A heartbroken family were plunged into debt after discovering their new pooch had a range of undisclosed health conditions.
The family, from Hull, bought the dog through the Camlist app in July and soon discovered they had been scammed.
The seller gave them incorrect paperwork for the Rhodesian Ridgeback, meaning the dog was legally not theirs, HullLive reports.
The pooch also had from a range of conditions, including conjunctivitis and skin infections, it is claimed.
The family said the breeder deleted his Camlist account soon after the sale.
They have had to rehome their puppy as they were unable to pay for his medical treatments.
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Speaking to Hull Live, the family said: "Everything was okay at first as they seemed like nice people, until we got the pup home, as all the paperwork and the chip number we got with him are different.
"He's got a skin infection and he needs his vaccinations, but because we haven't got the right information for the pup, we can't take him to vets.
"We bought the dog on finance and now we're paying for something that isn't ours. We have contacted the seller and he keeps putting the phone down on us.
"We are now stuck in debt and we have had to rehome the pup. We have contacted the RSPCA, trading standards, the police, and the finance company to try and resolve the matter, but they keep sending us around in circles.
"They keep saying that we should get in touch with Camlist, but then they don't tell us anything and even ignore our messages.
"It seems as though nobody wants to help us."
Camlist has been approached for comment.
The family have shared their story to raise awareness of the issue of such breeders and to help ensure that other people do not go through the same ordeal.
The RSPCA have provided the following tips to avoid problems with breeders:
- Visit your puppy multiple times, in the place they were bred and reared, and see them interacting with their mum, littermates and breeders;
- Ask the breeder lots of questions and ask to see relevant paperwork such as their breeding licence, health checks that the dogs have had etc;
- Never ever meet outside of the place the puppy was bred, such as in a car park or at a service station;
- Remember puppies cannot legally be sold and taken from their mother until they're eight weeks old;
- Don't pay in cash and ask for a receipt - or use The Puppy Contract, which offers helpful guidance as well as a contract for both buyer and seller to sign;
- If you're concerned about anything you see or any excuses you're given, walk away from the purchase and report your concerns to local police, the local authority or the RSPCA.
An RSPCA spokesperson added: "While there are some wonderful breeders out there, unfortunately, there are also a lot of puppy breeders and sellers who put profits ahead of the health and welfare of their dogs, and simply want to cash in on the value of puppies. We'd urge anyone thinking of getting a dog to do lots of research first and to ensure they source a puppy responsibly.
"Please consider rescuing a dog from a rehoming charity. If you want to buy a puppy, be cautious when choosing a breeder."
