New to the forum but not new to the canine world so hi to all

Question: As the puppy world seems to have exploded at the same time as I am looking for one, what is the current thinking about 'securing deposits'?

Personally, I am not intending parting with a penny before I have met (not emailed and phoned) the breeder and seen the puppy with the mother ( and father if at all possible) and that is after checking the breeding lines of the parents

In my own mind I think this is just good practice but there does seem to be a lot of "pay to secure your puppy first" type activity which I am thinking is potentially an invitation to be ripped off.

Am I right in thinking a 'genuine breeder' would actually appreciate this kind of approach or am I hopelessly out of date/touch

thanks in advance....

There are heck of a lot of decent breeders that do not take deposits. Each party should be able to walk away if they so wish without the fuss of deposits. During these stupid covid puppy times, some whom have paid deposits & agreed a price only to find that the greeder to want more for the puppy!

Just like to point out the sire of litters will not usually be the breeders own dog(this may be different with working lines) but none of the sires, of our litters, have been our dog

There is a current scam where the advertiser asks for a substantial deposit to hold a puppy, but when the collection day arrives, the buyer is given a non-existent address. This happened to someone looking for a puppy in my breed last week. The unfortunate would-be purchaser not only lost his money, but also had a wasted journey of around 300 miles in each direction.

I don't take deposits, for the simple reason that it implies that we have a contract between us. So if I don't really know you, and you rang me up, and wanted a pup, I'd want to meet you.  After meeting you, I'd make notes on what sort of pup you wanted.  The first person on my waiting list isn't necessarily the first one to get a puppy.  It depends on the pups in the litter and the people wanting pups.

I never took deposits, preferring to keep my rights to where the puppy went and to whom, right up to the day they left me.   When we bought our Whippet, after 2 previous visits and nearing the time when I'd actually collect her, I paid half her cost to help her breeder defray her costs and actually make it less painful to hand over the full amount in one go.  This was back in 2009 when she cost £400 - for pick bitch too.

With all that's going on with litters out there at the moment, there is NO WAY I'd be buying a puppy unless I really knew the breeder (and so she me too!).

On the other hand, I have made a deposit payment to hold a second-hand car I am buying (from my local Dealership) so the car is taken off the market!  Note - CAR, not PUPPY!!!

The words "Deposit secures" should be a huge red flag. I would never ask for a deposit for reasons that have already been given, and I would not trust a breeder who agreed to sell me a pup unless the had really checked me out first -if the deposit guarantees a pup will be sold, what if it is then found out that the buyer is utterly unsuitable? Many, many excellent breeders never advertise, they have no need to, but you will find them via breed clubs for instance.

These are my thoughts exactly. It is quite a challenge to separate logic and emotions!!!! good job logic wins - most of the time!

this is good news indeed!!