although this may sound bad, you need to do your homework.
first, call the local police and SPCA and inquire about any outstanding "issues" the dog may have. you will probably need the owners names and addresses
Why? because some people owe huge fines and penalties for their dogs and if they sell them, they will claim the dog ran away or got hit by a car, only to find one day that it will get tied back to you (breeders and the pound puts RFID chip in most dogs). I heard about this happening before, not sure the specifics but watch out.
second, this one is sad, but you need to verify the owner has proper tags or registration from the animal. almost every state requires you to register the animal with the local city or county, Los Angeles is one of them:
http://animalcare.lacounty.gov/
my ex bought a small little white dog off someone from CL years ago and turns out the person who sold her the dog, it wasnt even hers. she took it to the vet a few weeks later and turns out that dog has been missing from its owner for weeks.
bye bye money, bye bye doggy...
Just do your research regardless of what you get
