# Raffles Cockapoos



## LA3105 (Jun 2, 2020)

Hi all,
I just wanted to share my recent experience with Raffles Cockapoo’s. I’m sure most have heard from them with such a massive following online, and will have heard both good & bad. I just felt it would be good to share my experience to raise awareness to help others make a decision on what is a massive commitment buying a puppy.

Firstly, we became a “pre-reserve” customer and paid our “non refundable deposit” of £250 in March in readiness for a pup in Autumn 2019. This was not a decision to get one due to lockdown, we’ve been planning for months to get a dog and felt later this year suited us due to moving house which is a lot more suitable for a dog. We also did not want one sooner due to lockdown, as I thought it was important to raise a puppy when life is a bit more normal and we are not working from home all the time. Of course, this was just how we felt and everyone has different circumstances.

On 1st June I had a very poorly written email from them about their price hike from 29th May onwards and asked if we’d seen. Yes, we’d seen their FB and website saying it doesn’t affect any customers prior to May (us) but we decided to check the site for the price list they’d taken down for a few days. Noticed the price had jumped from £1595 to £2395 - £800 increase!!

A slight increase is understandable and maybe would be OK as we were looking forward to the puppy etc. They decided to blame Covid 19 for the reason for the increase (shock!) and they still remain the cheapest as cockapoos are now sold for £3k-£4k - which I find hard to believe and later had confirmed from several more responsible breeders this wasn’t the case and they said they would never cash in on a crisis due to the demand as they felt it wasn’t morally right.

We questioned her and had a few more rude replies considering we’d agreed to reserve at a price and she’s decided to change it (considering they are taking MORE pre reserves next week) and it shouldn’t really affect us. She offered a refund straight away if we weren’t happy - zero care for us and is clearly confident she can flog a puppy for £800 more to people who want a puppy purely for lockdown and all the wrong reasons. Again, more concern for finance than the dogs.

We called her out on this and without even requesting to cancel (we would have anyway) she sent us a refund confirmation. She obviously thinks offering refund is a good Will gesture due to “covid 19”.

Her attitude on her FB posts and emails is horrendous, and I am so relieved we are not parting any money with someone who has so little regard for puppies.

I do not doubt that the raffles dogs I have seen on social media etc. are beautiful dogs and healthy (I have seen horror stories as well) and our experience is more down to their practice and upon more research, appears to be a posh puppy farm relying heavily on their brand/social media following.

In hindsight, I regret considering them despite a lot of research and we do feel a bit stupid, but now we have been in touch with so many breeders and realised what we should be looking for.

This has been a blessing in disguise and I know I am not the only person this has happened to.

Everything happens for a reason, and although we were initially disappointed, we are getting the puppy for the right reasons and if we have to wait, then so be it.

I just wanted to put this out there for people to be aware and I’m sure everyone will agree that any breeders priority must be with the dogs and potential owners, not financially motivated.

In my opinion, Raffles appear to be a glorified puppy farm and contact I’ve had with others (including owners of Raffles pups) is quite concerning.

I will be using this forum to help with our “puppy journey” as it’s clear there are so many people out there willing to help and give excellent advice.

Thank you!!


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## ralph07 (May 9, 2020)

We have had a very similar experience. We were on their waiting list for 13 months (due to a change in circumstances in that time) and my concerns grew and grew as time went on. 
They have increased their prices three times in the period but this last jump was the final straw and we asked for our money back. 
Although I know people who have lovely frogs from Raffles I do feel they are a puppy farm with a good website and big following! They ALWAYS seem to have litters ready to go - often posting that they have different breeds at the same time - so clearly they always have multiple litters. I just don’t know how they can look after the welfare of their puppies and they never post about the adult dogs so I dread to think how they are looked after


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## Nelsonfozzie (Jun 7, 2020)

LA3105 said:


> Hi all,
> I just wanted to share my recent experience with Raffles Cockapoo’s. I’m sure most have heard from them with such a massive following online, and will have heard both good & bad. I just felt it would be good to share my experience to raise awareness to help others make a decision on what is a massive commitment buying a puppy.
> 
> Firstly, we became a “pre-reserve” customer and paid our “non refundable deposit” of £250 in March in readiness for a pup in Autumn 2019. This was not a decision to get one due to lockdown, we’ve been planning for months to get a dog and felt later this year suited us due to moving house which is a lot more suitable for a dog. We also did not want one sooner due to lockdown, as I thought it was important to raise a puppy when life is a bit more normal and we are not working from home all the time. Of course, this was just how we felt and everyone has different circumstances.
> ...


