My friend just called (thank goodness) and said she had a sale for a pup to a "deaf person" who was using a relay caller. She fell for their line of bull and was ready to close the deal. What is your advice? Who can you report it to, if anybody. I had a hard time convincing her that it was a scam , but I think I did. I told her to call the troopers.

Don't sell to people who don't live near enough that they can't drive to your home for a look-see and don't sell to people you don't know or haven't been refered by someone you know. There are scams everywhere and it's our responsibility to investigate carefully before selling a puppy. If you don't have enough buyers when following these guidelines, then maybe you're producing too many puppies to be able to find good homes.

Forgive my ignorance but what is a relay caller?

A relay person is an individual that calls, pretending to be helping a deaf person buy a puppy. They offer to send you funds for more than the price of the pup, so the "courier" can be paid for picking up the puppy. The check or MO bounces and you are out the pup and the money. IT'S A SCAM!!!!!!

I'm sorry Gail, but you have touched a nerve here with me. Just because it is a relay call, doesn't mean it is a scam.

If they offer to pay more, then yes, it probably is. But there are many ligitimate callers who ARE deaf and need to use a TTY. Please don't imply that ALL people who use a relay service are scamming.

For those interested, the relay operator will identify themselves at the outset of the conversation and give you an operator number. You will also hear the deaf person typing their questions and responses while the relay operator waits quietly for the message to finish so that they can read it to you.

And as an aside, the organization I mentioned in a previous post, Canine Helpers for the handicaped, started out by training Labradors as "hearing ear" dogs.

Sue

Please don't jump conclusions! I do not make fun of the handicapped. That was the best explanation I could give. The follow-up email, which detailed what she was supposed to do made her wonder. She is fairly new to the puppy game and I'm glad she called me.

If you read my message, it said they were sending more money than the price of the pup. These calls have been going around for a long time. I have had them. It was a scam.

Gail - I didn't think that you were making fun of people with disabilities. It just sounded like you were telling Patty that ALL relay calls were scams and I wanted to clear up the differences by explaining how TTY works.

BTW, if you believe it is a scam, report it to the phone company. They are in charge of TTY.

She has already notified authorities. She's not home from work yet, so I don't know how she made out.