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Guide to selling your dog online

General paul savage

If you are thinking of selling your dog or puppy online, we recommend you consider some of the following points. We’ve broken it down into selecting what websites you can use, what information to provide & what information you should ask the potential buyers of the dog(s).

Online Platforms

With a few quick searches you can see that there are quite a few websites where you can advertise your dog.

  • www.dogs.ie (that’s us!)
  • www.donedeal.ie
  • www.pedigreedogs.ie
  • www.buyandsell.ie

All of these sites have a cost involved with post an ad. Typically the price ranges from €2.50 to €10 and you can advertise a litter or a single pup for this price. There are some websites that do offer free ads, but these tend to be of lower quality and rife with scams. Our advice here for free dog ad websites is to avoid them like the plague. You don’t want your genuine advert in with scammers.

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Oscar the sheepdog

Information in your ad

When posting your dog for sale we recommend that you include as much information as possible about the dog, it’s temperament. If it’s a puppy you should include information about its parents.

In your ad you should at least include

  • date of birth of the dog
  • your location in Ireland
  • price
  • pedigree of the dog, if any, or mixture of breed.
  • temperament
  • if the dog has been vaccinated & microchipped.

If you are selling puppies, you should make sure that you they are with their mother until 8-12 weeks old because of weaning. If your dog is not yet old enough to be weaned from its mother then you should also specify a date that they dog can be collected.

We discourage users to posting their phone numbers directly online or their home addresses. Some websites (donedeal) force you to keep your phone details public. This can lead to many time wasters calling you at all hours of the day & night.

Some platforms (like ourselves again) offer a messaging system where you can be contacted through the website, and then decide at a later stage to share your details or not.

What to ask a buyer

So you’ve picked your website to sell your dog, you’ve posted it online and asked someone to come look at the dog. So what’s next. We see this stage of the process very much like an interview. And like all interviews it should be a two way affair. You should ask them about

  • their experience with dogs
  • whether the dog will be indoors or outdoors
  • are their kids or other pets in the house

If you find yourself thinking that they owner may not be so experienced with dogs, or doesn’t have the right home environment to keep the dog you should bring this up. Remember: Just because they came to see your dog doesn’t mean you have to sell it to them.

You could consider having a home inspection before you finally hand over the dog to make sure that they dog will be in a safe environment.

Another signal to consider is also the questions the buyer is asking. Do they come across as genuinely interested in dogs ?

Dog food online

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We’ve put together a list of a few retailers that sell dog food products online. Perhaps your puppy or dog have certain nutritional requirements and they should eat a certain brand of food.

Some providers only sell their own brands of dog food, while others have a selection available. Some of these sellers offer free delivery if you order over a certain value, so we encourage you to shop around !

Buying online might mean that you don’t have to lug those big bags from the supermarket. Use this list to start your search:

If you’d like your business to be added to this post just let us know !

 

Dog Insurance companies

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Here are some suppliers of dog insurance and puppy insurance that we’ve come across in the past. It’s worth noting that all of these providers offer something slightly different, so it’s always best to read their policies and compare them side by side.

Types of dog insurance

Remember that some of the insurances differences could include:

  • coverage for dental work
  • coverage for dogs only under a certain age
  • kennel costs should you get ill
  • the cost of offering a reward should your dog go missing
  • pet liability (if they run out on to the road and cause an accident)
  • full / partial coverage for veterinary bills & medication
  • etc, etc.

So read those terms and conditions carefully!

Irish dog insurers

Your own insurance broker might also be able to organise pet insurance for you, along with your home insurances or car insurances.

History

The Irish market has a small number of players, some of them even own multiple brands of insurance. Some insurers are no longer in operation, like Tesco Ireland. They used to offer insurance policies for pets, but now it seems like it’s owned or offered through RSA. There was talk of Argos offering pet insurance, but this again seems to be offered through the RSA Group, although it doesn’t seem to be launched quite yet.

You should always check that your insurer is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Puppies as presents is it a good idea?

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Last year, around Christmastime the video below became very popular. The video depicts people receiving a puppy for Christmas, many of them reduced to tears of joy. So is getting a present of a puppy for Christmas the best present you can get ? There was quite a debate from both sides saying whether it was good idea to give pets as Christmas gifts.

