A pet owner is hoping to warn others after paying £750 for a puppy falsely advertised as a pure-bred beagle.

James, 26, from Northfleet, who did not want to provide his full name, says the sellers also lied and provided false documentation about vaccinations when he bought the dog - later identified by vets as a beagle cross spaniel - last month.

Fortunately for three-month-old puppy Pippa, James and his partner are planning to keep hold of her, but he is still seeking answers over the fraudulent sale.

"We'd been looking for a puppy for a while and my partner wanted a beagle," explained James. "She came across the puppies online. We thought because they were being sold in Tonbridge it was a reputable area."

Having spoken to a woman on the phone, when James and his partner arrived to collect their new dog, they were met by two younger men in their late teens or early 20s.

And while James says that was suspicious in hindsight, they had no reason at the time to suspect anything criminal.

It was only when James and his partner tried to phone them later that they began to suspect foul play.

"I wanted to contact them to ask about her food, but they were uncontactable. We messaged them and they didn't get back to us. My partner tried to text and call but they didn't answer. I thought that was pretty shocking.

"We took her to the vets for a check up and they said it was false information."

He said the vets confirmed Pippa was not a purebred Beagle and the vaccination stickers were false.

"I didn't think there's much the police can do," he added. "The RSPCA told me to go to Trading Standards."

"There's part of me that thinks it could be a bigger operation. They had six other puppies. I was tempted to go back round there but if it gets out of hand it's not worth it.

"We just want to make people aware that they should check the cards."

In the meantime Pippa has to wait a few more weeks before she can complete her vaccinations and go outside.

"I feel sorry for her because she's staring out of the window," added James.

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