a shunt closure could be safely performed. She was found to have segmental aplasia of the caudal vena cava but the surgeon was able to plan accordingly and move forward.
Eevee was taken back to surgery on 8/12/20 and an ameroid constrictor was placed on the portocaval shunt vessel. This was Eevee’s second surgery in a 72-hour period, the incision spanned most of the length of her body.
At the time Eevee was 4.5 pounds and barely made it. The pain and suffering we had to endure was tremendous and her medical costs were approaching $10,000 (she is only 1.5 years old). She will likely still need medical attention her entire life! 😢
We then contacted Puppy Spot with our concerns, namely that Eevee had genetic disorders synonymous with irresponsible breeding. We explained that we used the site specifically to avoid a situation like this. We did not ask to return her but requested they provide some sort of refund for the purposes of helping with Eevee’s growing medical bills.
After longer than a month, numerous follow ups and after Puppy Spot’s own vets reviewed the medical records and agreed with us, we were made the following offer:
50% store credit from Eevee’s original purchase price to be applied to the next purchase of a new puppy from their site
OR
Monetary compensation in the amount of $587.50 representing ¼ of Eevee’s purchase price.
We were then told the offer is made as is and to just choose an option.
This was a complete slap in the face! They offered no sympathy, took zero responsibility for their lack of due diligence, and essentially dismissed us.
We originally went to this site knowing that we would end up paying a much higher price for a dog but that at least we would have some assurance that it was not bred in an irresponsible and amoral manner. We have learned our lesson the hard way. These guys are no different than a puppy mill. They do not do their due diligence; they do not seem to do anything to ensure that the animals are bred humanely. They could not even tell the difference between a boy dog and a girl dog.
Make no mistake, the animals advertised on the site are exactly the same as you would get from a puppy mill, they just found a gimmick that allows them to slap a much higher price tag on them. The irony that such a business would only further encourage the spread of puppy mills was not lost on us either.
Please do not EVER buy from them. These people are part of the problem. They are complete frauds!
Do your research better than us. Make sure to ask what steps are specifically being taken by any company making claims such as these to insure said claims are actually true and not just a marketing gimmick used to jack up the sticker price. Check the return policy, Puppy Spot gives you a whopping three days to discover and report any disorders such as this, this was a major red flag that we missed. Do not make the same mistakes we did, a puppy’s life could very well depend on it.
A close relative of mine was duped into getting a puppy earlier this year, who arrived underweight, with multiple infections and parasites.
Just check the employee reviews on indeed.com. The kind, helpful ‘pet consierge’ —who helps you get your puppy— is paid on commission, and gets fired if they fail to sell a certain number of puppies within a particular timeframe, which forces them to rush the puppy sales. Employees mention struggling to meet ‘impossible quotas.’ Employees also allude to the use of puppy mills.
You shouldn’t be able to pick out a puppy online as quickly and easily as a pair of shoes. Remember that.
Continue to remember that as you find any of their canned responses to negative consumer reviews here and on the Better Business Bureau customer complaint section. Their concern is more scripted than sincere. The sheer number of people suggesting illnesses one finds primarily in a puppy mill setting should tell you something. This isn’t an anomaly or one tragic mistake. It just is how they do business, and who they do business with.
PuppySpot, if you attempt to respond to me, I have nothing to say to you. You exploited someone I care about who is otherwise completely alone. Now I have to worry for the next few years if their heart will be broken because you couldn’t actually investigate your breeders properly. You support some very unethical breeders who treat their animals worse than livestock.
Puppy spot has done nothing but string me along and make empty promises. They have changed the arrival date so many times that I have missed so much work. They told me I have to take the dog to another state for first check up. The transportation company tried to get me to give them more money on top of what I already paid. They have an excuse for everything. I still don’t have a dog and quite frankly don’t know if I ever will. They are nothing but slick sales people with zero customer service and the conscious of the devil. I have wasted so much time that I will never get back with these fools. Please don’t be like me and fall for this scam. The only guarantees they have are pain, suffering, and a massive waste of time and money. Sincerely, the latest victim of the puppy spot scam.
I purchased a puppy that was supposed to be delivered for my kids Christmas gift from Santa. When I called them out for their shady business practices this is their response.
Good evening, Sunny,
We are reaching out from the Client Services team here at PuppySpot regarding Ivy. We do understand that you are unhappy with your customer experience, and we acknowledge how the previous delays in travel would contribute to that. However we must stress that the sole reason for those delays was to ensure that Ivy’s health and wellbeing remained our #1 priority, and that she was not yet ready to travel at that time.
We do apologize for any unhappiness or frustration that your customer experience has caused. With that being said, we acknowledge that PuppySpot may no longer be the best fit for you, and so we believe it is best that we issue a full refund of your purchase price and allow you to seek out a puppy solution that would be a better fit.
We did try to call a few times but were not able to reach you — we will be in till 9PM EST tonight and can be reached at 1-866-706-7337. Thank you for your time.