Hi all, I'm in need of a bit of help from some people in the know.
We're buying our first ever dog tomorrow & I'm starting to worry that I don't know what to look out for, what questions to ask etc.
We're buying the pup (14 weeks old) from a lady who bought the dog from the breeder at 8 weeks and between then and now her circumstances have changed meaning she can't keep her. The puppy is a female blue Staffordshire bull terrier with kc papers. I need some advice on how I will know if the papers are genuine (I don't doubt that they are genuine but at the same time I don't want to be scammed), how many pieces of paper should I bring home with me with the pup? How do I transfer her into my name? I've googled kc papers & have seen what they look like but I just feel so clueless!
The seller has also said that the pup is vaccinated, wormed & flead up to date, should I get any confirmation of this?
Any help or advice is much appreciated!!

The first thing you should ask is WHY this person is selling the puppy on rather than handing it back to the breeder -if the puppy came from a responsible breeder then that breeder would agree to have the pup back at any time for any reason, whether it was after ten days, ten weeks or ten years. So that would worry me a bit. Good breeders want to know where their dogs are, keep in touch with the buyers for the life of the dog, and be there for any help or advice. If the breeder of this dog is a good, responsible one, then they will be upset that they have not been given the chance to select the new home themselves. Good breeders ask a LOT of questions of potential buyers to ensure they get the best possible homes. If the breeder doesn't care, then you as a novice owner will not have anybody to turn to should you need any help. A good breeder will always be there for any problems you may have, be it with training, general care, health or whatever.

Secondly, unless you intend to show, far more important than pedigree or registration certificate is proof of the parents having been health tested with good results. It's not my breed so I am not familiar with what tests you should ensure the parents have passed, but I do know there are several that all Staffords should have done before being bred from, to ensure they don't pass on problems to their pups. All pups are usually healthy, it's a few years down the line that matters. You should be given copies of health test certificates.

A pedigree can take any shape or form, the breeder usually prints one out with their own computer these days. You should however have the KC registration certificate which should be signed at the back by the present owner (or breeder if the first owner never transferred the pup into their name) and then you can just follow the instructions given on the form on how to transfer. This can be done either in the post or online. Make sure it is a Kennel Club registration certificate -there are other registries which basically do nothing but take people's money and the certificates are not worth the paper they are printed on.

If the pup is vaccinated you should be given a vet's vaccination card -normally this would have the vet surgery's name and address printed on it, the pup's details, and dates the vaccines were given plus what brand of vaccine -it should be two times. Batch numbers should be noted down and there should be a vet's signature.

Flea treatment is something many of us would only carry out if the dog HAD fleas -not as a preventative, and there are no certificates to show whether it has been done or not.

> We're buying our first ever dog tomorrow

I'd recommend that you don't 'buy' tomorrow.

I'm assuming from your comments that you haven't yet met the puppy, or the owner, or had the chance to ask and answer questions.  If that's indeed the case then tomorrow should only be a meeting not a sale.  A genuine owner wouldn't dream of parting with their precious puppy without first investigating you and your situation and you should both have at least 24 hours to decide if you are right for each other.

As Marianne has already said a 'well bred' puppy ought to be offered back to the breeder and selling on should be a last resort.  I'd be very cautious about an owner that was willing to just hand the puppy over at your first meeting, puppy famers come in all shapes and sizes...

Good luck with your decision making

Thank you for such a helpful response.

Thanks again, you've definitely given me some food for thought.

Hi,
I don,t want to sound negative but I think deep down you probably realise that this sounds like a scam or that the pup was purchased from a person or establishment that didn't care where the poor pup went to and was in it for the money.
Sorry if this sounds harsh but as the others have said any breeder worth their salt would most certainly take the puppy back.More than likely the pedigree papers are simply a printout of the pups lineage and not authentic kc registration .
If you do go along to view the puppy then it will be very hard to resist purchasing it. As the others have advised treat tomorrow as a meeting rather than a purchase.

   The health tests that you should look at are HC, L2-HGA ,these will be on dam and saire as hereditary clear or clear and if they have been litter screened for PHPV/PPSC and these tests are done annually.

  I would go and see the pup and look at paperwork and then go away and think about then decide if this pup is right for you.

  Good luck in what ever you decide.

Nessa 

she should give you a pedigree form and k.c.reg sheet showing all details of her parents also her date of birth if she says that she's vaccinated she should also give you a puppy /dogs vaccination book showing the dates the puppy had her vacines. and possibly the dates the puppy was wormed which the breeder should of passed on at the time of selling the puppy . I wonder why the breeder hasn't taken this puppy back to re home to a suitable buyer doesn't sound like she is very interested in keeping a check on how her puppies are doing.and where they are.The puppy should have a nice clean coat and not have any black gritty bits in it's coat  or sores .it should be  interested in you and your family not hidding away, it should want to play , it's eyes should be bright and clean no discharge, a healthy puppy  should be eating well a good quality complete food like  royal canin junior good luck let me know how it goes.

There's also the possibility that the pup has been stolen and is being sold on, if there are no KC papers I'd walk away.

Ok thanks all, I definitely won't be buying the puppy today that's for sure! Were just going to view the pup today as you've all advised, look at the papers etc then sleep on it before we decide anything.
Thank you all for your help, your right, it's better to be safe than sorry!!

Good luck, hope it goes well :-)

Also find out why they have not contacted the breeder, if it is because the breeder doesn't want to know there is a high probability that pup has come from an uncaring breeder, and the parents will not have been health tested (vital in my opinion) and reared on the cheap,a nd the parents may not have been good examples of the breed in looks but more importantly temperament.

You will then be left to live with the results for the next 12 - 15 years that may result in health or behavioural issues, with heartache for you and pain and/or distress for the dog.

Even easier and safer for you ask the parents registered names and you can check here: http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/test/Default.aspx  you can put in one of mine if you like (Barbelka Nowinka) to show you the sort of report you should expect to see though the health tests may be different for the breed

Parents health results if any will be on the Kennel club registration document, so don't fall for excuses.

The only way to discourage poor breeding practises is for the breeder to be unable to sell their pups.

I'd want to have these questions answered before I was faced with a living breathing pup as heart is likely to over rule head.

> it's better to be safe than sorry!!

You are so right ! 
If you decide that this isn't the pup for you then you could contact the breed club for breeders of health tested pups in your area.
Click on 'Breeders' at the top for help and advice, and I am sure there are breeders of SBT's on here so just ask !

Good luck and let us know how you go on.