By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 20, 2020 | Somehow, I think was on the way to getting scammed. Over all things, a dog.
EEB and Hercules
Ever since our 16-year-old rescue dog, Hercules, died about three months ago, we’ve been thinking about getting another dog. We’ve always had dogs, four main ones, living with us for 9, 15, 18 and (for Herk) 16 years.
We’ve been checking local shelters for a friendly face, looking for a 20 pound or so dog. Hercules came from the White County Animal Shelter.
We have found few mid-size dogs in area shelters. Many were large dogs, the Retrievers, Hounds and Bulldogs, and many more adoptable were smallish, Chihuahuas, Yorkies, or poodles. But few 20 pounders.
One site, among many we have checked for over a month now, is Craigslist in Atlanta. On two occasions, a dog we spotted had just been adopted. But we kept trying.
Then came last weekend, with someone on Craigslist offering a male or female (or both) Corgis. Our daughter has had Corgis, and these were cute puppies.
Now follow the emails we had with the person offering Corgis.
“Hi, thanks for contacting us regarding our cute Corgi puppies. There are two of them, a female (Sasha) and a male (Ed) of the same parents. They are 11 weeks old, vet checked and will come with all papers needed. The puppies are very playful and love playing with kids . We are giving the pups out for adoption because we just relocated to a non-pets apartment and can’t keep them any more. We will be willing to give you these pups if you can promise us never to sell them because they have been like kids to us.”
They asked questions of us: had we owned a pet before, did we have a vet or backyard fence, and was I a breeder? They also said: “All we need is just a very caring and loving home for our babies where they will be well loved and spoiled.”
I replied asking for them to call me so I could go see the puppies in Atlanta.
This time the reply came in this manner: “After reading through your mail, you moved to the number one spot in my heart as a potential adopter of our lil pup.” Then they gave more details about the pups: “They eat two times a day, are potty trained and socialize with kids.”
They then added: “We are giving the puppies for FREE since we just relocated some few days ago to Norfolk, Va. If you can’t make the drive, we can have Ed registered at a nearby pet transportation company and he will be home delivered to you okay. All you will have to do is pay for the transportation fee.”
Again I asked to get their phone number to learn some more details.
The next email told me the fee would be $350 for the dogs “to be transported right at your doorsteps.”
But by now I was having second thoughts, hearing too many coincidences. I had heard similar details before in another Craigslist post. Previously someone had “transferred to a no-pet apartment in a city in Colorado,” also offered to ship a dog “to a good home” if I paid the transportation fee of $350.
Hmmmmn. And now in their last email, they wanted my “contact numbers” (presume credit card?) and nearest airport. What? They didn’t know the nearest airport after moving to Norfolk from Atlanta?
So we’ll bypass those Corgis, though don’t they look cute? And we think we missed “getting clipped,” in doggie terms.
Be careful. Scams can show up anywhere.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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