PuppySpot Reviews
PuppySpot Review: A Detailed Look
PuppySpot is a USDA licensed company that specializes in helping customers purchase a dog from a breeder in a way that aims to protect buyers and reward high-standard breeders.
They states they do this by being a professional evaluator of both dog breeders and buyers.
Why Choose a Reputable Breeder?
There are many reasons why someone would want to make sure that a purebred or designer dog comes from a reputable breeder.
- Health concerns
- Allergies
- Preferred traits
- Activity levels
- Family needs
- Special skills
- Safety
Given the high prices of purebred dogs, many unscrupulous breeders have infiltrated the industry.
Buying a dog from a “backyard breeder” or “puppy mill” increases the likelihood of getting a dog with potential congenital defects, a poor bloodline, or a host of other potential issues.
It also financially supports breeders who prioritizes profits over dogs' health.
PuppySpot aims to help shoppers avoid such pitfalls by using their proprietary breeder selection process.
They state this process goes above and beyond USDA standards to ensure buyers get healthy and conscientiously bred dogs.
How Does PuppySpot Work?
PuppySpot states that they have zero tolerance for puppy mills or substandard breeding practices, and require that puppies are raised by breeders who are held to industry-leading standards.
According to their website, their evaluation process of breeders includes:
- Criminal background checks
- Interviews
- Government and humanitarian database review
- Review of ownership and operational history
- Field visits
- Facility review
- Compliance evaluation
- Veterinarian history
PuppySpot is USDA licensed (cert. # 22-B-0087) and requires that every breeder be licensed as well (unless exempt by the USDA).
Breeders have to pass the company's evaluation process on an annual basis.
As a result of such a rigorous evaluation, PuppySpot states that less than 15% of breeders that apply to work with them are approved.
They also vow to terminate a breeder if they fail to comply with their standards and provide a submission form to user of their website for reporting breeder scams.
To search for your future puppy on this website customers can look by breed in two different categories, 'Purebred Puppies' and 'Designer Puppies'.
PuppySpot helps customers with selection, health checks, arranging pickup or shipping, and offers financing (through Terrace Finance LLC).
Customer Reviews & Complaints
A large quantity of positive customer reviews can be found on PuppySpot.com, which the company claims come from verified customers.
Here, customers report being satisfied with the purchase process, note a few issues with transportation, and state that they absolutely love the dogs they purchased.
In general, when evaluating a company we try to focus on customer reviews from third party sources as they tend to reveal a broader spectrum of customer experiences.
When doing this, we found additional customer complaints and issues. For example, on Reviewopedia read about the negative experiences that some customers have had with this company.
Some of the issues reported to Reviewopedia and other consumer websites include:
- Dissatisfaction with the high costs of the total purchase
- Lack of breeder transparency
- Dogs arriving with behavioral problems that clients blame on the breeder
- Difficulties obtaining refunds
- Issues with transportation logistics
- Poor communication
- Delays and cancellations
PuppySpot is accredited by the BBB and has an A+ rating with them.
However, they have a average score of just 1.47/5 from 78 customer reviews.
PuppySpot's customer service team is active on the BBB website and replies to customer complaints, though many resolutions are rejected by customers since they rarely involve full refunds.
As mentioned above, in most cases customers will have to pay cancellation fees for terminating the adoption and must meet all criteria stated in the company’s terms to be eligible for refunds.
Customer Service
Customers who would like to contact a representative with any questions, concerns, or complaints can do so by phone at (888) 671-0518 or through email at [email protected].
You can also access a variety of resources through their help hub at https://help.puppyspot.com.
Cost & Price Plans
Costs can range anywhere from $3,000 - $15,000+ and will depend on the kennel or breeder, the desirability of the breed, and the individual puppy's genetics (for instance some puppies come from champion bloodlines).
There are also additional add-on fees related to transportation and pre-sale options.
You can choose to arrange a meetup with the breeder.
This option costs $299 and includes an in-person meetup with the breeder and the puppy's health certificate.
The Pickup Package is $699 and includes:
- Delivery
- Puppy’s health certificate
- Travel carrier
Chaperone Airport Delivery is $1,599 and includes:
- Puppy Chaperone travel costs
- Puppy's health certificate
- Travel carrier
Refund Policy
PuppySpot provides customers with a guarantee that they call the 'PuppySpot Commitment'.
