How to Identify a Scam

CAROLINA MOM said:

That may be true most of the time, but DanaRuns put together a list of Ethical EC Breeders, you shouldn't lump all of them into the same category.

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SRW said:

“English Golden Retriever Breeder”
Means unethical breeder 99.99999% of the time.

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CAROLINA MOM said:

That may be true most of the time, but DanaRuns put together a list of Ethical EC Breeders, you shouldn't lump all of them into the same category.

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MomLovesFurryFamily said:

Oops I apologize for that large text, I am not sure why it did that. I’m sorry, all.

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Tagrenine said:

If getting a healthy, well-bred dog is important to you, I encourage you to read the resources on this website and understand the basics of health testing and navigating the pedigree and testing websites. How To Recognize Ethical Breeders – Reputable Breeders, Part 1 <- this blog will help break it down and has some great resources for not only recognizing good breeders, but contacting them as well.

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SRW said:

Mostly a good article.

Ethical Breeders

1. Health Testing Only
2. Health Testing and Purpose

I'm not sure how the first qualifies as ethical. This is how breeds are diminished. Even cattle and hogs are bred with a purpose in mind.

• Letting buyers pick their own puppy

This is under "Red Flags". I disagree completely. It is almost unheard of in the field trial and hunting realm to not allow people to pick their own pup. I think most would just pass on the litter and look elsewhere, I would.

• Selling pet puppies on limited registration
• Breeder provides support for the life of the dog and beyond

These are both under "Green Flags". The most sought after field trial retriever pups are out of sires and dams that win the most trials, not simply the ones the breeders keep. This is a large part of the reason that so few Golden's are competitive in field trials.
Few serious field trial people will buy on limited registration. Too much time and money goes into the training of a field trial dog.
Ethical breeders are certainly interested in the pups they produce. I have no idea what this means "support for the life of the dog and beyond"?

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Tagrenine said:

Perhaps you could write an article about what to look for and not look for in the field world?

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SRW said:

If I were to write an honest article it would offend a whole bunch of dog owners and breeders.
Kind of like telling parents their kids aren't above average. True more often than not, but always offensive.

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GoldenDude said:

I wasn’t aware most parents think their kids are above average.

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SRW said:

Didn't say that and not my point.
How many parents like to be told their kids aren't above average?

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GoldenDude said:

I'd say most parents like an honest assessment.

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Tagrenine said:

I want to put together a thread or post to help people coming to this forum recognize what a scam looks like. I want to first say that what I'll be referring to as scams are websites set up to look like they are breeders, but everything about it is fake and it is a system designed to take your money.

The websites have gotten somewhat clever with their names, but every single one follows the same basic format.

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They always sound good until you really start paying attention.

This description sounds good at a cursory glance. But it is a bit odd and seems to be missing a lot of crucial elements. Who are these people? Their goals and descriptions are extremely vague.

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Looks familiar right?

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Here's another!

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And another!

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Here is a final of another type for good measure. If you start to notice how good sound on the surface but realize that this "About" is missing a lot of vital information. Who are they? In my above example, if you google any part of the about, you will find the original breeder that that came from.

Further, if you click on their "Shipping Page", it is almost always bizarre because there are few breeders they can steal that from. Here is an example:

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That format is very odd and different from the "About" in both formatting and tone.

Now, perhaps the most telling part of a scam in every case is how they present their sale puppies. No matter how elaborate the website looks or how convincing (I have seen some scam sites add names/GRCA logo/etc) this will always be the dead giveaway.

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Not a single one of these puppies look the same. The backgrounds aren't the same and the prices are LOW. These are designed to look like a good deal, since the going price for pretty much any Golden is twice that or more.

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Here is another example.

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This one is even funnier because "Adult Weight: 3.5 to 5 lbs".

This brings me to another point: Nearly all of these websites have a "Buy Now" or "Contact Us" option right under the puppy. They like to advertise that puppies are on sale, that they are only "X" price for this week, etc.

I've been meaning to make a post like this because I see people getting scammed weekly. This post doesn't just apply to Goldens, it applies to any breed you want to buy. They prey on people who don't want to pay the market price for puppies. The truth is: all of these images are stolen and your puppy does not exist. You will never get whatever money they con you into putting into this fake dog back. I'm going to add the breeders I used for this post and I will add more to the list as I come across them.

If anybody else wants to add, feel free.

Danny's Golden Retriever Puppies
Family Golden Retriever Puppies
Harmony Retriever Puppies
Goldie Breeders
Vintage Retrievers (added Feb 14, 2021)
Star Belly Golden Retrievers (added Feb 26, 2021)
Amanda Golden Retrievers (added Feb 26, 2021)
Adorable Dogs and Puppies for Adoption on Facebook (added Mar 8, 2021)
Socialized Golden Retriever Puppies (FB Page: Golden Retriever puppies For Sale in North Carolina) (added Mar 15, 2021)
Great Golden Retriever Pets (added Aug 17, 2021)
Grace House Golden Retriever Puppies (added Aug 17, 2021)
Good Home Retrievers (added Sep 3, 2021)
Golden and Labrador Retriever puppies for sale (added Sep 3, 2021)
Harbs Golden Retrievers (added Sep 25, 2021)

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Razn said:

I am looking for a golden retriever and I came across a cite called Arel Goldens. Can someone help me identify this site as a scam or legit? I’ve caught a few red flags that this post had listed.

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Razn said:

I am looking for a golden retriever and I came across a cite called Arel Goldens. Can someone help me identify this site as a scam or legit? I’ve caught a few red flags that this post had listed.

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