She wanted the same breed - a fluffy, hypoallergenic variety called Coton de Tulear - so she was thrilled when she found an online ad offering Coton de Tulear puppies for $750, less than half the going price. Puppy fraud is one of the most common Internet scams - and it’s on the rise, according to RCMP Corporal Louis Robertson, director of the Canadian anti-fraud centre PhoneBusters, which is managed jointly by the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP and the Canadian Competition Bureau. Vanderbrug, on Kijiji, which is similar to Craigslist, said she felt something was wrong after she realized the puppy was too big to be a Coton de Tulear, hadn’t had any shots and smelled. Vanderbrug recently brought home a retired show dog named Hailey-bop, which she bought from a top Coton de Tulear breeder in Ottawa.

Tags: coton, puppy, de, dogs, dog hypoallergenic, hypoallergenic dog foods