{"id":1057,"date":"2021-02-15T12:59:35","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T17:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/?p=1057"},"modified":"2022-11-09T14:15:11","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T19:15:11","slug":"puppy-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/puppy-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Puppy Love"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Crystal Baldwin <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing quite beats puppy snuggles to lift spirits and brighten moods. Though I speak now mostly from personal experience as the owner of a sweet cuddly chihuahua, Bobby, my sweeping generalization is based in fact. Loving on animals induces the cuddle chemical, oxytocin, giving the body a calming feel-good rush. Who couldn’t use a bit of pick-me-up right now?  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Lap dog Bobby snuggling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I know I’ve been cuddling with my dog more. I feel lucky to have him and to have purchased him as a purebred puppy for the discount price of $225 from a legitimate breeder in Kentucky when I lived there. $225 was a steal for my companion. In retrospect, I would have paid much more for him and the joy he has brought my life. And realistically, I know many Vermonters do. They spend hours searching for the perfect pet to expand their family and when found, spare no expense to bring them home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, scammers know this. They’ve devised skilled, deceitful plans to connect you with fake puppy companions, take your money, and give you nothing in return\u2014except, perhaps, a broken heart. These scammers are mostly lurking in indiscreet corners of the internet, posting poached photos of someone else\u2019s pets, claiming they are for sale and that they’ll ship them to you. Sometimes they’ll claim you can get the pet for the unbelievable price I paid, $225 or less. Sometimes they claim the pet is free but you must pay shipment fees or for medical complications that arose. Drawn by the plethora of adorable photos and the anticipation to snuggle your cutie, you send the money. The website looks legitimate and with all those photos, you never consider that this pup-for-sale is part of an intricately woven tale of fiction.    <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Puppy<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

What are you to do then? News sources<\/a> have reported more people are purchasing furry friends during the pandemic. While we’re tethered to our homes, online buying seems to make the most sense.  What we\u2019ve seen at the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP<\/a>) through scam reports, however, is that when consumers purchase from online puppy sellers sight unseen, even from supposed Vermont businesses, folks are sending money and not getting a pet as promised.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The simplest way to avoid online puppy scams<\/strong> is to commit to \u201cpet the pet\u201d<\/strong> before turning over any money. If you don\u2019t have the lovable furry friend in hand: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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