# Too good to be true? Getting a puppy of craiglist?



## Trainspotting (May 20, 2014)

I want to get a german shepherd puppy as a family dog, and I came across this ad on craiglist.

CKC Black German Shepherd Puppies

is it too sketchy? Should I just save my money, I want to get a male puppy but, I am having some doubts.

any advice will be appreciated thanks!!


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

CKC is a scam registry. Avoid CL "breeders" at all costs- it's ALWAYS sketchy. Good breeders don't advertise on craigslist. In this particular ad, the parents look like they might not be purebred. Also, continuously referring to them as "Black German Shepherds" like they're their own breed is.... annoying  

Anyways, this ad is all scam and ripoff and shady breeding. Please don't support breeders like this. Save your money and go to a reputable breeder who actually produces quality dogs that improve the breed and isn't just out to make a buck... or look into rescue.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

If you don't care about good breeding, you could try to get one of these dogs. I would just advise you not give any money until you are there picking up your puppy.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

the parents look purebred....oversized maybe, but purebred....typical BY pet breeder who has nice pets and breeds them.....his info is pretty screwy...Seeing Eye does not use "mostly Black German Shepherds" by any means....

Buying pups from breeders like this enables and encourages back yard breeding....all pups are cute and lovable.....if you do go see them, ask for proof of the parents registration and certification from OFA for being clear of hip dysplasia....getting their registered names, you can check the OFA website (offa.org)

Lee


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Neither parent looks healthy or cared for. I see runny eyes, poor condition and filthy matted coats.
And don't for one second think that your money will help any of that. 

I would keep looking.


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## fridaks (May 17, 2014)

I don't know, be careful


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## tottie86 (Aug 23, 2013)

I would definitely keep looking.

Those puppies are cute though 


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I would definitely look elsewhere for a puppy.

If you do not have the money to buy from a reputable breeder who does all of the proper health testing, temperament tests, shows, works or does sports with their dogs then you could always adopt or rescue from a shelter.

Buying from a reputable breeder increases your odds of having a healthy, stable dog.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

LaRen616 said:


> If you do not have the money to buy from a reputable breeder who does all of the proper health testing, temperament tests, shows, works or does sports with their dogs then you could always adopt or rescue from a shelter.


If money's tight, you can almost always pick up an adolescent GSD (1-2 years old) from a high-kill shelter for under $100--or a few hundred through a rescue. This is especially true in Southern California, where young GSDs die in droves in public shelters. The genetics are just as much of a crapshoot as Craiglist (and a lot of shelter dogs likely came from the same general pool of pet dogs), but at least you'll be saving a life and doing a good deed. There's no reason to pay $600 IMHO for a dog from the general "pet dog" gene pool--they're everywhere in shelters.

There are at least 4 GS rescues that serve greater Los Angeles, and even with that many, I still see long lists of nice-looking GSDs in high-kill shelters there. You can check out these sites for listings: 
Petfinder: Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder,
Adoptapet: Pet Adoption - Search dogs or cats near you. Adopt a Pet Today. Pictures of dogs and cats who need a home. Search by breed, age, size and color. Adopt a dog, Adopt a cat.
Petharbor: PetHarbor.com: Animal Shelter adopt a pet; dogs, cats, puppies, kittens! Humane Society, SPCA. Lost & Found.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

The 'Black German Shepherd' is not a breed on it's own. It is a color. Just a color. 

I'd suggest looking up what it takes to register your dog with CKC and then spend your money elsewhere.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Sabis mom said:


> Neither parent looks healthy or cared for. I see runny eyes, poor condition and filthy matted coats.
> And don't for one second think that your money will help any of that.
> 
> I would keep looking.


Agreed!
I know pups are cute and thrilling but if you dont want to support byb's you can find great GSDs in shelters. Ask around on the forum, lots of rescue members here.

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## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

do not give them money for these poorly bred puppies


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## sehrgutcsg (Feb 7, 2014)

Poor choice @ $600. Save a few more dollars and get the best money can buy for you. The male looks very bad with the stick in his mouth. Do they feed him weekly > ?

For $900 your better off. My dog, I seem to have gotten lucky, many just don't !!!


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

Stay far away from anything sold on CL unless you research, research, and research some more on the seller and what you are getting. This ad sounds like they are trying really hard to be impressive but something is missing. A rescue would likely cost less and you would most likely have a better chance of getting the dog you want. The fact that they are willing to part the pups from their litter at barely 8 weeks is a red flag right there. Most German Shepherd (and other reputable) breeders keep the pups together until at least 10 - 12 weeks. Be very cautious with CL.


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## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

just to clarify you can spend 900-1200 or even more and still get a poorly bred dog
you can find a dog on a street corner for free and get a wonderful dog
expense does not always mean quality but pedigrees can help with that and i would advise asking here before putting a deposit on any litter
that said if you do not want to spend 600 or more and want a nice dog please do visit a shelter or rescue
do not financially reward shoddy breeders like this
i would also venture a guess that in 6-9 mos at least one of these puppies will be sitting in a shelter somewhere


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

op, start visiting breeders, find on you think will supply the best gsd to your lifestyle. impulse buying when it comes to animals is a not a good plan. also, can you afford quality food and vet bills?


