[Red Cabbage]

I'm looking at a litter of pups online, and interstate.

Can someone please help me with a list of questions (although I've asked a lot already) of what I should be asking to make sure this is a legit litter. I've had someone attempt to scam me before from gumtree, which was fairly obvious to me, but I don't want to be a fool and jump in without checking it all out thoroughly.

If someone could also tell me about papers in regards to dogs registered in QLD, what councils exist etc?

Thanks in advance.

[FiveAus]

The main questions to ask is about the relevant health testing for the breed.....ask if you can see copies of the parents results. They generally wouldn't test the pups, but test the parents so they know they won't be doubling up on the genes that cause the problems. And in the case of some breeds, hips and elbows need to be x-rayed and scored (once again, the parents, not the pups). However there are some breeds for which there is no health testing required (whippets are one such breed).

What breed? The questions would vary depending on the breed you're looking at. How are the pups socialised, what are they eating, are they housed inside or in kennels? These are the kind of general questions you might include.

The breeder should be registered with Dogs Queensland, who are the states canine controlling body. The pups should also be registered with them too, and you should receive a Dogs Queensland pedigree with the pup......it's the guarantee that it's the breed you've been sold and will show 3 generations of the puppies family.

Whether or not the breeder is registered with their local council is nothing to do with you, and you don't really need to ask anything about that.

[FiveAus]

Just thought of something......you could ask the breeder what their prefix is, and what their Dogs Qld membership number is, then ring Dogs Qld and ask. Breeder prefixes are a matter of public record so there's no privacy laws to be broken there.

[Red Cabbage]

For council I meant canine council etc. I have no idea how this all works. But one breeder has shown me 3 certs for dogs qld (mum, dad and grandad)

[FiveAus]

Dogs Qld are the only canine council in the state. Each state has their own, and they are all a part of the Australian National Kennel Council, which is the national registry for pedigree dogs.

[chevbrock]

Maybe check local dog shows in the area and see if they have had any results. It doesn't "prove" anything, but my guess is that most BYB's can't be bothered going to shows with any regularity even if they are registered. Of course, nothing may show up either, which doesn't prove they aren't legit, just haven't had a result lately. If you get a hit, though, it might ease your mind a little bit.

[Red Cabbage]

The dog is co owned and will be using a prefix of a kennel. However upon searching this kennel, the phone number is disconnected, and she hasn't replied to my email...

[beaglebaby]

Ring Dogs Queensland and ask if the registration for that prefix is still current, and if so for their contact details. A friend was caught out in this way, the lady claimed to be a registered breeder, showed papers for the parents etc, gave her prefix, it even linked back properly to her website. Turns out though that she hasn't paid her membership for a few years so the pup could not be registered, not even on the limited register.

[Red Cabbage]

Thanks Beaglebaby, I assume we will have to wait for a business work day to do that?