A dog-loving postman from Feltham who was sold a desperately sick cocker spaniel has joined an RSPCA campaign exposing the pitfalls of buying a puppy.

Garry Green, 28, and his partner, Stacey Smithson, 22, instantly fell in love with golden cocker spaniel Alfie as they looked in the window of a pet shop in south-west London.

"We weren't even intending to buy that day but Alfie was so lovely we paid £525 and took him home," said Mr Green, of Bedfont Lane.

But their joy was short lived and the tiny pooch was on the vet's treatment table less than 24 hours after they bought him.

Three-and-a-half weeks later, after spending more than £1,200 on vets' bills, the distraught couple received a call saying Alfie had died of a heart attack.

"When we got him home we noticed he had a slight weepy eye but didn't think much of it, said Mr Green. "But then he started coughing and gagging as if he had something stuck in the back of his throat.

"First we learned he had a heart murmur, then lung and eye problems emerged. In the following three weeks we went to the vets about 29 times but we couldn't save him."

A post-mortem of the pup revealed a catalogue of health problems, including lungs so blocked with fluid that they were only working to 25 per cent capacity.

As Alfie's health deteriorated, a furious Mr Green rang the store to complain. He was offered the chance to exchange Alfie but declined.

"A pet is not a toy," he explained. "We fell in love with Alfie the day we brought him home and didn't want to turn our backs on him. But watching him die was just heartbreaking."

Mr Green was eventually refunded the money he had paid for the dog and given half his money back for the vets' bills.

The couple are now the proud owners of Missy and Sophie, two cocker spaniel puppies purchased from a Kennel Club-registered breeder.

But Mr Green is anxious to highlight the dangers to other people wanting to buy new puppies.

"We thought we'd be okay as my mum had bought a healthy dog at the store 15 years earlier," he said.

"But now we know just how bad it can be if you buy a dog without the proper checks. I don't think a lot of people realise the risk they're taking."

Mr Green is joining the RSPCA to encourage prospective buyers to take care as new Consumer Direct figures reveal the number of complaints related to animal and pet purchases have almost doubled in twoyears.

For more information about the RSPCA's campaign, visit www.give animalsavoice.org.uk

If you are concerned about how you were sold a puppy, contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

Follow these RSPCA tips when buying a pup to make sure your new friend is happy and healthy:

Always see a puppy with its mother in the place where it was bred, and pay attention to the mother's size,health, personality and reaction to the puppy - is it the real mother? Ideally, see the father too. If you can't see them, be suspicious.

Try to find out as much as possible about where the puppy has come from, and beware if the breeder is from outside the UK.

If you are told the puppy has been vaccinated, check the vaccination cards carefully. Be wary if the vet's contact details are not visible,or have an address outside the UK.

Pedigree certif icates are never a guarantee of the condition of your puppy, and may not even mean you are buying a pure-bred dog.

Never buy from someone who offers to deliver your puppy or arranges to meet you away from their premises. 

As hard as it will be,never buy a puppy just because you feel sorry for it. 

If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't - use your common sense and walk away.

Consider instead adopting a rescue dog from an animal welfare organisation.