I got it!!

[Ducatimom]

I got my job offer yesterday!! They couldn't get me the promotion because I don't have my degree yet (already applied to get started on that), but they could get me a raise. I've also sent a request about a puppy so hopefully that one doesn't turn out to be a scam. Has anybody shipped a puppy before? I'm still a little hesitant because she said they are in Louisiana for 5 months (the scam was kind of the same deal but from South Dakota and only for 150 altogether for a purebred Rottie). This one has sent me a couple text messages and the price is more believable (350 for the pup and 100 for shipping).

 

[SilverSage]

Hgh hmm, I would be highly skeptical of that, simply because I am paranoid about puppy mills. If a pup is cheap there is usually a reason for it, you know what I mean? That being said I have never purchased a purebred puppy, simply because it has happened that my dogs have all been rescues. We do plan to own pure reds in the future, but I think I would be too worried to have it shipped. Now, if you could manage to go visit the breeder, but the pup was not old enough to go home yet, shipping would be a much smaller deal.

 

[sonja]

Why not go through a rescue to adopt a dog?
Shipping from LA sounds like a puppy mill, at best, or a scam, at worst.

 

[SilverSage]

Rescue is great idea, but I do believe there is value in quality purebred animals, especially in working breeds like rotties it is a common enough breed, I would think there would be a breeder near you? Something you might look at is contacting the closest service dog trainer, and asking where they get their dogs, and do they know of a rottie breeder they would recommend, or do they know of another service dog trainer who uses rotties, so you could ask them. I have most commonly seen them as seeing eye dogs. The reason I say that is because this is considered an aggressive breed ( I won't waste time talking about how stupid and uneducated that is) there are more likely to be backyard breeders breeding individuals who display aggressive tendencies. Also, unfortunately, AKC registry does nothing to prevent this, really. A service dog trainer is only going to be able to use the most intelligent, trainable, well mannered individuals, and will certainly be careful who they buy from. They will know who to and who not to buy from, and so a commendation from a reputable service dog trainer would go a long way toward making me willing to ship a puppy with confidence I was getting a quality dog. Also, some dogs "wash out" of service dog training for various reasons, and need to be placed in new homes. These are usually excellent dogs, but something made them just not quite the right fit. When I worked with a service dog trainer, one dog we were training was cut from the program literally because he drooled too much for the job he was being trained for. So a local family got a top notch pet for a lower price! And boy was he well trained!

 

[Ducatimom]

The first one (for $150 and they said included everything) I found on Craigslist (I know you shouldn't really look on there but I was hoping to find one that somebody didn't want anymore for whatever reason). I have been keeping an eye out at the Humane Society as well as a Colorado Rottweiler Rescue for a Rottie. We don't expect him to be pure blood full Rottie, but we would like mostly Rottweiler in him. This go round I found him on Oodle by doing a quick google search for Rotts in our area. I'm thinking they live in our area, but said they were in Louisiana for 5 months for whatever reason. I did reply back with a lot of questions and explained that we are just very cautious since this almost exact thing happened a couple weeks ago and it turned out to be a scam. We'll see if these people answer me. I'm not getting my hopes up and am still searching. I've never had a scammer send text messages so this is a new one for me. I know it happens but I've only seen it happen through email.

 

[EAI]

All for rescuing too! But that's your'e preference if you want a (somewhat) purebred in your case and that's cool.
Personally, I would try to video chat with them to make sure they aren't fake or have them take a picture with a sign or something. But I would think it would make them a bit unhappy you don't trust them.

I don't know anyone who shipped dogs atm but my friend bought Ragdoll kittens from New Zealand.

I always check Craigslist too, and some people really do care about their pets but just can't take care of them and it makes me so sad. (Just to add, I find it understandable because if they'd like updates they can always stay in contact and usually they can't contact the adopter if they surrender their pets to a Humane Society - thats what happens here - due to privacy rights).

About the Humane Society, is there a sheet to fill out looking for a specific breed on their website?

