My Story.

 In 2015 I started my search for a puppy, I had reached the right time in my life and I was incredibly excited...actually that’s a major understatement.

At the time... a show type cocker spaniel was what breed I had my heart set on. I had known a few friends over the years who had them as family pets, I had looked into their requirements as a breed and my mind was set.

I went online and searched spaniel puppies for sale, the first results were the website Pets4Homes. I had an idea of what I would want from a puppy and a breeder. I knew I wanted to see both parents if possible, but definitely mum. I knew what colour coat I preferred and that I wanted a little boy. And I knew I wanted both mum and dad to be KC registered.

I went through all the adds and I picked out the ones who matched ...and messaged them.

The first person who messaged me back was a lady called Lisa. S. She told me that I was welcome to come view the puppies with mum and they owned dad too. She asked me a few questions...like did I work etc. She said I would have first pick of the litter if I wanted to come today as she had only just posted. I looked at her profile on Pets4Homes and saw the breeder name Capella Cockapoos...this didn’t set any red flags off because I thought I suppose if you have a spaniel stud you might breed Cockapoos too. I checked out their website and it seemed great. All the pictures of the mums...was about 6 of them...all spaniels all looked healthy...but all the same age. 

They had pages and pages about them as breeders, the health check the testimonials. Like many of the large breeders out there today.

I was so excited, I went and spoke to my mum, and asked if she would come with me, she seemed surprised I’d found someone so soon, but she agreed, I told her the address Lisa had given me...it was in BECK ROW My mum explained to me it was a very rough area, but I said to her there must be nice parts too...she shrugged and off we went.

Over an hour and a half later I was relieved as we drove into rural countryside, as we live rurally I thought this was good. I was sadly disappointed when we turned up, big metal gates, lots of chalet houses and portable cabins...it was a traveller site.

Me and mum sat in the car outside...we both looked at each other...she said I’m not sure about this...I felt the same...but I didn’t want to leave. We sat there uncomfortably for a few minutes when a man came out, he was in his mid 30s very smiley and said are you here for Lisa? To see the puppies? I said yes, he said great, I’ve moved them and mum out of the house for you to view. I felt very guilty for nearly having driven off because it seems they had been waiting for us.

When me and mum went into the large porta cabin. It was set up like a little office. A phone and desk...with paperwork everywhere...to the right there was a small walled concreted open area where I saw the mum and puppies. On the far side of the walled area there was a small dog flap to an outside concreted area which I could only just about see through. To the right further down the porta cabin I could see another litter. I’d never really seen Cockapoos before because that was before they became popular, so I had a little look, but mum wasn’t with them in there. 

The mum of my litter I was looking at looked very wide eyed, she had her coat shaved down incredibly thin, thinking about it now, she looked petrified, the guy asked would I like to choose a puppy to hold, I watched the puppies for a few minutes and could feel he was getting bored waiting, I chose the chunky pup. The man picked him up and plonked him onto me and told me he would need £100 deposit to reserve that puppy today as he had other people coming later. The puppy was absolutely stunning, beautiful sable roan colour, almost looked tri coloured. Which is what I had wanted. My mum put her hand down to say hello to mum and she made a growl, he said she was very protective. My mum asked to hold a different puppy, he said sure. He then left us in the cabin. My mum agreed that the puppies looked healthy and although this wouldn’t be the ideal place to get them from, as long as they were healthy and we could see paperwork to confirm health checks of parents it would be okay.

The puppies all seemed very active...they didn’t smell, they had bright eyes, all my other worries fell away, this little puppy was the one for me. I held him for longer and then the guy came back in and asked us if we’d chosen, my mum said I think she’s fallen in love with this one, he said great let me just get your contract ready.

My mum asked to see the paperwork of the parents he said oh sure hang on and scuttled off and came back, held up the paper in front of mum, explained what they were to her and then put them down and handed her a pen with the contract. I was still holding puppy, and my mum read through and told me the long and short of it. 

He said do you have the cash? and my mum gave him the money and we got a receipt. He said that Lisa would send me updates every week in the way of pictures. Explained what the puppy pack would be.

He said he’d show us out, as we were walking past the house, there were a few other dogs that came running onto the drive another female spaniel and a male, he said oh yeah..,he’s the dad. He was a very friendly spaniel...although I did question why he didn’t look quite like a show spaniel more like a working cross show in my opinion...the mum had looked pure show. He was a red sable. He did feel very dusty and grubby and his dental care didn’t look great...he didn’t look much like the picture they used. But that was a minor thing to me now.

