I have been advertising Golden Retriever Puppies on puppyfind.com and puppies.com for several years. Here is a little bit of information about myself.
I’m 82 years old with a disability. I earn my income breeding Golden Retriever puppies. When I don’t have any new puppies from my 3 girls I reach out to some of my breeder friends and buy a few puppies to offer to my clients.
I’m a home breeder meaning the puppies I breed are born in my bedroom. They get hands on care up until I place them with their new owner. I have used puppies.com aka puppyfind.com exclusively since around 2016. They are one of the best places to run a ad for puppies.
The puppies I buy from my breeder friends are also home breeders who might just have one or two litters per year.
I never buy puppies from puppy mills. I do know puppies.com lets owners of puppy mills advertise on their site. In fact puppies.com has been sued several times for letting that happen from people who have bought puppies advertised on puppies.com that had died under the age of one.
I have one of the finest websites on the internet that has to do with Golden Retrievers with respect to health, altering a puppy, vitamins and food information regarding a natural home diet that will add years to a goldens life. My last Golden that died lived 16 years on that diet. Today its said the average Golden lives 7 to 9 years. I give the recipe free to my clients. I do care about the puppies I place. My website is www.lakeshoregoldens.com
Today I got an email suspending my account. Here is the email:
"Hello,
Your account has been suspended and further access is prohibited. If you recently made a payment to the site it will be refunded within 5 business days.
All seller accounts on Puppies.com must be operated by the owner of the puppies that are listed. Additionally, all contact info displayed must put the person inquiring into contact with the puppy owner.
Accounts operated by an intermediary or 3rd party will be suspended from the website. Additionally, accounts that are "shared" or operated by multiple owners will also be suspended from the site as only one owner per account is allowed. This is done to ensure safety for those looking for a new pup as well as for the animals.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
Thank you,
Lindsay at Puppies.com support.”
Now the problem with this email is they are assuming I sell puppies for other people. The fact is I don't. I only sell puppies I breed or buy from other home breeders. I am the owner of all the puppies sell and I had this discussion with puppies.com in August 2020 and it was told to me that it was ok so long as I own the puppies.
So, I have continued advertising puppies I breed and own and have not had any problem until this morning.
It’s confusing because before the support people asked for an explanation. This time they just closed my account by saying I can’t sell puppies for another person. But I am not. I have receipts for every puppy I have bought from other breeder friends.
I might add that this company had a class action lawsuit against them a few years ago. It was based on the company playing favorites with some of their special advertisers. I have sent a few emails today to [email protected] but they are not replying.
I have always had a good relationship with the people working at puppies.com. So, it is confusing to me for them to suspend my account without warning. A decent company who would have advertised with a company for 6 years would I believe reach out to their advertiser to ask some questions as they did in 2020.
So I am including in this complaint a couple of emails I received and sent in August 2020. So as to validate that I’m not doing any different in my advertising than before.
On Tue, Aug 4, 2020 at 4:12 PM EDT, PuppyFind.com Support wrote:
Hello,
It has come to our attention that you may be listing puppies for other breeders as you state 'I do work with other breeders and I may be able to get one for you. Call to discuss this'. Please be advised that PuppyFind.com prohibits the use of one account for multiple breeders. We do require that each breeder has a separate account listing only the puppies they have personally bred. We do not allow pet stores or brokers to post on the site.
We ask at this time that you remove all listings for puppies that you did not personally breed. Any of the breeders you are listing for are welcome to create their own individual accounts to list their puppies on our site if they wish.
Please make the requested changes within the next 48 hours to avoid further action.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Joanna
Director of Customer Relations
PuppyFind.com Support
My Reply: August 5
On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 11:30 PM EDT, Jangaudina wrote:
Dear Joanna,
Thank you for sending me this information. You asked me to contact you if I had questions. After speaking to an Attorney in Arizona we both have some questions.
Where in the Terms of Use on your site does it state that only a breeder of their own dogs can advertise on Puppyfine.com. It may be there but we could not find it.
You stated in your email to me:
"We do require that each breeder has a separate account listing only the puppies they have personally bred. We do not allow pet stores or brokers to post on the site."
I don't believe I am a Pet Store or a Broker, I am a Breeder. See definitions at the bottom of this email.
I do not Broker puppies. I have been breeding Golden Retrievers for about 5 years and have been advertising on your site for 4 years.
It was only in the last 3 months I have actually bought a few other Golden Retriever puppies from other breeder friends I have because a potential client might not want a particular color of one of my Golden's or for a different reason.
The attorney said to me, "if you buy and resell a puppy you're not acting as a broker. You are the principle representing yourself and not acting as a Broker for other breeders."
I don't believe I am a Pet store either because I breed my own dogs and usually Pet stores do not breed dogs to my knowledge. All of these other breeders you mentioned do in fact advertise on Puppyfind.com already, and do not need to create their own accounts.
