DEAR DR. FOX: I wanted to let your readers know that there are numerous internet scammers out there who are looking to victimize you.

My dog, who meant the world to me, died in my arms a few months ago. Eventually, we decided we were ready to add to our family with a puppy. I found a website that looked promising, with a gorgeous puppy who appeared to be exactly what I wanted, so I made an inquiry. We were in contact via email and text, but I noticed that every time I called, I went straight to voicemail.

The people running the website were to ship the puppy to us today, but they kept stalling in telling us the time, airline, flight number, etc. They finally told me that the puppy had been taken to the airport by the breeder's wife, as he was out of state on business. Naively, we wired payment on Saturday. The breed of puppy I wanted usually costs anywhere from $1,800 to $5,000. However, this scammer showed the most beautiful puppies, including one with the exact markings I wanted! And the price they gave me was $700, plus shipping, which was $185, which included the airline-approved crate, air shipping fees in an air-conditioned area, rather than in cargo, and transportation to my front door.

We never heard back from the "breeder," but I did get an email from an alleged "pet delivery service" that kept calling us, telling us we needed to hit the "confirm" button on its email and send it back. The company called us four times, but by then, we had found it and the breeder on various scam websites. Also, the caller had what seemed to be a thick accent. Thus, we are out nearly a thousand bucks, with no puppy, which we had been so excited to receive.

I am sick that we were scammed out of this money, and that the puppy we fell in love with was fake. I have learned the hard way to not let your heart take over in these cases. Check your breeder, ask for references, go to their kennel if at all possible and see the parents and puppies. Be sure to get a puppy health guarantee, and hopefully, you will not be scammed like we were! -- L.L., Branson, Missouri

DEAR L.L.: You have my sympathy. I wonder how many other people were duped as you were. Your last paragraph echoes what I have written repeatedly: Never buy a pup sight-unseen, and ideally adopt a pup or adult dog from your local shelter.

BOOK REVIEW: "What Is a Dog?" by Raymond and Lorna Coppinger

I am dismayed that this reputable publisher, The University of Chicago Press (which published my doctoral dissertation, "Integrative Development of Brain and Behavior in the Dog"), has put this one out. The title is a giveaway, using "what" rather than "who" about indigenous, natural, aboriginal and landrace dogs. The authors' observations of free-roaming village and developing world garbage dump-foraging dogs, and the plethora of tangential reference citations that provide no deeper understanding or appreciation of the nature of these dogs, diminishes them. I find this objectionable, having studied and lived with these landraces from Africa and India. This book is an affront to the species and a waste of trees.

There is nothing documenting the symbiotic benefits of aboriginal dogs to indigenous peoples; no details about the nature and spirit of these dogs or of their sensibilities, protectiveness and intelligence -- traits that benefit the human community. Rather, the observations, cast in a Darwinian perspective, give a false impression of scientific authority, but to what end? They regard the hard life of village dogs as their "paradise" and state that fights over a bitch in heat rarely cause injuries. Yet even a small bite can mean a slow death from flesh-eating maggot fly infestation. They assert that these dogs -- unlike wild canids, who range far to hunt and bring food in their stomachs, which is regurgitated for their cubs -- are lacking this aspect of maternal care. But they have little need to do so, since the pups around weaning time are close to food sources, and indeed, their mothers do regurgitate food for them on occasion.

The Coppingers confuse symbiosis with commensalism (eating off the same table), which was a catch question for my students of animal behavior in my classes at Washington University in St. Louis. I hope all veterinary students are taught the same.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at DrFoxVet.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: The American Kennel Club inspection program of breeders' kennels is a sham. Their standards of care are bare minimum and can best be described as "survival standards" and certainly not humane standards of care. For example, the dog's primary enclosure needs to be only large enough so the dog "can sit, stand, lie down or turn around." This tiny space is the required living space for a breeding dog for her entire existence. Most troubling, there is no enforcement of the standards of care. According to the AKC, the breeder is given at least one week's notice before the inspection. One need only review the paltry number of suspensions handed out by the AKC based on the findings of their inspectors to recognize the lack of enforcement. The vast majority of suspensions that are handed down are the result of investigations by federal and state inspectors or local humane agents. Interestingly, many dogs rescued from puppy mills are AKC-registered, and the facilities previously inspected by the AKC.

Shockingly, while the AKC promotes the fact that it has promulgated "standards of care" for AKC breeders, when legislation was introduced in North Carolina to codify similar basic standards of care, the AKC actively worked in opposition to the legislation. The AKC is OK with standards of care as long as they are never enforced or codified into law. 

