You want a puppy, but you're sure no ethical breeder would sell dogs online. After all, they should have plenty of local sales, right? Actually, quite a few ethical breeders sell puppies online and they have some great reasons for doing so. Surprisingly enough, getting more money isn't usually one of them. Selling online means spending more money and time than selling locally since the breeder needs to complete quite a few tasks to ship puppies.

• Selling online means a breeder can reach a worldwide customer base. This is especially important if he or she lives in an economically depressed area and is afraid that many local puppy buyers won't be able to give the puppy the care it deserves. After all, coming up with a few hundred dollars for a one time purchase is just the beginning. The breeder wants to be sure the puppy gets all immunizations and flea, tick and heartworm preventatives.
• A breeder who lives alone may be nervous about having strangers come to his or her home to look at puppies for safety reasons. Without being able to ship puppies, this breeder might not have puppies at all. If he or she put years into showing and breeding dogs, this would really be a loss to the dog world.