We at Puppy Escrow always caution against sending deposits to strangers. With the increased demand for puppies, we realize that deposits have become a rule rather than an exception. As a result, we have created our Puppy In Arms Escrow Service. We follow the mantra of “trust but verify,” specifically implemented to protect both buyers and responsible breeders. As a buyer you want to be sure that you aren’t being scammed into giving a deposit for a dog that may not even exist. As a responsible breeder you don’t want to have someone take a puppy without paying in full. Especially when a final balance on many breeds can be $1,000 or more depending on the payment arrangement you have made. Our Puppy In Arms Escrow Service requires the breeder to Microchip a dog and pre-register the Microchip with My Dogs ID (mydogsid.com).

As a buyer, when you make a deposit or payment towards a puppy purchase, the money does NOT go to the breeder until you have received the puppy safely in your arms. The funds are then ACH transferred securely to the breeder. We at Puppy Escrow are the trusted third party in this transaction. Final Payments may also be made in cash if the buyer and breeder agree to those terms.

Currently, we verify the authenticity of all breeders using our service. We will contact the breeder and require them to provide specific, verifiable information in order to use our service.

Soon we will require breeders to enroll in the My Dogs ID digital vaccination program that ensures the breeder follows a stringent vaccination schedule. When the buyer takes ownership of the puppy, they will then receive a secure, tamper-proof, digital vaccination record. Then the buyers can have the shot record updated digitally by their Veterinarian.

We look forward to adding more verification services in the coming months, to further strengthen the trust and safety aspect for our users and uphold the safety of the puppies being purchased.