The "Cancel Culture" of Puppy Buying

The "Cancel Culture" of Puppy Buying

You know that moment when you think you’ve found the perfect home for one of your pups, and everything seems to be falling into place? Yeah, well, let me tell you about this week. It was one for the books, and I know you’ll feel my pain.

So, I vetted this lady over the phone—did the usual: asked all the right questions, got a good vibe, and thought, “Great, this could be a wonderful match for one of my pups!” We booked a face-to-face viewing for next week, and I was ready to get to know her better in person.  We’ve been in touch all week, sharing pictures and anecdotes. The puppy had a name I was to begin using and apparently all the ladies' friends had seen the pictures and knew of the puppies impending arrival.

But then... I get a text. And not just any text—one of those texts. You know the ones where you can instantly tell the person’s completely confused and thinks they’re messaging someone else.

Classic mix-up, right? I politely pointed it out, thinking, “Maybe she’s accidentally committed to two puppies from different breeders?” It happens sometimes. No big deal. Let’s just clarify and sort this out.

And what do I get in response? The most abrupt, one-word text you could imagine:

“Cancel.”

I mean, what is this? An Amazon Prime return request? Like my puppy is some faulty toaster she ordered by mistake?

Seriously, since when did people start treating puppies like online transactions? A living, breathing little fluffball is not something you “cancel” as casually as a dodgy subscription service! It’s like she’s scrolling through her “puppy orders” and went, “Oops, too many. Better cancel that one.”

Look, I get that things happen. People get confused, overexcited, or just downright overwhelmed, especially when they're talking to more than one breeder. But a bit of decency would be nice, right? A simple, “Sorry for the mix-up,” or even, “I’ve changed my mind,” would’ve been fine. But nope—just “Cancel,” like my puppy is an unwanted item in her cart.

And here we are, once again, navigating the reality of puppy buying in the age of convenience and zero accountability. It’s like the culture of “cancel at any moment” has made its way into our world, too. People seem to forget that breeding is personal. We pour our hearts into these pups, vet every potential buyer with care, and when someone decides to back out, it’s not about the sale—it’s about the fact that we’ve put time, energy, and emotion into making sure these little ones go to the right home.

So, dear fellow breeders, let’s raise a glass (or maybe a strong coffee) to the endless patience we must have when dealing with the “cancel culture” of puppy buying. We know what goes into this, and we know our puppies aren’t just transactions to be discarded at a moment’s notice. But man, some days, don’t you wish people could just talk to us like we’re humans too?

Breeder: 0, Rude text: 1.

Until the next puppy-buying saga unfolds… 😉

Jo xx

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