French Bulldog Scammers | The 100% Scary Downside to Shopping for Puppies

French Bulldog Scammers | Don’t let them get ya!

FRENCH BULLDOG SCAMMERS

***NOTE.!!! Be cautious. French bulldog Scammers are on the rise!”. *****

Where you’ll Find Le Pepite Frenchies Content

We advertise on Facebook, Instagram, this website.

We -Danielle Harris or David on Facebook frequently post to groups or comment on things.

If you go to our Facebook page and see that Danielle has commented on a post – that is us.

Most of our photos and videos are watermarked with our logo.

Our Partners may also post identical photos or posts, but you can also find them listed below.

Anything outside of Danielle Harris, David, or any Le Pepite Frenchies Account is a scam.

Tips for Successful Puppy Buying

• When in doubt (or not) ask to facetime, video chat, or for the breeder to send a photo of the puppy you’re interested in with a place card or paper next to the puppy with “today’s” date.
• Make sure the breeder has a contract in place.
• Don’t send money in any way that is untraceable.
• Don’t pay full balance upfront. A security deposit is acceptable, but if someone asks you for the full amount right away, something isn’t right.
• If someone asks you for routing numbers and bank transfers RUN.
• It is not unusual for payment to be finalized 1 week before delivery if transportation is needed, such as a puppy flight nanny, which we have used in the past.
• Ask for references: Past clients, other breeders, and veterinarians.
• Look for multiple ways of contact: Facebook, Instagram, Website
  • Make sure all contact information lines up with each outlet

I prefer text/email/message on social media to begin with, following up with a phone call as requested.

Our Current Partners:

Fika Frenchies, Kristine Hendrix, Jamey – Virginia Beach

Beau Bijou Frenchies, Erin, Illinois

My Quick Story

When I was younger, just graduated high school, I started my search. I was looking on websites like puppy finder. These dogs were advertised in my area but when contacting the person on the listing the phone numbers were from California – super weird. They immediately asked for my bank account information and requested payment in full. When I didn’t respond, the harassment began.

I started asking people who they purchased their frenchies from, started following on facebook and other social media outlets to get a good feeling of what was out there and how to go about my search.

Red Flags to Look Out For – French Bulldog Scammers, Puppy Scammers

1. Unusually low price.
   • Dont be enticed by a GREAT deal. If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
   • An average base price is around $3500, our puppies start at $4500.
     • You may get a frenchie but it may not be what you expect, full of health problems.
2. Lack of Health History Transparency.
   • All breeders should be doing health testing, especially for hereditary diseases for at least these main 4 – DM*, HUU, JHC and CMR1.
     • Breeders should have an open discussion about health problems and risks and the importance of health insurance.
   • If there’s no puppy vet wellness records, proof of first vaccine and deworming – major red flag.
3. No Registration Papers –
   • Here at Le Pepite Frenchies, we have dogs registered to 2 different kennel clubs. AKC and CKC. All puppies either come with registration papers, litter certificate pedigree, or both. Lately I have been reluctant to give out registration papers to pet home quality dogs, but include full pedigree documents.
   • Papers and documents should be given at pick up, no exceptions. Excuses, delays, inability to verify information on the documents are major problems
4. Pressure
   • Purchasing a puppy is a major decision, especially when the dog itself is so expensive and predisposed to health problems. Finding a great breeder that will stand by you through your experiences is important. These good breeders understand that and there should be no pressure to make a decision then and there.
     • Breeders should lay out information clear as day and let the client take the initiative and run with it.
       • For example: Client: Hello do you have any puppies available? LPF: Yes we do, what questions do you have for us? Client: I was wondering about colors and pricing. LPF: (inserts photos) Pricing starts at $4,500. $1000 deposit will reserve your pup of choice. Puppies come with Health Guarantee contract, vet wellness records, First vaccine, deworming, registration/litter pedigree, and welcome home kit. If you have any other questions feel free to ask! The client then may say: “Thank you” and move on or continue the conversation. But it should never be forced by the breeder
         • Do know that unless a deposit is made, the puppy will remain available for sale. If you know that is THE PUPPY you want, make sure to reserve your pick. First come first serve. The longer a breeder waits to list a puppy the harder it becomes to sell and find homes. They don’t often wait weeks for a deposit when the pup could have been sold 4x over. The prime bonding period for new owners is around 10-12 weeks.
5. Lack of Communication and information About Dogs and Puppies.
   • It’s normal for breeders not to allow home visits for the safety of the dogs, puppies, and family especially within the french bulldog breed. However, what’s not normal is lack of photos, videos, information and knowledge on the breeding pair, their pups, and refusal to video chat.
   • We like to meet in person at a dog friendly spot like Eavesdrop Brewery or Lazy Dog and of course video chats are ALWAYS encouraged. Even if I myself don’t have the puppies in my possession, my partners and I are more than happy to set up an appointment for all parties involved.
   • If you start asking people for more information and to video chat but they disappear, chances are you found a scammer. The scammer pictured above and in the video below has been taking content from my personal and business page for years without my knowledge, as well as other peoples content. Someone who had been following me for a long time came across something in a group, was concerned, reached out to both them and me. She asked if I had any lilac pups for sale and if this profile was me – I didn’t and I said well those are pictures of me but thats NOT ME which confirmed her suspicion that this person was not a real person. Some of my other friends requested her to video chat to see the puppies with no response or an excuse as to why she was unable to show the puppies.
   • The photos aren’t consistent. Breeders will usually use one “set” for taking photos. If there are drastic differences in photo scenes something isn’t right and the photos are probably stolen from google or multiple outlets. “Gabriella” did a great job at times. But you can definitely find inconsistencies in the profile. Some breeders will use a photographer for their pups and this is fine, but you should be able to follow these pups in normal day to day posts as well.
   • They usually get the names of the dogs and puppies wrong, incorrect birthdates, and just general information.
     • one of the latest posts I caught, both dogs are retired (have been for a while), and the scammer was promoting them as parents of the next litter.
   • Typos and major grammatical errors are also common such as incomplete and very weird sentences. Stolen content won’t match with the original content or with other content on the scammers page as they’re compiling from different sources

More Red Flags of French Bulldog Scammers, Puppy Scammers :

• Sob Stories
• Weird Payment Methods
• Fake Reviews or unable to provide references
• Dirty Facility or unwilling to even show you where the dogs are kept – even if by video chat
• Lack of knowledge about the breed
• Puppies available for immediate sale no matter the age even
  • pups may be new borns but advertised as ready to go
  • “pups” may be much older than advertised, years older rather than 8 weeks old.