The entry fees for dog shows do not cover AKC expenses for sponsoring the shows; thus, registration fees subsidize AKC dog shows. The next time you watch a dog show on television, be aware that it is being supported on the backs of puppy mill dogs. -- Bob Baker, executive director, Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation (maal.org), St. Louis

DEAR B.B.: It is my understanding that you are with an organization that has inspected puppy mills, rescued puppies and adult breeding stock and sought to improve their care for several years and met resistance at every turn. In some states, local legislators and the oversight of agricultural and other official bodies still generally perceive these commercial dog farms as producing mere commodities, much like a poultry or pig factory farm. Such livestock producers see any legislation to improve dogs' welfare in these puppy factories as a potential threat to their own inhumane business practices.

I was one of the first in the United States to document these inhumane systems of food-animal production, and with the late Herm David, the first to blow the whistle on puppy mills in the 1970s. We shared our concerns with the American Kennel Club and the dog breeding community at large. The AKC's new voluntary Breed With H.E.A.R.T. program, which ostensibly addresses this issue, may be too little, too late.

Every purebred and "designer" puppy sold should come with a purchase agreement that includes the known list of genetic and related health problems that the particular breed and lineage may carry, the estimated veterinary costs for treating each condition and the probability of developing, plus an objective quality of life assessment score from zero to 5 stars. For more details, see my report "Recovering Canine Health," posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

TO HUG OR NOT TO HUG?

An April Psychology Today blog post has the misleading title "The Data Says 'Don't Hug the Dog!': New data shows that hugging your dog raises its stress and anxiety levels."

Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of British Columbia, argues that hugging a dog may induce anxiety in the pet because it is wired to run and may feel trapped by a hug. Coren evaluated 250 photos of dogs being hugged by humans and noted stress signs, but he said his observations do not constitute a peer-reviewed study. Many have taken issue with how his article was interpreted by some media outlets.

My advice is to get puppies and kittens used to being held, cradled or gently restrained as soon as they are weaned so that they will be easier to handle and restrain -- especially for veterinary examinations and grooming later in life. Learn how to properly hold and hug, and prevent children from rushing to grab and seize any animal. Animals should never be treated like stuffed toys, because when scared, they will bite and scratch.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at DrFoxVet.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: We put a new flea collar on our 13-month-old mixed-breed dog last week. This dog has never chewed anything in our house. He is crated during the day while we are at work, and at night he sleeps on his bed (not crated); he has never chewed a shoe, slipper or anything.

Two days after putting on the collar, he destroyed an overnight bag sitting on the couch; he ate the bag, my husband's sweater, his dog bed and other reachable items. When we arrived home, he was panting from aggressively tearing apart a pillow. Could the flea collar have changed his personality to make him aggressive? -- A.R., Damariscotta, Maine

DEAR A.R.: Animals sometimes have unexpected and paradoxical reactions to certain medications and other products, like the terrier who was terrified after a few drops of calming essential oil of lavender was put on a bandana around the dog's neck.

While I have written repeatedly over these many years advising cat and dog owners not to use such chemical-releasing anti-flea collars and similar spot-on products and offered safer alternatives (which you can find on my website, DrFoxVet.net), your experience is notable. It means that one should not simply leave an animal alone after applying any such product, just in case the animal has an adverse behavioral or neurological reaction. I would like to hear from other readers with similar experience.

DEAR DR. FOX: My son adopted several cats who were homeless. He and my husband are currently not busy, so they think it is good parenting to feed them four times a day! As a result, more than one of them are now fat.

They give the cats wet canned food, and they leave out dry food continually. I do not want to see one or more of them get sick. How do I get two adults to use common sense and stop overfeeding these poor cats? They are all indoor cats, have been spayed or neutered and had their shots. I want to see these sweet cats live normal, healthy lives and grow old, not die young of obesity. What recourse do I have? -- T.J., Newark, New Jersey

DEAR T.J.: There are too many fat cats in America, and other countries, for multiple reasons. The main thing is feeding them the wrong kind of high-carbohydrate diet -- about 5 percent should be the max for these carnivores. Most dry foods have far too much, and I would not let them eat dry food from a dispenser whenever they want. Some cats do self-regulate, but others become addicted and pig out constantly.

The cats you are caring for should be fed four small meals a day. Cats prefer and are probably better at digesting small meals, rather than being fed twice a day, as is often the case.

We should also consider food addiction, which can lead to overeating and metabolic syndrome. Certain flavors or additives in pet foods may trigger hunger with a sudden insulin drop and even cause proliferation of dependent and demanding gut bacteria that influence dietary choices.

It would be good to weigh the cats before you start transitioning to the new feeding regimen. Give them a tablespoon of grain- and soy-free cat food (such as Orijen) and a tablespoon of good-quality grain-free canned or raw cat food. They may enjoy my home-prepared cat food recipe on my website.

The cats may initially protest and solicit their old food, so put some time in distracting them with interactive games, grooming and places -- such as a cat condo and padded window ledges -- to look out and entertain themselves.

Let me know your progress.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at DrFoxVet.net.)