Family shares horror story of buying a puppy online

A family have shared their horror story about buying a new puppy online.

Karen, who bought the puppy for her mum, told the BBC they paid £650 for a Yorkshire Terrier, whom they called Tiny.

She said Tiny would not eat any food and began having seizures two and a half weeks of being brought to them.

Animal welfare charity USPCA said there was little to no regulation on online social media platforms, so it is was really important to do research in advance and buy from someone reputable.

The family from Banbridge sourced their new pet from the online marketplace Gumtree in November, despite not having used it before to purchase an animal.

They got in touch with a seller from who was advertising a number of Yorkshire Terrier pups.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme, Karen said she had asked to see the mother and pups, but the seller was not "forthcoming".

"He insisted that he would come to us, and call in with the pup," she said.

"Within a few hours the pup arrived."

At the time of the purchase, the puppy was nine weeks old and had not be chipped.

Karen claims the seller told her the dog had been weaned off the mother but the seller did not recommend which food the dog should be given - which Karen said in hindsight was "another red flag".

She explained that Tiny began having seizures.

"We contacted the out-of-hours vets and they were fantastic, but a few days later she took another seizure," she said,

"My sister then took the pup to the vet but it was diagnosed with a liver condition and would need a liver shunt.

"But the vet didn't believe Tiny would survive the operation and we had to put her to sleep."

Karen said they were telling their story to raise awareness and to prevent another family going through the same ordeal.

In April 2022, Gumtree Ireland placed a ban on the sale and advertising of dogs to fight the illegal practice of breeding. This does not apply to Gumtree UK.

A spokesperson for Gumtree UK said: "We have invested in a dedicated safety team, who constantly monitor the site to ensure that our rules for listings are upheld by prospective sellers.

"We also work with industry leading partners, including the Pets Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG)… to ensure we comply with best practice industry standards that improve animal welfare in an ecommerce environment."

Nora Smith, chief executive officer of the USPCA, said: "It's absolutely heartbreaking and unfortunately Karen's story is just one of many that the USPCA regularly hear of

"Christmas is the season for impulse purchases, and unfortunately many people do elect to buy pets but from our perspective it's a cliche for a reason, pets don't belong under the Christmas tree, they're not toys."

The Department of Agriculture said it was working to ban third party sale of puppies and kittens in Northern Ireland.

In the meantime, Ms Smith said there were a number of checks the USPCA would advise the public to complete, including:

• Checking if they are a licensed, reputable breeder

• Visiting the breeder facility in-person

• Checking the puppy's health records such as its vaccination and worming certificates

• Clarifying if the puppy is at least eight weeks old before it is taken away from its mother

• Asking about the background of the puppy

• Speaking to the breeder about the history of the puppy's mother such as how many litters she has had and how her health is

Any concerns or worries about a puppy or kitten breeder should be reported to the local council or the USPCA.