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## Trainspotting (May 20, 2014)

Thanks everyone for the replies. I was honestly having some doubts since, I've been doing my research. I made an account on this forum to see what other people thought. I have a mixed german shepherd, or we believe she's a mix german shepherd we rescued. And yeah, I'll definitely stop looking at puppies on craiglist, and start saving up to get either a puppy from a rescue or a legitimate breeder.
I been looking at some breeder websites here in San Diego for example, taylormadeworkingdogs.com I like their dark sable puppies.


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## simba405 (Mar 14, 2013)

Craigslist sounds great because it's cheap but getting a nervy bad tempered dog is life changing. Not worth the trouble. 
I've owned both Craig lists dog and a reputable breeder dog. Over their life times I've easily spent 3x more on my craiglists dog (health and temperament issues). My craiglists dog I had to constantly manage. My other dog I just enjoyed. 

I will always go with a good breeder. This is coming from someone who years ago would scoff at the notion of spending 1000+ on a pup.


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## gsdheeler (Apr 12, 2010)

CKC is a huge red flag for me. I'd keep looking for a quality breeder.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

You wont go wrong with Taylormade!


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

I have a phenomenal puppy from Taylor Made (Jentry is all over their FB page). The entire experience was great and I couldn't be happier with her.


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## Sarah~ (Apr 30, 2012)

simba405 said:


> Craigslist sounds great because it's cheap but getting a nervy bad tempered dog is life changing. Not worth the trouble.
> I've owned both Craig lists dog and a reputable breeder dog. Over their life times I've easily spent 3x more on my craiglists dog (health and temperament issues). My craiglists dog I had to constantly manage. My other dog I just enjoyed.
> 
> I will always go with a good breeder. This is coming from someone who years ago would scoff at the notion of spending 1000+ on a pup.


Totally agree I've spent ten times as much at the vet on my craigslist dog that I got for 10 dollars than my dog I got from a breeder for several hundred dollars.


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## sehrgutcsg (Feb 7, 2014)

Sarah~ said:


> Totally agree I've spent ten times as much at the vet on my craigslist dog that I got for 10 dollars than my dog I got from a breeder for several hundred dollars.


There's really no true correlation of dollars spent at the vet between BYB, a dog off the street corner, a farmer bred dog, a rescue, your own two dogs, puppies or any other combination thereof. Not to say your experience is incorrect, the correlation between the two is out of whack.

A dog could do anything to him or her self hurting themselves, or a fight could break out, totally out of your control. Parvo is indiscriminate, to a $5000.00 puppy or one someone gave you for free.

Back to the point of being "too good to be true." Craigs List is most certainly the worst place to get a GSD. If the litter owner will not pay for a good "puppy ad" like in the Los Angeles Times, for $75.00, it's likely the food is cheap, no hip x-rays were done, the pairing of the dam and the sire is "whim se do see" and your luck could run dry fast. Again, bless the Lord so far my GSD is great and I did not pay a fortune for her, but I did need to see the vet, she had UTI, having nothing to do with where the dog came from.. Craigs List is GOOD for bicycles and TV sets, ect... :apple:


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## canyadoit (May 14, 2014)

If you live in bc I have a female I may rehome She is 7 ckc reg (canadian kennel club) from show stock


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My female GSD cost me $200.00 off of CL and is a great dog. She is almost 3 and I haven't really put much money into her. She got sick once and they could never figure it out, most likely some kind of infection. Other then that a healthy, happy girl with a great temperament and nerves. My male GSD was $99 at the shelter. No real health issues with him either. He also has a great temperament and solid nerves, he is a certified therapy dog. Vets have told me over and over that both are great ambassadors for the breed and are a joy to be around. I think the CL dog is more closer to the standard as far as aloofness goes, but that could be age and maturity. My male loves to be goofy. I might have got lucky with both of them, but I wouldn't trade either of them. I actually was getting a GSD puppy from a reputable breeder when I found Midnite at the shelter. I passed on the puppy and busted him out of the shelter


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## Sarah~ (Apr 30, 2012)

sehrgutcsg said:


> There's really no true correlation of dollars spent at the vet between BYB, a dog off the street corner, a farmer bred dog, a rescue, your own two dogs, puppies or any other combination thereof. Not to say your experience is incorrect, the correlation between the two is out of whack.
> 
> A dog could do anything to him or her self hurting themselves, or a fight could break out, totally out of your control. Parvo is indiscriminate, to a $5000.00 puppy or one someone gave you for free.


Oh I meant because of health problems she was born with, epilepsy, etc, they have both gotten hurt and Eko was sick a couple of times but Xena is at the vet constantly.


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## trcy (Mar 1, 2013)

Sarah~ said:


> Oh I meant because of health problems she was born with, epilepsy, etc, they have both gotten hurt and Eko was sick a couple of times but Xena is at the vet constantly.


I loved Riley and he was a great dog. He was from a BYB and we spent so much on vet bills for him. We ended up losing him before he was a year old. He was just shy of 10 months. If love and money alone could have saved him he would still be with us. 

The GSD I have now is from a reputable breeder. We have had very minimal vet bills and none due to his general health or being born with health issues. 

I know some BYB dogs can be great dogs with solid temperaments and minimal health issues, but that was not our experience.


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

I would look into a rescue...some of the nicest dogs seem to come from there.


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