A little about me: I am an 80-year-old person that has been retired for a few years. I started breeding Golden Retrievers about 5 years ago to supplement my retirement income which I may say is not very much. But it helps and I love the breed. I love to see customers come to my home and pick out their puppy. It is so fulfilling.
I have expanded my breeding program as you can see from my change of address on puppyfind.com , I'm now up on lakeshore Dr in Boulder, CO. with some acreage.
You have asked me to remove all listings for puppies that I did not personally breed:
I have done that.
I also have removed the sentences:
'I do work with other breeders and I may be able to get one for you. Call to discuss this'.
My attorney felt that if I did this from reading your email that is what you have asked me to do so we have complied.
My attorney also indicated to me that as long as I advertise my own Golden Retriever puppies on puppyfind.com I have bred that are born or soon to be born I will be in compliance of what you have suggested in your email providing I had removed the sentences 'I do work with other breeders and I may be able to get one for you. Call to discuss this'.
My attorney also told me that if a potential client wants me to get him/her a puppy that I buy to place with him/her, or a puppy I already own meaning bought and paid for from another person it would not be in violation of puppyfind.com Terms of Use provided I did not advertise that puppy on your site.
Please respond to this email with the answers we have asked for and if removing those words from my ads, as well as deleting ads of puppies from other breeders solves the problem you had with my ads.
I would assume we should be in Compliance.
Sincerely Golden
Jan Gaudina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broker
Broker
A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confused with that of an agent-one who acts on behalf of a principal party in a deal.
A pet shop or pet store is a retail business which sells different kinds of animals to the public.
Thank you for the information. Not all of our policies are included in the Terms of Service.
Sorry for the confusion. You can post any dogs that you own or that you have personally bred. The wording in that auto reply has been updated to include dogs you own.
Thank you for using PuppyFind.com. We appreciate your business.
Have a wonderful day,
Joanna
Director of Customer Relations
PuppyFind.com Support
In conclusion it is hard to believe that they feel that I am selling puppies I don’t own. I have receipts from all my breeder friends that I have bought puppies from.
I am a old man trying to offer the best puppies I can while earing a living.
People who live in Glass Houses should not throw stones. If you check on the Internet about the person who started puppyfind.com it states some pretty bad things.
Puppies.com, LLC. Reviews
I have been advertising Golden Retriever Puppies on puppyfind.com and puppies.com for several years. Here is a little bit of information about myself.
I’m 82 years old with a disability. I earn my income breeding Golden Retriever puppies. When I don’t have any new puppies from my 3 girls I reach out to some of my breeder friends and buy a few puppies to offer to my clients.
I’m a home breeder meaning the puppies I breed are born in my bedroom. They get hands on care up until I place them with their new owner. I have used puppies.com aka puppyfind.com exclusively since around 2016. They are one of the best places to run a ad for puppies.
The puppies I buy from my breeder friends are also home breeders who might just have one or two litters per year.
I never buy puppies from puppy mills. I do know puppies.com lets owners of puppy mills advertise on their site. In fact puppies.com has been sued several times for letting that happen from people who have bought puppies advertised on puppies.com that had died under the age of one.
I have one of the finest websites on the internet that has to do with Golden Retrievers with respect to health, altering a puppy, vitamins and food information regarding a natural home diet that will add years to a goldens life. My last Golden that died lived 16 years on that diet. Today its said the average Golden lives 7 to 9 years. I give the recipe free to my clients. I do care about the puppies I place. My website is www.lakeshoregoldens.com
Today I got an email suspending my account. Here is the email:
"Hello,
Your account has been suspended and further access is prohibited. If you recently made a payment to the site it will be refunded within 5 business days.
All seller accounts on Puppies.com must be operated by the owner of the puppies that are listed. Additionally, all contact info displayed must put the person inquiring into contact with the puppy owner.
Accounts operated by an intermediary or 3rd party will be suspended from the website. Additionally, accounts that are "shared" or operated by multiple owners will also be suspended from the site as only one owner per account is allowed. This is done to ensure safety for those looking for a new pup as well as for the animals.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
Thank you,
Lindsay at Puppies.com support.”
Now the problem with this email is they are assuming I sell puppies for other people. The fact is I don't. I only sell puppies I breed or buy from other home breeders. I am the owner of all the puppies sell and I had this discussion with puppies.com in August 2020 and it was told to me that it was ok so long as I own the puppies.
So, I have continued advertising puppies I breed and own and have not had any problem until this morning.
It’s confusing because before the support people asked for an explanation. This time they just closed my account by saying I can’t sell puppies for another person. But I am not. I have receipts for every puppy I have bought from other breeder friends.
I might add that this company had a class action lawsuit against them a few years ago. It was based on the company playing favorites with some of their special advertisers. I have sent a few emails today to [email protected] but they are not replying.