Receiving the gift of a puppy

You may recall the motto ‘a puppy is for life, not just for Christmas’, and most, if not all, animal welfare organisations try to deter people from giving puppies as Christmas presents.

It’s always better to base these claims on facts, and in light of a new study last year by the ASPCA (American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) it says that yes indeed it’s okay to give puppies as gifts at Christmas [1]. The report says that a staggering 96% of people who received pets as gifts at Christmas reported it either increased or had no impact on their love or attachment to that pet. The report continued saying that 86% of these Christmas time pets were still at home, and this number is in line with animals purchased at any other time of the year.

We at dogs.ie always encourage you to source your next pet from responsible breeders or shelters. Education for taking care of your pet properly and making sure you have the right facilities for your puppy are two of the most important things to consider when thinking about a new dog. From the stories we’ve heard it’s generally families with young kids (under 5) who have particular issues with new puppies.

Sources

[1] –http://www.aspca.org/blog/yes-its-okay-to-give-pets-as-gifts

Pet Shelters in Ireland

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Here is a list of animal rescues and pounds all around Ireland. We try our best to keep this list up to date, but should you notice an error we would appreciate you contacting us.

Armagh Dog Pound
Address: Council Offices, The Palace Demesne, Armagh , BT60 4EL, Ireland
Phone: 028 3752 9623
Email Address: Dogcontrol@armagh.gov.uk

Carlow Kilkenny Dog Pound
Address: Garryduff, Kilkenny, Paulstown , Ireland
Phone: (059) 9726785
Email Address: info@carlowkilkennyds.ie

Carrickfergus Dog Pound
Address: Sullatober, Antrim, Marshallstown Road, Ireland
Phone: +44 (28) 9335 1639
Email Address: dogpound@carrickfergus.org

Cavan Dog Pound
Address: I.S.P.C.A. Kennels, Cavan, Legaland, Crossdoney, Ireland
Phone: (049) 4337545

Clare Dog Pound
Address: Gort Road Ind Est, Clare, Ennis, Ireland
Phone: (065) 682 0393
Email Address: ennisdogpound@gmail.com

Cork City & County Dog Pound
Address: Link road, Cork, Mahon, Ireland
Phone: 0214515534 /021 45155
Email Address: cspca@eircom.net (Cork City) / vets@corkcoco.ie (Cork County)

Derry Dog Pound
Address: Pennyburn Industrial Estate, Derry, Pennyburn, Ireland
Phone: +44 (28) 71 261414

Donegal Dog Pound
Address: Glencar Scotch, Donegal, Letterkenny , Ireland
Phone: 074 9125159

Down Dog Pound
Address: 40 Tobercorran Road, Down, BT30 8HU, Ireland
Phone: 079 09923760

Dublin City/Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown/Fingal
Address: River Rd, Dublin, Castleknock, Ireland
Phone: (01) 8383236
Email Address: ashtonrehoming@eircom.net

Galway City & County Dog Pound
Address: Ballybane Dog Pound, Galway, Tuam Road, Ireland
Phone: (091) 757094
Mobile: 087 6993422 – West Galway / 087 6431883 East Galway

Kerry Dog Pound
Address: Matt Talbot Road, Kerry, Matt Talbot Road, Ireland
Phone: 066 – 7183700
Email Address: chris.lyons@kerrycoco.ie

Kildare Dog Pound
Address: Portersize, Kildare, Ballitore, Ireland
Phone: 059 8623388

Laois Dog Pound
Address: ISPCA Dog Shelter, The Red House, Laois, Ballacolla, Ireland < Phone: 057 8734067
Mobile: 086 2556298
Email Address:laoisdogwarden@topmail.ie

Leitrim Dog Pound
Address: Barraghmore Cottage, Leitrim, Drumkeeran, Ireland
Phone: 071 9648300
Email Address: leitrimawt@eircom.net

Limerick City and County Dog Shelter
Address: Civic Amenity Site, Limerick, Dock Road, Mungret, Ireland
Phone: +353 61 301604
Email Address: customerservices@limerick.ie

