How a puppy scam led us to build PetProov

In November 2019, I decided I was ready to bring a dog into my life. I’d always dreamed of having a Golden Retriever and, like most people, I turned to Google. I found what looked like the perfect breeder — a sleek website, beautiful puppy photos, glowing testimonials, and even what seemed like breeder credentials. It looked trustworthy. It felt trustworthy.

I filled out an enquiry form, and within the hour, the breeder rang me. They sounded warm and professional. They talked me through the process, using all the right lingo: KC registration, hip scores, socialisation windows. It went over my head, but it sounded impressive. I was told the litter was due at Christmas and I could collect my puppy in February — but to reserve one, I needed to put down a £500 deposit.

I paid it. And that was the last time I saw my money.

When I followed up a few weeks later, I was told the puppy I’d reserved had “eaten plastic and died.” After that, silence. The phone number stopped working. The website disappeared.

I’d been completely scammed.

I wasn’t alone. I just didn’t know it yet.

Over the next year, I started to realise how common my story was. Families losing thousands to fake sellers. Elderly couples conned into handing over savings. Even experienced dog owners duped by professional-looking listings. The scams weren’t just about money — they were cruel, emotional, and left people feeling ashamed and helpless.

And what made it worse? There was no easy way to check if a seller was who they said they were. No verification. No accountability. No protection.

That’s when the idea for PetProov was born. Building trust back into the pet world

PetProov started with one clear mission: to stop scammers before they can do any harm — and give genuine breeders, adopters and pet lovers the tools they need to stay safe.

Today, we’re the UK’s first app that verifies the identity of both buyers and sellers in the pet world, using government-grade ID checks. We also help councils improve breeder registration and work with welfare groups to raise standards across the board.

We’ve partnered with experts in fraud prevention, compliance, and animal welfare — and we’re just getting started.

Because buying a pet should be joyful — not dangerous.

No one deserves to go through what I did. And with the right tools, they don’t have to. If you’re a buyer, breeder, shelter, or just someone who cares about animal welfare — we’d love you to join us.