 

[Ducatimom]

I'm not sure if there's a sheet to fill out or not. I should've asked when we were there yesterday picking up our roommates dog that got out of the yard. They post all of their available animals on their site so I've been checking that everyday. I am looking more at rescues, and that's what I've been googling when this last one came up so I thought it was kind of the same thing as CL. The one rescue I've been looking at has guys that are closer to my girl's age, but they don't have any yet that fit a home like ours (good with other dogs, cats, and kids). These people did email me back yesterday and right off said they wanted to make sure I knew they were a respectable family, but the hubby said no. He doesn't want to ship a puppy. So I'm back to searching.

 

[Kimmied]

I have had 4 pure bread AKC Rottweilers. All of them COST me. I paid $1800. The breeder made me sign a 4 page contract and made 2 home visits. I am only saying this because you have got to be careful who you get them from due to temperament. It not all about cost. It's about genetics. Hip displasia is a huge problem. The guy I bought mine from has pure German bred puppies and he ships. Even back to Germany. So I guess what I'm telling you is you get what you pay for. Good luck with your search.

 

[Kimmied]

Here is a pick of my last rottie.

 

[Allee]

Kimmied, gorgeous Rottweiler you have there.

Meagan, congrats on the raise. Good luck with your puppy search. Personally, I wouldn't buy a registered puppy of any breed without first seeing the facility and the dogs. Good breeders as a rule have no problem with visits from people who want to purchase puppies.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

The raise is great news. It is very difficult to negotiate a raise, even a very well deserved one, so that's great!
The puppy thing 'may' work out great but I would personally be skeptical. I did a lot of puppy shopping a few years ago and I was surprised by some of the glossed over facades of puppy mills. I finally went with a breeder who breeds in her house and I got to meet all her dogs, hang out with mother and baby, etc. But shipping in and of itself does not definitely indicate something 'bad'. (Many rescue dogs are transported around the country to be placed in homes. Two of my best friend's dogs are from a kill shelter in Kentucky, where a friend of ours volunteers and pulled them for transport to NJ.)

 

[Ducatimom]

Kimmied that is a gorgeous Rottweiler. Thanks for the congrats everybody! I think we decided to keep trying the Humane Society. We've gotten too many responses saying they want to ship the puppy and the husband wants a little older dog.

 

[thekarens]

Kimmied that is a gorgeous Rottweiler. Thanks for the congrats everybody! I think we decided to keep trying the Humane Society. We've gotten too many responses saying they want to ship the puppy and the husband wants a little older dog.

Good plan. I have 4 purebred dogs, but one of them I got from a rescue. For $200 I got a 6 month standard poodle puppy that was fully vetted, spayed and vaccinated and she's been the best dog. She's never once had an accident in the house from day one and she's so smart and sweet.

Good luck in your search. I hope you find the perfect dog for your family.

 

[Selestine]

Gonna have to second everyone on the rescue route. If you're going to ship a puppy, I would only buy from a breeder who does CERF and OFA testing and furnishes proof of it. Not doing so is pretty much the first sign of a backyard breeder. If you're not going to stress about things like hip dysplasia, then rescue is the right option

 

[Ducatimom]

I do worry about it. Especially with Pasha (our female Rottie) since we just happened to find her on the internet. But I would rather help a dog find a home than pay somebody to breed them. I think we realized another smaller dog would be a better fit for us than having two big dogs. The Humane Society here has a Rottweiler/Dachshund mix and all I could think was how many back problems that poor dog is going to have.

 

[Selestine]

I don't mean to imply that it is a foregone conclusion that a dog from a breeder who doesn't OFA/CERF is going to have medical problems. I just mean that if you're going to get a dog from somewhere where you don't have that extra bit of peace of mind, it should be a rescue.

 

[Ducatimom]

Oh no. I didn't mean to imply that that is what you were implying. I just meant to say that we are considering the health risks of certain breeds. Just not so much that we would buy from a breeder to ease that. Plus the fact that the husband would rather have a slightly older dog than go through training a puppy again.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

My shelter dog is one of the healthiest ones I have had--15ish years old and going strong. And he was $20 at the shelter.