Lisburn Dog Pound
Address: Altona Industrial Estate, Antrim, Hillsborough Old Road, Ireland Phone: +44 (28) 9260 9395

Longford Dog Pound
Address: Little Water Street, Longford, Longford, Ireland
Phone: 043 33 43461/ 043 33
Email Address:>dogcontrol@longfordcoco.ie

Louth Dog Pound
Address: Whiterath, Louth, Dromiskin, Dundalk, Ireland
Phone: 042 – 9382398
Email Address:vets@louthcoco.ie

Mayo Dog Pound
Address: Murneen, Mayo, Claremorris , Ireland
Phone: (094)9381273

Meath Dog Pound
Address: Greenpark Kennels, The Riggins,, Meath , Dunshaughlin, Ireland
strong>Mobile: 087 0676766

Monaghan Dog Pound< Phone: 042 9664236
Mobile: 087 6623876

Offaly Dog Pound
Address: Cappincur, Offaly, Tullamore, Ireland
Phone: 057 9351181
Email Address:dogwarden@offalycoco.ie

Roscommon Dog Pound
Phone: 090 6662992
Email Address: roscommondogshelter@eircom.net

Sligo Dog Pound
Address: Cullaghbeg, Sligo, Drumcliffe, Ireland
Phone: 071-9163320

Tipperary Dog Pound
Address: Gambonsfield, Tipperary, Kilsheelan, Ireland
Phone: 0761-06-5000

Waterford Dog Shelter
Address: Bilberry, Waterford, Waterford, Ireland
Phone: 051-872247
Email Address:dogshelter@waterfordcity.ie

Westmeath Dog Pound
Address: Zone B, Mullingar Business Park, Westmeath, Mullingar, Ireland
Phone: 044 93 43934

Wexford Dog Pound< Address: Ballycarney, Wexford, Enniscorthy, Ireland
Phone: 05393 88339
Mobile: 087 6293043

Wicklow Dog Pound
Address: Sharpeshill, Ballygannonmore, Wicklow , Rathdrum, Ireland
Phone: 0404 44873
Mobile: 086-2771695 / 086-3846430

Is dogs.ie safe to use?

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We employ a number of security measures to make sure that your experience on dogs.ie is as safe as possible. Some of these measures include:

  • We verify all users by email and by phone. Users can only have one account per phone number.
  • Users with a high number of ads need to provide extra information to make sure they are not a puppy farm.
  • We monitor the user’s location via their IP address. Users that are not in Ireland are blocked.
  • All credit card transactions are cross-checked for fraud.
  • All user data is sent over HTTPS, login, user registration, etc.
dogsie-security
HTTPS on dogs.ie

For security reasons we can’t disclose all the measures we take, but should you come across the any ads that you may think are not genuine, please contact us.

 

 

 

Verifying your mobile phone

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Once you’ve registered for dogs.ie, we will send you an email that contains a special link you need to click on. This will confirm to us that you do in fact own that email address. Every dogs.ie account is attached to a unique email address and phone number. Once you log in after confirming your email address you will see the following message:

verify-phone
Verification Message

Click “Begin Verification“. On your account page you will need to click the orange button ‘Unverified (click to verify)’

change-account-status
Account Status Message

Now you will need to request an SMS code. Click on ‘Receive Code’ and check your mobile phone for a message from us (it might take up to 30 seconds to get this code).

get-sms-code
Receiving your SMS code

Type in the code provided, and click verify. Now you can post ads and contact other users via our secure messaging system.

All our members have gone through this process, so you can be sure that you are dealing with verified users like yourself when you use dogs.ie.

Extending your stud dog ad

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The following is a guide on how you can extend your advert. Currently you can advertise for either 4 months or 12 months, once your ad has expired users of the website will not be able to contact you via your advert.

Note: You can only extend your ad once it’s expired.

Step 1 – login

Visit the log in page and enter your email address & password. https://dogs.ie/login.php
login

Step 2 – visit your stud ads

From the drop down menu on the top of the page you can select to see all you dogs for stud ads. Under ‘My for stud ads‘. (direct link)
select-my-stud-ads

Step 3 – select the ad you want to extend

Find the ad you want to to extend and click on the button ‘extend this ad‘
select-stud-ad

Step 4 – enter your credit card details

Finally you select how long you want to have your ad live for and then enter your credit card details.
enter-creditcard
Note: You add will be open for the next 4 or 12 months from today. After this period you can renew once again.