This guarantee states that breeders are required to keep their puppies up-to-date on all vaccinations and deworming and every puppy must pass a thorough health check before being allowed to travel.
Their health commitment provides customers with a tiered level of protection that tapers off as your puppy ages.
It states that if within
The first two weeks of arrival:
“If your puppy is found to have a contagious disease, illness, or parasite, PuppySpot will provide you with reimbursement of reasonable and customary veterinary bills to treat such condition up to the purchase price of your puppy upon presentation to PuppySpot of such bills within 21 days of the arrival of your puppy.”
The first year of ownership:
“If your dog is found and certified to have a congenital or hereditary condition which adversely affects the health of the dog by a major insurance provider, PuppySpot will provide reimbursement of reasonable, documented, insurance deductible and copay.”
Years two through ten:
“ If your dog is found and certified by two veterinarians to have a congenital or hereditary condition which adversely affects the health of your dog, PuppySpot shall issue a credit toward the purchase of another puppy in the amount of reasonable, documented, actually incurred veterinary expenses associated with such diagnosed condition up to fifty percent of the purchase price of your puppy or, if you choose, a reimbursement of such amounts up to twenty-five percent of the purchase price of your puppy.”
Please read the company’s full terms and conditions as there are some stipulations and requirements to be eligible for these protections.
In replies to unhappy customers PuppySpot customer service don’t make exceptions and will point to their Terms and Conditions of Sale (www.puppyspot.com/terms-and-conditions-of-sale) that lays out these fees.
Competitors and Alternatives
Probably the most relevant competitor to PuppySpot is the American Kennel Club (akc.org), which lists puppies for sale by breeders that are registered with the AKC.
Pawrade.com is another company that provides a service very similar to PuppySpot.
It also has a wide range of reviews, from very satisfied customers to those that would never use the service again.
Additionally, those who are simply looking for a family pet will be able to find them at local shelters, rescue organizations, and from private sellers.
Is PuppySpot Legit?
PuppySpot is an established company with a long reputation of serving pet owners.
However, there are enough negative customer reviews to make us hesitant about recommending them outright.
There may be instances where it makes sense to use PuppySpot's service, such as if you’ve exhausted all local options for finding the dog you want, or you simply don’t have the time to do your own due diligence in finding a reputable breeder.
In most cases we think it makes sense to find a breeder in your area that will allow you to visit and meet your prospective puppy in person.
Furthermore, turning to your community for referrals is a another great possibility.
For example, you can possibly meet someone in your neighborhood with a dog breed or from the breeder you're interested in.
Finally, if you’re set on a specific dog breed you can also search around for rescue centers specifically dedicated to these types of dogs.
This will let you rescue a dog at the same time as getting it from people who are very knowledgeable about the specific breed.
This route will also be significantly cheaper with adoption fees of around $500.
Ultimately, getting a dog is a big decision and one that should not be taken lightly.
A dog from a poor breeder can have health issues or behavioral problems that can end up costing you a lot of money and heartache.
If you have any experience with PuppySpot or their services, please leave your reviews below.
See Also: Choosing the Right Dog Food: A Detailed Guide
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PuppySpot Customer Reviews
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PUPPYSPOT FACILITATES PUPPYMILLS!!
This company is terrible. They are nothing but a facilitator for puppy mills, up-charging the cost of these poor animals by thousands of dollars.
I am going to my local shelter and adopting a beautiful puppy for a small fee that will give the puppy a loving home and the much needed support to my local pet shelter!
$340 vet exam bill to cover Hookworm, Giardia and Kennel Cough
My friends puppy had Giardia.
I called them to find out what their precautions and health standards were but said I was interested in maybe buying a puppy at some point.
Three days and 10 calls to me with texts to later, I asked her about their guarantee as the puppy would be coming to me for training.
The customer service rep got nasty with me and threatened to cancel his guarantee thinking I was a new owner, and said that it was only for the original purchaser. I couldnt believe she total went off base so I asked what she said , I dint hear her ....
When I asked what she said, she told me " Ill get to that after you tell me the original purchasers name "
SO I told her , no shes not getting the name and the call will be terminated.
SCAM SCAM SCAM!
the dog was checked by the vet, the vaccinations were not done in correct sequence per the " breeders " docs, some had to be redone and the dog had Giardia a HIGHLY contagious intestinal illness.
STAY AWAY from these people at all cost!
Warning!
DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY! My 16 month old puppy was diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia and this company could care less. Never mind the fact that when RJ arrived at the airport I had to jump through hoops to pick him up as PUPPY SPOT was going to leave him in a crate and travel another 8 hours to drop off other puppies. They don't care about your dog or its health, they care about lining their pockets. Even though RJ's breeder had another German Shepherd with bilateral elbow dysplasia in 2017, they did nothing! This is not fair to these poor puppies! DO NOT BUY FROM PUPPY SPOT.
Don’t buy from Puppy Spot
Worst mistake was buying a dog from PuppySpot. Breeder lied about parents weight (5-6 lbs). Ours now weighs over 20 lbs. heaviest Maltese we ever had (#5). She came with ear mites, a hernia and other issues. Puppyspot ignored me when I asked for reimbursement. Finally gave me some toward the ear mites. And the eye staining is the worst I have ever seen. And I specifically asked about staining. I was told this dog didn’t have that issue. Bottom line if you don’t physically see the dog before you buy- don’t buy it.
What they tell you can not be validated!
We recently purchased a puppy from PuppySpot. We were told we would get the breeders' information upon our puppies' arrival. She went over how their breeders are screened and how selective they are when adding them to their services. When we received our puppy, I wanted to align the information received with what we were told from PuppySpot. Unfortunately, that was not possible.
As my concerns about what I thought I was getting vs. what I got grew – I called PuppySpot for clarity. The assistant I spoke to was very defensive and kept talking over me. I asked for validation of the checks and balances that PuppySpot did and was told that this was confidential information. I then asked for ANY assurance that could be provided to validate their checks and balances on their puppies sold – again, I was told that everything was confidential.
I was told on this call that PuppySpot had sold roughly 2400 puppies for this specific breeder over the past 13 years. That is about 185 pups annually! And that is only a portion of what this breeder has sold. So, what other means does she use to sell her puppies?
There was very little information available about this breeder online. The people at PuppySpot told us that this breeder has been in business for almost 40 years. However, her website doesn't exist; she is not registered with the BBB and only has 67 followers on her Facebook page. That heightened our concerns about the origin of our new family member and significant purchase.
I was told that a supervisor would call me to discuss my concerns further. When I asked when I could expect the call, there was no specific day or time that she could commit to. I wondered if it would typically be a day, two, a week, or a year?? She said possibly 47-72 hours, but no guarantee!
They are happy to take your money but don't expect any information or support afterward.
Pups need a good home
Prices for puppies are out of sight, you want people to buy your puppies no matter what the breed or how cute they are you want these dogs to have good homes. There are vet bills and if the pup gets sick or has something wrong you really need to come down on your prices big time.
PuppySpot is a DANGEROUS RIP-OFF
I will never use PuppySpot again. In fact, I wish someone had written this review and warned me before I lost nearly $5K & went through a painful emotional rollercoaster. What you should know about PuppySpot:
1. They are not puppy experts—they advised that I get a male-female to raise as bonded pair where that should NEVER be done for the breed.
2. They don’t check on living conditions —one of my puppies were raised entirely indoors, allowed & trained to potty on hardwood floors which made the transition to home living & potty training incredibly challenging.
3. That same puppy, was allowed by breeder to chew & ingest plastic—PuppySpot didn’t see anything wrong with this and called me hysterical, even though my vet said it could lead to intestinal blockages and THOUSANDS of dollars in surgery and medical charges.
4. Puppies live in unsanitary conditions—One of my puppies couldn’t fly b/c he had a terrible case of worms. They couldn’t clear it and flew him anyway, leaving me with $100’s of vet bills & endangering his long term health.
5. Behavioral problems originating with breeder become your problem—the breeder for one of my puppies didn’t socialize my puppy properly, imparted no discipline nor dealt with aggressive behavior. When he came home he was aggressive towards my other puppy, didn’t accept training and would repeat bad behavior over and over. PuppySpot said I should hire and pay for a trainer as neither they nor the breeder was liable for his aggression.
6. YOU WILL NOT GET YOUR MONEY BACK—PuppySpot will re-home the puppy back to the breeder but will not reimburse you A CENT. Which works out great for them because they will turn around and sell that puppy again. There is NO SITUATION—even if the puppy was raised in unsanitary conditions, made untrainable by the breeder or made sick by the breeder—You will not get any money back.