I didn’t see Lisa until I was leaving, she waved goodbye and said thank you. All big smiles. 

I don’t know why I didn’t think that was weird at the time. She was the one I contacted so I don’t know why she didn’t come greet us. 

On the way back we passed Bury St Edmunds and as I was excited I suggested stopping at petsathome...I bought all his things. I had an idea of a name, Buddy...I had his tag made up. I wanted to be organised, I wanted everything ready for when I could get him in 4 weeks time. 

When I got home after the excitement of the day...I felt exhausted, and for some reason I had an uneasy feeling, I put it down to the reality of the responsibilities that were now going to be in my life looking after a tiny little life. Maybe I was just a bit nervous after wanting this for so long.

So I went to sleep, I woke up the next day...and I felt better.

I had work and was excited to tell all my colleagues and friends, a week or so had passed and everyone I knew was getting ear ache about my soon to be puppy.

I had an email update picture of buddy and was happy to see him looking all clean and cute and getting a bit bigger. 

There was never any information or questions in the email. Just the picture with Boy 1 in the subject line. 

I showed everyone the picture as I hadn’t had time to get one myself when I was choosing him.

As I was looking at the picture of buddy on my phone that evening, I noticed the email address had the first name of the guy that we met with...for the life of me I can’t remember it now...but he has the same last name as Lisa I also can’t remember what it was...but I probably have the emails somewhere in the depths of hotmail...I’ll try to find them.

Anyway, I just curiously...and I don’t know why...googled his full name.

Capella Cockapoos came up, all the glowing reviews...then I came across a forum...somebody asking if they were a good breeder.

A lot of people said yes, first hand experience, no problems. But... then I saw them, the horror stories.

One lady said she had been sent home with a puppy who had parvo.

Another lady said she had bought a westie puppy..and that she had taken her home...but after 48 hours or so she had a seizure, then heart failure and died in front of her 2 year old daughter.

The vet they took her to, had said he thought she was younger than 8 weeks.

There was another person who said they used to run as cremdella kennels...I googled the name and saw article after article about puppy farming. That they were bringing in sick puppies from all over the place, placing them with mums that weren’t actually the mum, selling puppies on too young, dumping the mums after they got too old or were selling ones that had too many litters. 

I googled Lisa’s name and found pet shop ltd companies registered in Cambridge and Newmarket under her name that were flagged as being linked with the  puppy farming trade. 

I kept finding thing after thing. Even police reports of the man I met with assaulting Lisa at their home address smashing up the property. 

From that point on...it was just like an avalanche of information I kept finding. And it started with something so small.

I was heartbroken, I told my mum, I burst into tears, I said to her, I can’t have him anymore, how can I ? How could I have been so stupid. She was angry at herself. I was angry at myself. I was so torn in my heart and head. Do I have him? He could be healthy? I could rescue him? But the more I sat and thought it all over. My heart had gotten me into this mess, my head had to get me out.

If I had him, it was me condoning what they were doing...it was me saying it’s okay. It’s me having to see these people again and pretend I don’t know what I now know.

I blocked Lisa....I blocked him, i had no intention of trying to get my deposit back, I didn’t care. I cried every day and night for a week.

I had to explain to everyone why I wasn’t going to have buddy anymore.

I had to explain my reasons. And I was judged by a lot of people. Or laughed at for being naive by others.

His things that I bought him I put up in the loft. I wouldn’t talk about it. I wouldn’t look at any other puppies. I was completely put off the whole idea. 

I researched what I should have been doing when looking for a puppy...but when you’re in the moment...it all just changes. It’s so hard to walk away and be strong. 

But I never regret walking away now.

I often think about where buddy ended up.

I hope more than anything he found a forever home.

I should have done more at the time to speak out against these sort of breeders but in my own way I was grieving. 

I missed and ignored so many red flags...probably because I didn’t want anything to get in the way of me bringing buddy home. 

I will make a list of key things I found out in the time after about why certain things that you may think make a breeder good...actually don’t mean as much as you think they do.

And I will try and go through the internet and see if I can find the original information I saw in 2015 if it still exists and I will try and give you all the proof I can so you can see for yourselves.

One thing for anybody in the east Anglian area to be wary of is....If you find a seller called Lisa. S. On Pets4Homes who is now a private seller...avoid! I believe with every fibre of my being this is her!