Experts have given their advice to dog owners after puppy scammers target dog lovers in north SA

Puppy scammers are preying on the goodwill of animal lovers, promising to deliver cute puppies but stealing wads of cash. Here’s all you need to know.

Puppy scammers are duping well-meaning animal lovers into handing over cold hard cash for dogs that don’t exist.

Vets and police have warned South Australians that if puppy offers look too good to be true you should avoid handing over money at all costs.

Two people from Evanston Gardens and Lewiston were conned recently.

A prospective dog owner from Evanston Gardens was cheated of $4000 and a Lewiston victim lost $2750 between January 30 and February 15, South Australian Police have confirmed.

Barossa Veterinary Service’s Dr Catherine Harper urged South Australians to take some simple steps to protect themselves.

Dr Catherine Harper from Barossa Veterinary Service with Frasier. Dr Harper and other vets can make recommendations to prospective dog owners. Picture: Amy Maynard

Sunset Hills Labradoodles, a certified dog breeder based in Lewiston, have had customers coming to them due to being wary of puppy farms. Picture: Facebook

Dr Harper said buyers should always check the breeder was registered with Dogs And Cats Online.

DACO is South Australia’s official breeder registration database.

Buyers can use the database to get a breeder’s registration number and an animal’s microchip number.

“We also recommend buyers physically try to see the parents of the puppy, particularly the mother, to see what the health and temperament of the dog is like,” Dr Harper said.

“And, meet the puppy and its parents on-site.

“A puppy farm will often try to get the buyer to meet the puppy at a third location, so that they can hide the parents and the condition they’re in.”

Dr Harper suggested puppy buyers contact animal shelters to find an animal that needed rehoming.

Sunset Hills Labradoodles is a registered dog breeder near Lewiston.

A spokesperson from the business said they had heard from people who were concerned about buying from puppy farms, and so had sought them out to buy a healthy dog.

RSPCA SA said the organisation wanted to see tighter guidelines around ‘cruel breeders’.

“Unfortunately, the existing South Australian Standards and Guidelines for Breeding and Trading Companion Animals do not protect animals from cruel breeders,” a spokesperson said.

The RSPCA recommended buyers try and meet the animal in person on-site and that adopting from the RSPCA was always a safe option.

A SAPOL spokesperson said online classified advertisements were commonly used by scammers.

The spokesperson said scammers might ask for money to pay for vet services, shipping or insurance.

“The scammers offer numerous reasons for additional costs or delays in the transaction,” the spokesperson said.

Some scammers go as far to say a puppy died, the police spokesperson said, with the buyer then having to wait for the “next litter” to come along.