7. Breeders get paid about 50% of what you pay PuppySpot—The up-charge from PuppySpot is considerable, especially as all they do is coordinate logistics BADLY. I was handed from one person to the next, they didn’t schedule flights for my puppies that were convenient for me and never provided any of the information I needed. In fact, I only got communications from them when things went wrong and it had become an emergency. That NIGHTMARE is what you are paying THOUSANDS of dollars for. It’s a total rip off for the breeders who are actually doing the work.
Go online and find a breeder you like. Skip Puppyspot. They are a rip off, making excuses to keep you hard-earned money and harm puppies.
Thank you for this detailed review.
PuppySpot’s empty health guarantee
Are you getting the puppy you fell in love with online without any guarantees from the broker it’s the puppy you're getting!!!
If I could give zero stars I would. There were several texts back and forth. I hope after reading about my experience you will reconsider.
Latest text: if you like more information let me know.
I'm absolutely stunned that Alicia was taken off the site 2 days after my last message.
With all the Cavapoo's for sale she was sold a day later? I do not believe that at all.
I'm going to contact the better business bureau and any other organizations that look into these matters.
I believe I was being scammed along with thousands of others.
If you as the broker don't guarantee that the buyer is getting the puppy they are paying for. In my case $4,500.00., I'm paying you sight unseen,
Throws up many red flags.
1 day later, $4,500.00 really.
I don't buy this at all.
I would love communicating with the person or persons who purchased Alicia 1 day later for $4,500.00 sight un seen. And no guarantees.
I believe you showed Alicia as "sold" the next day because I knew it was a fraud (scam)
The pictures were not of the puppy I or anyone else would have gotten.
Bren
There is much more to my review.
Why does everyone buy a puppy thru PuppySpot and in some cases a $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 based on my research so far with out a guarantee from PuppySpot the “broker”
I would love to hear from everyone that has purchased puppy’s truly believe they got what they paid for or you saw the puppy and held the puppy in your arms for the first time . “Love” at first sight you didn’t care if it was the puppy you paid for or not. You could have paid $4,000.00 to $5,000.00 and more, but, PuppySpot only paid $500.00. You don’t know. I hope you find my concerns and think twice before working thru PuppySpot.
They take your money and don't deliver
Stop, Don't This Scam!
Before you use PuppySpot, and have to cancel because they didn't do what they promised, and pay $500 cancelation fee, STOP, DON’T DO IT, SAVE YOUR MONEY & don't let them break your heart AGAIN!! They lie.
I fell in love with the puppy, posted it everywhere, waited, prepared everyone & everywhere only to try to cancel order.
Worst experience evert
Easily the worst experience ever after they run your credit card. Horrible communication would be generous, I received almost no communication outside of the app and emails. My puppies travel changed four times.
The last one they had her going to the wrong state. I called and only then did they correct it. I went to the airport on the date of confirmed travel and she was never loaded from the breeder.
I called, emailed, and used the chat, and no one would get back to me. I had zero clue what was happening or if I was getting a puppy. I figured it was a scam.
I got a call from the airport a day later saying they had a puppy waiting for me for an hour and a half. I rushed to get her, thankfully she was in perfect health. Overall a terrible experience but the puppy is very happy and healthy.
Avoid at all costs
Do Not Adopt A Puppy From PuppySpot
I am so disappointed I adopted a puppy from PuppySpot. The coordination of the delivery of my puppy was the worst. The website and my conversation with customer service when I adopted the puppy stated the puppy was available now and that I would have the puppy with 3-weeks.
After accepting the delivery date PuppySpot moved it out to where I would not receive the puppy until 11-weeks after I adopted the puppy!!! They did not provide any good explanation of why it moved out so far. I had called and emailed PuppySpot customer several times ask for an explanatory or if there were any other options.
I could not reach anyone except a call center customer service person that sounded like a 3rd party contractor and had know ability or knowledge of why the delivery date moved. 4-weeks after adopting the puppy I still do not have the confirmed travel details.
Do not adopt a puppy from PuppySpot. It is absolutely the worst scam and customer service you could ever imagine.
Untrustworthy and all about money company
Don’t trust PuppySpot on doing what’s right for you and for your future puppy. We have been so disappointed by our adventure with them. Feeling so bad to have bought our puppies from them.
We could not agree on the date they told us the puppies would arrive because we had a long planned trip booked and were simply not home at this date. We have tried to postpone for 5 days but they told us they would bring them to us 2 weeks later with additional fees! Nonsense! We were double hit!