I have always had a good relationship with the people working at puppies.com. So, it is confusing to me for them to suspend my account without warning. A decent company who would have advertised with a company for 6 years would I believe reach out to their advertiser to ask some questions as they did in 2020.
So I am including in this complaint a couple of emails I received and sent in August 2020. So as to validate that I’m not doing any different in my advertising than before.
On Tue, Aug 4, 2020 at 4:12 PM EDT, PuppyFind.com Support wrote:
Hello,
It has come to our attention that you may be listing puppies for other breeders as you state 'I do work with other breeders and I may be able to get one for you. Call to discuss this'. Please be advised that PuppyFind.com prohibits the use of one account for multiple breeders. We do require that each breeder has a separate account listing only the puppies they have personally bred. We do not allow pet stores or brokers to post on the site.
We ask at this time that you remove all listings for puppies that you did not personally breed. Any of the breeders you are listing for are welcome to create their own individual accounts to list their puppies on our site if they wish.
Please make the requested changes within the next 48 hours to avoid further action.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Joanna
Director of Customer Relations
PuppyFind.com Support
My Reply: August 5
On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 11:30 PM EDT, Jangaudina wrote:
Dear Joanna,
Thank you for sending me this information. You asked me to contact you if I had questions. After speaking to an Attorney in Arizona we both have some questions.
Where in the Terms of Use on your site does it state that only a breeder of their own dogs can advertise on Puppyfine.com. It may be there but we could not find it.
You stated in your email to me:
"We do require that each breeder has a separate account listing only the puppies they have personally bred. We do not allow pet stores or brokers to post on the site."
I don't believe I am a Pet Store or a Broker, I am a Breeder. See definitions at the bottom of this email.
I do not Broker puppies. I have been breeding Golden Retrievers for about 5 years and have been advertising on your site for 4 years.
It was only in the last 3 months I have actually bought a few other Golden Retriever puppies from other breeder friends I have because a potential client might not want a particular color of one of my Golden's or for a different reason.
The attorney said to me, "if you buy and resell a puppy you're not acting as a broker. You are the principle representing yourself and not acting as a Broker for other breeders."
I don't believe I am a Pet store either because I breed my own dogs and usually Pet stores do not breed dogs to my knowledge. All of these other breeders you mentioned do in fact advertise on Puppyfind.com already, and do not need to create their own accounts.
A little about me: I am an 80-year-old person that has been retired for a few years. I started breeding Golden Retrievers about 5 years ago to supplement my retirement income which I may say is not very much. But it helps and I love the breed. I love to see customers come to my home and pick out their puppy. It is so fulfilling.
I have expanded my breeding program as you can see from my change of address on puppyfind.com , I'm now up on lakeshore Dr in Boulder, CO. with some acreage.
You have asked me to remove all listings for puppies that I did not personally breed:
I have done that.
I also have removed the sentences:
'I do work with other breeders and I may be able to get one for you. Call to discuss this'.
My attorney felt that if I did this from reading your email that is what you have asked me to do so we have complied.
My attorney also indicated to me that as long as I advertise my own Golden Retriever puppies on puppyfind.com I have bred that are born or soon to be born I will be in compliance of what you have suggested in your email providing I had removed the sentences 'I do work with other breeders and I may be able to get one for you. Call to discuss this'.
My attorney also told me that if a potential client wants me to get him/her a puppy that I buy to place with him/her, or a puppy I already own meaning bought and paid for from another person it would not be in violation of puppyfind.com Terms of Use provided I did not advertise that puppy on your site.
Please respond to this email with the answers we have asked for and if removing those words from my ads, as well as deleting ads of puppies from other breeders solves the problem you had with my ads.
I would assume we should be in Compliance.
Sincerely Golden
Jan Gaudina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broker
Broker
A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confused with that of an agent-one who acts on behalf of a principal party in a deal.
A pet shop or pet store is a retail business which sells different kinds of animals to the public.
So on August 6, 2020 I got this email from [email protected]
Subject: Re: PuppyFind.com
Date: 8/6/2020 11:54:35 AM Mountain Standard Time
From: [email protected] To: [email protected]
Hello,
Thank you for the information. Not all of our policies are included in the Terms of Service.
Sorry for the confusion. You can post any dogs that you own or that you have personally bred. The wording in that auto reply has been updated to include dogs you own.
Thank you for using PuppyFind.com. We appreciate your business.
Have a wonderful day,
Joanna
Director of Customer Relations
PuppyFind.com Support
In conclusion it is hard to believe that they feel that I am selling puppies I don’t own. I have receipts from all my breeder friends that I have bought puppies from.
I am a old man trying to offer the best puppies I can while earing a living.
People who live in Glass Houses should not throw stones. If you check on the Internet about the person who started puppyfind.com it states some pretty bad things.