I bought a £550 ‘purebred’ Shih Tzu – she ended up being completely different, we were scammed
A MUM was left stunned after being told her ‘purebred’ Shih Tzu pup was completely different to what she had been promised.
Margaret-Ann Wallace, from Ayrshire, spent £550 on her adorable pooch which she lovingly named Lola after spotting a litter for sale online.
But it was only after her first trip to the vet that she discovered the female puppy she had purchased was in fact a boy.
She told the Scottish Sun Online: “I bought what should have been a bitch Shih Tzu and called her Lola.
“Took her to my vet for a health check like any good owner would. She had on a pink collar and lead and a beautiful pink jumper.
“Wee soul went in as Lola and left as Dave.”
Dave, now five, was bought as a four-legged pal for Margaret-Ann’s other dog Dolly – a Shih Tzu crossed with a King Charles Cavalier, who turns six this summer.
The pooches are mini celebrities in her small village and even have the nickname “Double D’s”.
And Margaret-Ann joked she’s relieved it remains just the two of them after the gender mix up meant her unneutered pups were mingling unsupervised for a spell.
She said: “I’d wanted another bitch because I had Dolly already but nope I got a Dave.
“It then cost me a fortune at the vet to make sure there were no puppies.”
And while Dave is a Shih Tzu, his ‘purebreed’ pedigree is also not quite as promised by the breeder, who advertised the pup on the selling site Preloved.
Margaret-Ann added: “He’s maybe not a pedigree as expected because he’s quite big for a Shih Tzu, not in height but in circumference.”
The mum and her family can’t imagine life without Dave now but she has urged prospective dog owners to be vigilant when choosing a puppy and a breeder.
She said: “We all love Dave but on a serious note I was scammed with him and the person selling the puppies had no care in the world where they went.
“I had contacted her and she was supposed to come back for Dave but we then got too attached to him.
“As much as it’s funny it’s a lesson learned to make sure to do your homework first which I did but the puppies were younger than what was stated.
“Even the vet said they could understand how we didn’t notice he was a boy straight away.”