Utahn’s viral TikTok tells her story of a puppy scam. What you should know to avoid fraud on KSL Pets

In a TikTok video that garnered nearly 3 million views, a Utah mom called out a seller who tried to scam her on KSL Classifieds. Ashley England sat down with us to talk about her experience and share what she learned when looking for a puppy.

Prepped for a puppy

Growing up in Davis County, England had a family dog they adored. So when she and her husband decided it was time for their young family to get a pooch, she wanted the same purebred pup for her kids, ages 4-14, to love.

Her mother had found England’s childhood dog on KSL Pets some 20 years before, so she felt confident doing the same. But as England learned from her TikTok commenters, this time she was likely dealing with a backyard breeder, not a community member with just a few pups needing a home.

Red flags to watch for when buying a pet

England admits there were multiple red flags, she just didn’t realize it at the time. She was focused on getting the exact dog she wanted for a price the family could afford. “We are not a pet family, hence the reason we made so many mistakes during this process. We’d never had a dog, we’d never shopped for a dog. This was all new to us.”

Ashley England and the puppy she found through KSL Classifieds. Photo courtesy of Ashley England

Meeting breeders: Why location matters

England said the first red flag was meeting in a grocery store parking lot. “I didn’t think that was weird,” she said. “Some people don’t like people coming to their house.”

Meeting in a neutral, safe place is a good idea for many types of items you find on KSL Classifieds. But purchasing a purebred animal is a different circumstance.

England said she’s learned, “Any ethical breeder is not going to meet you in a public place. They will invite you into their home. They’ll let you see the parents of the puppies, which is smart, right? That way you know [what] you’re getting. They’ll let you see their environment, they’ll let you see the full litter, the living conditions of the puppies.”

Not knowing that beforehand, though, England saw nothing untoward. “[The seller] was totally normal in the first interactions that we had … completely polite.” It was early November, and they agreed that the seller would hold the puppy until Christmas. England said she was assured the pup would have its first vaccination and be ready to go with its new family, so she put down a deposit.

Poor communication: A common scam warning sign

But in the weeks that followed, she said, “Communication was shoddy.” England said she texted the seller multiple times with questions. “I had asked ‘how’s [the puppy] doing?’ ‘Can I have pictures?’ and it took three days to respond to that. And then I asked ‘What was her exact birth date,’ and just no response.” 

It was then that England began to worry she’d been scammed out of her deposit. She again texted the breeder and said she wanted to pick up the puppy the following week, on Black Friday, instead of waiting until Christmas.

Switching puppies: Beware of last-minute changes

They met a second time, again in the grocery store parking lot. “The first thing [the seller] said is, ‘Oh, I have bad news. My husband decided he wants to keep your puppy.’” England was offered two different puppies to choose from instead.

Annoyed and disappointed, but still wanting to bring a puppy home, England said she decided to take one of them. But again, she had some questions: “‘When was she born? And has she had her vaccines?’ and [the seller] said, ‘Oh yeah, I have all that information. I’ll send it when I get home.’”

The importance of proper paperwork for purebred puppies

But the promised paperwork? It never came. That’s another red flag. “I’ve learned, if they say that they’re purebred, they’re supposed to come with paperwork,” England said. “I don’t even know when my puppy was born. [The seller] said she was 3 ½ months, so I’m just going with that.”

A responsible breeder will provide you with:

• Pedigree information

• Certificate of health for the dog’s parents

• Vaccination record, microchip and deworming dates

• Printed sales contract

You may also receive care instructions and a history of the pup’s diet since it was weaned. Ask for their vet’s contact information, as well, so you can ask questions later if needed.

The puppy the Englands brought home had a serious illness, requiring three days in an animal hospital. Photo courtesy of Ashley England

Recognizing unethical breeding practices

Irresponsible breeders who run puppy mills tend to put profit first, and may not concern themselves with the health of the animals. Dogs may be left in kennels throughout their lives; females may be forced to breed too frequently; and pups may not receive medical care.

Although England noticed her new puppy had an eye infection, the seller assured her it was nothing. So, England didn’t suspect a serious illness. But on its second day in their home, the puppy was extremely lethargic and refused to eat. She took it to the vet the next morning and learned it had canine parvovirus, a highly contagious disease that can be fatal if left untreated.

England thinks that may explain why the puppy she initially fell in love with was suddenly unavailable. “I think my original puppy probably died of parvo because if one gets it, they probably all have it. So I think that was just a lie being told. [The seller] didn’t want to tell me ‘Oh your puppy got sick and died,’ because then I’m probably going to question the puppies that she brought.”