Hi 👋. I have spent this morning sobbing. I have two Raffles Cockapoos 2yrs and 1yr. Before we got Nelson I googled Raffles to ensure I did my homework on the breeder before committing. I found very, very little negativity. Nelson was quite a sickly pup, but thank god we were lucky. Being first time dog owners I believed what Mark said and put it down to settling in. Nelson had quite bad separation anxiety so we decided to get a little brother for Nelson. We luckily had zero issues with Fozzie except he has an extra toe and is terribly timid. Recently in the back of my mind I had a niggle. I started looking into dog psychology. Reactivity in dogs especially in a dog where there has been no obvious trigger, can be something that has been inherited from their mother. Do I regret dealing with Raffles? YES but even more so today after being lucky enough to see a post on Facebook regarding their extortionate price hike which then lead to other stories. To see the amount of litters they have in a year is discusting . And to think that a large vetinary chain, Willows Group works closely with them horrifies me. I love my boys with all my heart and can't imagine life without them. But if Raffles is in fact a posh puppy farm they need to be investigated as do the vets. I would love to hear from people who feel the same. I would NEVER intentionally purchase a dog from a puppy farm. And if in fact Raffles turns out to be I will shout my concerns and mistake from the rooftops if it would help to put an end to this cruel breeding cycle. I'm thankful though that I can give my boys the best possible life. I want that for every animal xxx


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Sadly there are numerous stories of seriously ill pups from Raffles - would love to see your well loved pair though 









Puppy Love Campaigns


We are inundated with stories about sick pups bought from Raffles from 2015 onwards. We are so very sorry for all the poor pups and and families who have suffered such heartache. Not something you...




www.facebook.com













Darcey's Story, Raffles Cockapoos - Puppy Love Campaigns







www.puppylovecampaigns.org













Dougal's Story, Raffles Cockapoos - Puppy Love Campaigns


Sick puppy




www.puppylovecampaigns.org













Daisy's Story, Raffles Cockapoos - Puppy Love Campaigns







www.puppylovecampaigns.org













Poppy's Story, Raffles Cockapoos Licensed by Cheshire East Council - Puppy Love Campaigns







www.puppylovecampaigns.org


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## LJP (Jun 12, 2020)

LA3105 said:


> Hi all,
> I just wanted to share my recent experience with Raffles Cockapoo’s. I’m sure most have heard from them with such a massive following online, and will have heard both good & bad. I just felt it would be good to share my experience to raise awareness to help others make a decision on what is a massive commitment buying a puppy.
> 
> Firstly, we became a “pre-reserve” customer and paid our “non refundable deposit” of £250 in March in readiness for a pup in Autumn 2019. This was not a decision to get one due to lockdown, we’ve been planning for months to get a dog and felt later this year suited us due to moving house which is a lot more suitable for a dog. We also did not want one sooner due to lockdown, as I thought it was important to raise a puppy when life is a bit more normal and we are not working from home all the time. Of course, this was just how we felt and everyone has different circumstances.
> ...





LA3105 said:


> Hi all,
> I just wanted to share my recent experience with Raffles Cockapoo’s. I’m sure most have heard from them with such a massive following online, and will have heard both good & bad. I just felt it would be good to share my experience to raise awareness to help others make a decision on what is a massive commitment buying a puppy.
> 
> Firstly, we became a “pre-reserve” customer and paid our “non refundable deposit” of £250 in March in readiness for a pup in Autumn 2019. This was not a decision to get one due to lockdown, we’ve been planning for months to get a dog and felt later this year suited us due to moving house which is a lot more suitable for a dog. We also did not want one sooner due to lockdown, as I thought it was important to raise a puppy when life is a bit more normal and we are not working from home all the time. Of course, this was just how we felt and everyone has different circumstances.
> ...


Hi, thank you for sharing. This is really useful to know. Has your search highlighted any breeders you feel are reputable? We’d been looking at Paddock Farm but I’m concerned at the sheer volume of puppies they seem to have available and their reluctance to communicate other than via Facebook. Thanks!


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