11/20/2023
HELPFUL INFORMATION BEFORE YOU BUY
I am hopeful this post will help someone doing their due diligence when considering a puppy from THE PUPPY PLACE. After their poor practices were brought to my attention back in April, I tried to bring awareness so that people would ask the right questions before purchasing and not just seeing the superficial side the store shows you. But, here we are 7 months later and they still have buyers, many with complaints after the fact looking for help in finding justice for their poor decision. Sorry, I said it. I will no longer be rallying on your behalf because no one wants to offer any support with our actions. In fact, as thanks for my participation I have had people associated with the store post outward lies about me and my breeding program as well as post ads of me offering free stuff where they post my phone number and home address, thus putting me and my family in danger with strangers visiting my home. I know who that person is but, despite the owners knowing it was happening (but saying “we didn’t do it”) they allowed it, had a good laugh and actually said “I had it coming”. I have NEVER made this personal and have only pointed out their poor practices and would never stoop to such low levels in retaliation. So, I’ve decided this is not my battle and I cannot save people from their bad decisions.
For those who still haven’t experienced heartache from this store, I will reiterate everything that has been reported to me and that I have backup proof of.
1. Their puppies come from puppy mills up north. The owners themselves go and purchase these dogs each week the days they are closed and then sell them that weekend. If they were buying from reputable breeders who charge what they are charging for their puppies, how would the make any money (which is their sole intention)? They wouldn’t.
2. These puppies do not receive proper medical attention. They put them up for sale just a few days after they are purchased, rather than quarantining them for 7-10 days to be sure they are not carrying any diseases or parasites and taking them to a vet for health clearances. If they did, don’t you think they’d include a copy of that vet record with the puppy’s records? No, you get the shot records from the puppy mill breeder and labels from shots the owners say they gave them. That’s it! No record of any worming or medications they are given. One former employee said they witnessed first hand a puppy bleeding from their a**s, the owner giving some kind of medication and then selling that puppy 2 hours later! 🤨
3. The store is not properly kept in sanitary condition. The puppies are kept out in the front pens overnight and on days closed together, peeing and piping everywhere, thus being exposed to each others f***s. So if one dog is sick, they are all exposed. Not to mention, the puppies being heard crying by th v**e store nextdoor during the night. Employees have to come in 3 hours early to clean up the front pens and wash down the dirty puppies. Puppies should be kept separate overnight so that they can see who may be sick and not put them up for sale while treating their illness.
4. They offer a health guarantee. Did you read it? From the many posts just in this group, you can see they don’t offer any payment for vet bills. They did refund the buyer of the puppy that died from Parvo because it was deemed unfit for sale and the law is they have to refund. Otherwise, they do not care and become different people after you buy the puppy.
5. They have sold MANY sick puppies!! Many vets in the area actual suit up when a puppy comes in from this store because they know there is a big chance of the puppy carrying something and they do not want to infect their other animals.
6. They instruct their employees to LIE to the customers, specifically about where the puppies come from. They are to say “the owners hand pick them from reputable breeders here in SC”. LIE! They are very evasive on giving you information on the breeder. If they weren’t ashamed of where they came from, why not share that information? The breeder should already know their puppies are being flipped.
So, in conclusion, here are the questions you need to ask BEFORE purchasing the puppy:
1. Who is the breeder and get name and address. If they don’t give it to you, why would you buy a puppy from them not knowing where it came from?
2. Ask to look at the puppy’s medical records and who the vet that the puppy has been seen by here. Ask for proof of visit. Puppies should have vaccines at 6, 10, 14 & 18 weeks and, FYI, many vets don’t accept shots not given by actual veterinarians.
3. Ask to see the original AKC or CKC registration application for the puppy. The breeder must sign it when puppy is sold and date it. This way you know when the puppy was brought into the shop. Make sure they are not changed in any way. The Puppy Place should not be listed as the breeder.
4. Be sure to take a look all of the Google, Yelp, BBB etc reviews for this store and see what buyers are saying. Beware of the good reviews that don’t reference a sale or cannot produce records of a purchase. They are friends of the store.
5. Speak to you vet and ask their experience with Puppy Place puppies and if they would recommend buying from there. They won’t lie.
If any of these items are suspicious or will not be provided, you know what your decision should be. I’d say at best you may have a 50% shot of getting a sick puppy, and that is being rather conservative.
Good luck in your search for you new fur baby. I’d suggest strongly to find a reputable breeder whom you should do the same homework on.
***Friends of The Puppy Place, don’t bother commenting, you will be deleted. If you want to rave about the store, they have a page for you to do so. You are not welcome here.