Requesting a refund

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We want all our customers to be 100% happy. So if you’ve placed an ad, and anytime within the 30 days you are not happy, we will refund you the full amount. This feature sets us apart from similar other dogs for sale websites. At dogs.ie we want you to be happy, and to come back to us again (and again).

To request a refund

Please contact us with the following details:

  • a link to the ad you would like the charge to be refunded
  • your email address associated with your dogs.ie account
  • (optional) any reason you’d like to share as to why you want a refund

And click send and we  will process it generally within 24 hours.

The refund will be either made to the credit card you paid with or to the PayPal account you sent us money.

Buying a dog

General paul savage

Great ! So you’ve decided to add a new member to your family, namely a dog / puppy. But before you go go out and get your puppy you should think a little about what to look out for when buying a dog. Hopefully our tips can help you avoid some of the most common mistakes by new owners.

What mistakes do new owners make ?

We would advise you to have some ideas of questions before you visit a breeder. If you don’t know what to look out for or what to ask, you may come away thinking that you’ve just bought a really great puppy when the reality is couldn’t be further away. We’ve heard horror stories of people buying sick puppies, ones that either have serious issues for the rest of their lives, or even die prematurely because of these issues. This might sound quite pessimistic, but we are providing this information in the hope that you take it seriously.

If you think about it, even if a puppy is IKC (Irish Kennel Club) registered, it’s not any guarantee that the dog will be healthy or that the breeder is a responsible one. A lot of the Kennel Club groups maintain lists of breeders that they might share with you. A sign of a good breeder would be one that has many years experience, has a great setting for both the puppies and other dogs. Often the best breeders will have waiting lists of a few months to a few years. When you think that you will have your dog for 12-15 years, waiting 6 months might be well worth it.

Most breeders will keep their puppies until 8 weeks old, some even prefer to hold them until 12 weeks. This feeding and bonding time for young puppies is important to ensure that they turn out to be well adjusted dogs.

french-bulldog

You should aim to meet your puppy as soon as possible, and visit it a few times before you take the final collection of the dog. You should ask the breeder about the puppies mother, and ask about seeing them interact together. Dogs temperaments  generally are a family trait, so seeing how she interacts with her pups will be a good indicator of what to expect in later life.

You should ask about the age of the mother, and how many other litters has she had. Bitches should be over a year old before they are used to breed, and depending on the dog type, they can be breed for about 6 years.

You should observe your puppy playing with the other pups in the litter, how does it interact with other puppies, is it of a similar size and have the same energy as the other puppies.

Collecting your puppy

As the breeder if the dogs are full weened or not. If they are not yet weened it is a clear indicator that the dogs are not ready to leave their mother.

It’s important the the dogs coat, eyes, ears and bum all look clean and healthy. Check to see if there are any marks or clumps of missing fur.  If the puppy is or looks ill then it’s best to come back another day for collection.

A good breeder will also be able to advise you on what they are already feeding your puppy and what you should continue to feed it in the coming weeks.

Other tips

  • We would advise you never to buy your dog from a pet shop. These types of animals have the most issues, and are most likely to have a so called puppy farm behind them. Ads posted in pet shops are generally okay, we mean more the type of pet shops that have puppies stored in cages under terrible conditions.
  • Breeders with many different types of dogs is generally a sign that they are purely into breeding for money, and may not have the dogs best interests at heart. We would also avoid such breeders. Legally any breeder with more than 6 females capable of breeding and over the age of 6 months is consider a Dog BreedingEstablishment. Such breeders  need to have a special licence under the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 (link)
  • When in doubt, don’t buy. If you get the feeling that the breeder isn’t as knowledgable as you would like, then you are probably better off not buying that dog and to continue on your search.

About Dogs.ie

We have listings for dogs for sale. All sellers are verified by SMS and all ads are visually checked. But you still keep in mind the advice we had above when it comes to buying a puppy.