Fake Puppies in the Browser Window

It’s the gift-giving season, and many put a new pet on their holiday wish lists. We buy everything from clothing to furniture on the Internet, so perhaps it’s natural to search online for a pet. Sadly, it’s often the set-up for cybercrime. The Internet is full of imitators and fraudsters offering cheap Siberian husky puppies, Yorkies, bulldogs, Capuchin monkeys, parrots and other “boutique” animals. "Don’t be fooled by pet scams!" urges said Walter Woolf, VMD, owner of Air Animal Pet Movers, one of the six founders of the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association.

A quick online search for online puppy scams returns hundreds of warnings from the IPATA, the ASPCA, the Better Business Bureau and others. They warn online pet scams are increasing “at an alarming rate.”

After you wire the money or send those Amazon gift cards to buy the fake doggies in the window, the scammer asks for more money for refundable insurance, special flight kennels, permits, veterinary testing. Caveat emptor.

“These cyber criminals steal the identities of reputable breeders and pet shippers to appeal to your soft side and steal your money,” said Woolf.

"To buy a pet, talk with the actual breeder. Get to know them. Visit the breeder. Ask questions. Ask for a minimum of three satisfied customer phone numbers and call them. A cyber pet seller will never share the name of the breeder or a telephone contact number," Woolf warned.

Best bets to buy a pet: 
1. Don’t hurry. Thoroughly check their references and reviews. 
2. Get complete details on the proposed shipping company moving your new pet and call them to confirm that they know and work with the breeder before sending money. 
3. Analyze the pet seller’s website. Scammers are known to illegally copy legitimate websites. 
4. The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires licensing or registration for every breeder, dealer, pet transporter or carrier. Check their registration with the USDA. 
5. The American Kennel Club hosts an online source for reputable AKC-registered breeders at marketplace.akc.org. Having “AKC” in the email address or website name does not guarantee the breeder is an AKC breeder.

There are ways pet lovers can effectively fight back if they have been scammed. Contact any of the following agencies to identify and report pet fraud. There are no free puppies or free lunches. 

• http://www.airanimal.com/dontbefooled.cfm
• http://www.scamwarners.com

Australia & New Zealand: My Favorite Pet Moves

Ask Jessica Nickler about her favorite moves and her face lights up about helping clients move to Australia and New Zealand. "It's a personal and professional challenge. From start to finish clients need to plan ahead six months. I have the opportunity to work with clients long enough to create a relationship that I hope they find as rewarding as I do," she said.

Australia and New Zealand do not have rabies, so their animal import regulations guard their country's bio-security. Jessica manages two to three Australia and New Zealand each month completing nearly 80 moves in four years. She shared three things which are really important.

1) Following the DAFF Veterinary protocol is critical to a successful move.  If something isn't done correctly at any step the move will be delayed. Every required test and treatment must be done by a USDA-accredited veterinarian. A veterinarian who has applied for accreditation is not good enough. They must be certified at the time of the blood draw. Even if the veterinarian is experienced in international pet travel, we recommend allowing Air Animal to handle the timeline and documentation.  Dog owners should expect a minimum of at least four veterinary visits and cat owners should expect a minimum of three visits to complete the required protocols.

"There are two types of rabies antibody titer tests--FAVN-OIE and RFFIT. Only the FAVN-OIE is acceptable in Australia and New Zealand. The testing must be run at the approved lab or it won't be accepted," she warned.

2) Acclimating pets to the flight kennel is important. Pets moving to Australia and New Zealand are often in their kennels for 20-24 hours. The flight itself is around 16 hours. Add in drop off and pick up times on either end and it adds up. "If your pet feels the kennel is theirs--it's their safe space--it reduces anxiety. Unfortunately, there's no way to cut down the flight time for a move to this region," she said.

3) A minimum 10 days of quarantine is required. "Australia and New Zealand animal quarantine is a no man's land of information because their number one mission is bio-security. You will not get updates and photos from quarantine. The adage of no news is good news, is applicable for quarantine in this region," Jessica advised.  Quarantine extensions beyond the mandatory 10 days are rare.

Many times, the family needs to relocate ahead of the pet and leaves their loved one in the care of family or a caretaker who is left to complete the final protocols for the pet’s departure. Communication between all parties is critical. Air Animal works to identify all the parties who will be responsible for the many moving parts early in the move. This often means speaking with the owners after hours due to time differences. Everyone must be on the same page.

"I'm thankful clients trust me and my pet moving team members to manage all the details for such a long journey for their family pets. And, I have many fond memories to go with the thank yous. One family sent me a framed photo of their dog wrapped in the Australian and American flags. Murphy was an Air Animal Facebook cover dog for several months."