Too good to be true? The danger of a low price

Another red flag: The asking price was significantly lower than what a reputable breeder would charge. While you may find a wide variety of prices for many items on KSL Classifieds, that’s not the case with purebred puppies. Prices will be pretty similar. If you see a listing that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

How you can help prevent fraud on KSL Classifieds

Helping KSL Pets shoppers be informed and avoid fraud is an ongoing effort. “This is something that we really take seriously and put a lot of effort into, trying to protect users on our site,” said KSL Marketing Director Tiffany Hutchins. You’ll find numerous related articles on our Resource page.

England said that before this experience, she wasn’t even familiar with the terms backyard breeder or puppy mill. “[There] are good people out there and they don’t understand that there are those people out there. I do now! As a first-time buyer, a first-time pet owner, just looking for a puppy, I didn’t know what to look for.”

We need your input and experiences to discourage puppy mills and stop fraudsters. If you see a suspicious listing or believe someone is running a scam, please flag the listing. All you need to do is tap the flag icon and tell us why you think something isn’t right. England did, and KSL Classifieds took the listing down.

The Englands reached out to KSL Classifieds when they suspected the seller was running a puppy mill. Photo courtesy of Ashley England

Contact KSL Classifieds about suspicious pet listings

In addition to flagging a suspicious listing, you can contact the KSL Classifieds’ support team directly. “You can reach out via email, you can call us, you can even chat with us via our online Chat platform,” said Quinn Denter, KSL senior director of operations. Just hover over the human icon and select support.

“We do our best to help you talk to one of our team members, and they will attempt to collect all the information they can and look at the listing,” Denter said. “We want people to contact us so we can support [you].”

“We’re so grateful to Ashley for sharing her story and helping to further the education around the warning signs to look out for when searching for a pet,” said Mitch Blackhurst, KSL Classifieds senior director of business. “While countless positive and successful transactions happen on our site, it’s important to stay informed to ensure a great experience. I’ve personally experienced the joy of finding my furry friend through KSL Classifieds. My basset hound, Stella, is a beloved part of our family.” 

Use Messages and Verified Profiles for a safer experience

We also encourage you to use our secure communication platform, Messages. Communication is between KSL Marketplace members with verified email addresses, which can be monitored by KSL. This enables you to talk with buyers and sellers without divulging personal information such as your telephone number or email address.

And at any time, if you feel there's something weird going on, just tap the blue flag icon in the conversation chain. Our safety team will be notified and can look into it.

Another way to avoid fraud on KSL Classifieds is to look for sellers with a Verified Profile. When you Verify Your Profile, your ID can be crosschecked with a selfie to confirm that you are who you say you are. Anyone with an account may also upload a profile picture. Knowing a seller has been verified — and isn’t trying to hide anything from you — can help you shop more confidently.

Consider adopting from a shelter

KSL Classifieds works with local animal shelters to encourage pet adoption. Many animals, including dogs that aren’t promptly sold by puppy mills, end up in shelters. Animals currently available for adoption are regularly added to our site. 

We also sponsor adoption events to support the Humane Society of Utah, as well as Strut Your Mutt with Best Friends. At the latter, dogs needing homes are available for adoption on the spot. When you choose to adopt, you’re not only helping an animal find a loving home, you’re also making space to give another animal a second chance.

Browse adoptable pets on KSL

The England's tiny puppy, Suki, is healthy and thriving at home. Photo courtesy of Ashley England

Lessons learned: Protect yourself when buying a pet online

While this experience didn’t go as expected, England knows what to do next time. “Always get their information. Always see their house so that you know if you need to go back you can,” she said. “Always get first and last names, pictures, contracts, copies of the contracts if you sign anything. Yeah,” she said, “lots to learn.”

Fortunately for England, everything has worked out. She was able to get a partial refund from the seller. But more importantly, after three days in an animal hospital, her puppy is healthy and back at home with their loving family. “It’s fine now,” England said. “We’re good. The puppy is good.”

Unfortunately, unethical breeders do exist, and England’s experience isn’t unique. Protect yourself by learning more about how to avoid fraud with tips on our Resource Center. You can help us make our online community a safer place. If you suspect something amiss with a listing, please notify our support team.

Blackhurst said, “It’s stories like [England’s] that remind us why we’re so passionate about connecting people with their perfect companions safely.”