Getting our puppies super late and missing some of this so precious puppy time and also paying more! Already paid soooo much for them! I have offered to drive 5.5 hours to the breeder and they said no.
They said I could drive to an airport but only on Saturday from 7-10am! It means I should have left home at 4:30am! Just crazy nonsense. They were not flexible at all with every solution I’ve tried to bring. I wasn’t even informed of this delivery date in the first place and they blamed it on me because I said no the the day they told us puppies would arrive.
So frustrating. They’re not yet there that I’m so mad at this company. They’re all about money… Don’t trust them!!
Worst place ever
Stormi was awesome help, but other staff such as Keith and others I dont remember the name have been unpleasant, rude, and lack of resourcefulness. The puppy I purchased and got financial payments set up for was already "sold" to someone else without updating or to their knowledge which is really convenient.
When I asked to speak to management they asked me why and decided to address the issue in their own way because they were avoiding having me speak with management for different matters of their own.
When communicating between the financial group and puppyspot, puppyspot failed to do their part and had me go back and forth to see what they both were waiting on when they should've addressed it themselves. I'm very unhappy with my experience and don't recommend this at all.
Amazing and beautiful puppies. SALLYS CHIS
This is my second puppy I have bought from the same breeder, SALLYS CHIS. What amazing dogs they are. I Timmy a boy in 2020, and we just picked up a girl lady in 2022.
I have raised several puppies over the years and Sally's is the BEST. Both puppies are very well trained and independent, the love of our lives. Timmy, our first puppy from Sally's Chis was so amazing we picked a girl 2 years later, so lucky.
Sally's chis is one of the only people I can truly trust and also puppy spot for great puppies and truly honest breeders. Thank you for all you do.
Bad experience
I did not have the best experience when I called to inquire about a French bulldog. First of all, I received over 10 text messages and emails just bc I submitted in inquiry.
The next day I spoke with a lady that was so rude condescending and defensive with every question I asked.
She posed a question with every question that I asked and made it seem like I wasn’t worthy of purchasing an over priced dog. She was not very helpful or polite. It made me feel uncomfortable trusting them with a purchase of this kind. I will not be doing business with puppy spot.
Oh and by the way you have no rights to the $7,000 puppy bc they tell u what u can & can’t do after the purchase, plus they charge way more than the breeder would charge if u bought them directly from the owner. Do your research! Read the contract.
0ver $5000 dollars for a puppy site unseen?
Buyer beware. I found the perfect puppy on their website, but after the travel fees etc that they add the puppy was $1000 more bringing the cost over $5000. We almost were going to get the puppy but after learning a few things it seemed like a crazy thing to do.
They will not give you any breeder information “you will get information when you actually have the puppy in hand.”
You have to pay the full price without actually seeing the puppy in person. You are giving your non-refundable ($5000+) for a picture.
They are very proud of the fact they have 2 of their own Airplanes strictly for their puppies. But know that they fly the dog from wherever the breeder is to Saint Louis and you could go to St Louis airport to pick the puppy up. Additional fees if who what it delivered to your area.
Over all, we would have loved the puppy picture we wanted, but seriously it is like paying a large amount of money for a puppy you have purchased - site unseen, never held or watched their temperament, Etc. not many people would recommend this type of investment.
Bummer that they have such strict rules.
I will NEVER buy a puppy without seeing it first.
Cancelation fees outrages
DO NOT SEND A PAYMENT WITHOUT MAKING SURE FIRST WHAT THE CANCELATION FEES MIGHT BE. I visited the puppy spot website and i initially liked their ideology of how the dogs in their website are pure breed and so forth.
Therefore I purchased an adorable puppy. Unfortunately though my building informed me of its no pet policy which i didn’t know up to that point which was at the same day as the payment.
I immediately contacted puppy spot and informed them that due to my building’s policy i had to cancel it. Three days later i received a refund from them but to my shocking surprise they kept $495 as a cancelation fee.
To summarize this, I had paid for a 5 week old puppy that needed 3 more weeks to travel, i never signed any agreement, delivery date was never assigned but they kept $495 for cancellation damages that I made the same day as the purchase.
THAT SHOULD SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND CHARACTER OF THIS WEBSITE. THEIR ONLY LOYALTY IS TO MONEY. DO NOT BUY FROM THE SITE.
my friend got a puppy from them that came with Giardia. The reps on the phone were HORRENDOUS and got down right nasty with me. I would NOT buy from them, I would not suggest my worst enemy buy from them!