At the end of April, the injured party discovered a puppy for sale in a Facebook group. The animal should cost 500 euros. The complainant contacted the alleged seller, who initially demanded a deposit. After the 54-year-old had paid the desired amount, further demands for money came, some in the form of vouchers whose codes had to be transmitted.

The amounts of money should be due, among other things, for transport. Yesterday, when the crooks wanted another 450 euros for releasing Biewer's Yorkshire terrier from quarantine, supposedly in Vienna, the buyer did not transfer the money but instead filed a police report. Unfortunately it was too late, because by then she had paid 1,600 euros but received nothing in return. reported this here .

Countless websites offering puppies for sale are repeatedly reported.

These websites have a few things in common: They all contain adorable photos of puppies that are supposedly vaccinated, chipped and have passports. Many of these websites also lack an imprint and thus information about who you are dealing with.

Be careful on these websites:

  • anjawelpenhaus.info
  • bestwoof.de
  • yourfamilyanimals.com
  • simplecocks.de
  • elitdog.at
  • elitdog.sk
  • empire-hautiere.com
  • englishbulldogge.com
  • french-bulldog-puppies.com
  • goldenretrieverkonig.de
  • goldenretrieverzuchter.de
  • jasminpuppyhome.com
  • maltipoopuppy.com
  • schoenewuppen.at
  • puppybuying.at
  • puppybuying.ch

Puppies are also often offered on Facebook and classifieds platforms. As with the websites, you should check the sellers carefully before buying a puppy.

When is selling online allowed?

Most of the websites mentioned above also do not adhere to the Austrian Animal Welfare Act or the new EU animal health law. The following rules apply when trading animals online:

  • Online sales are strictly regulated: The Austrian Animal Protection Act prohibits the sale of animals in publicly accessible places. This also includes the Internet. There are only a few exceptions that allow online sales, for example registered breeders and animal shelters are allowed to sell animals online.
  • Online sales by private individuals : Private individuals are only allowed to sell animals online if they can no longer stay with their previous owner. But certain rules must also be adhered to, especially with young animals: The animal must be older than 6 months. Dogs and cats also need to have their permanent canine teeth trained. Dogs must have been registered in the pet database for at least 16 weeks.
  • Delivery from abroad: The new EU animal health law prohibits private individuals from having animals delivered to them from abroad. This also applies if the delivery is made by animal welfare associations.

Do the dubious websites adhere to the rules for online trading in animals?

Most websites adhere to the age limit. But hardly anyone complies with the banned delivery from abroad. Welpenkaufen.at , for example, offers delivery of puppies.

A notice! The aforementioned website “weplenkauf.at” is also up to mischief on Facebook. You would actually expect that you would find a properly managed Facebook PAGE here, but that is not the case, because it is NOT a PAGE, but a “private profile” with the name: “Beautiful Puppies” (you can see that You can see that you cannot follow the page with “Like”, but rather you will find an “Add friend” button.)

MIMIKAMA

The aforementioned Facebook profile and the associated website remain unclear as to where the animals are. Austrian places such as Lutzmannsburg or Großwarasdorf are mentioned on the website welpenkaufen.at. The same animals can also be found on the website welpenkaufen.ch, where you can't read anything about the Austrian places. Instead, you can find the following information about delivery there (but also on welpenkaufen.at):

“Delivery every week. All our puppies are vaccinated at least twice, dewormed, have a microchip and European passport and veterinary health certificates. After the Swiss border we pay the tax and the puppies are also registered. You can also come to us and view the puppies and pick them up.”

On most of the other sites listed you will also find various delivery options, usually also abroad. You should definitely stay away from such offers.

If the animals are delivered from abroad to Austrian private individuals, caution is advised. Such an approach is not only problematic for the breeders, but the buyers could also face penalties.

How do you recognize dubious breeders?

  • The website has no imprint.
  • The price of the puppies is well below the usual market value.
  • The above regulations are not adhered to.
  • The breeders sell many different breeds.
  • You should pay before a viewing.

If something seems strange to you, it's better to leave it alone. With dubious offers, it is unclear whether you will actually get the animal or what condition it is in.

Also read:
Attention: Buy puppies on the Internet


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