When buying a pet online, how much do you really know about its history? Caroline Zambrano reports on one group trying to prevent pet sales going wrong.
The internet is a great research tool to help you decide what type of pet is suitable for your family and what is involved in proper pet care. But buying a pet online is a risky business. By purchasing a puppy online, you could be supporting the cruel and illegal puppy farming industry, and risk being scammed with cute photos and false promises. You could end up receiving a sick puppy, a different puppy from what you asked for, or no puppy at all!
To ensure both pets and people are protected when purchasing pets online, the international animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS implemented a global campaign called Pet Deception. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the risks animals face being sold online, as well as the risks people face using classified ad sites to find a pet. The campaign also identifies which classified ad sites pose the greatest risks due to the lack of adequate measures to protect animals and people.
“Illegal, commercial and irresponsible sellers can easily exploit classified ad sites due to a lack of appropriate standards. If properly regulated, these classified ad sites would enable responsible local breeders to sell to responsible local buyers,” says Tara Caton, communications coordinator of FOUR PAWS Australia. A total ban of animal sales online would mean the trade may go underground, where it would be far more difficult to monitor and regulate, she adds.
What’s the problem with classified ad sites?
FOUR PAWS highlights many problems with animal sales on classified ad sites, such as:
- Lack of consumer protection when purchasing
a pet (ie sick or illegal) - Risk of supporting illegal and cruel puppy farms
- Lack of available information on the
responsibilities that come with owning an animal for prospective owners - Facilitation of impulse buying leading to animal abandonment (ie animals being delivered free or “must go” today) Breeding of animals with exaggerated features for online sale (ie skinny pigs [guinea pigs without hair] being one trend)
- Health risks (including zoonotic diseases) from imported animals and those bred in poor conditions (ie puppy farms, imported exotics)
- Free animals being acquired for illegal activity, such as dog fighting and illegal breeding
FOUR PAWS is asking classified ad sites in the countries where the organisation operates to introduce FOUR PAWS’ measures. “The measures have been developed to help protect animals and prospective owners,” says Tara. “Effectively prevent unscrupulous sellers from using the platforms, improve site transparency, and provide proper information to buyers about the responsibilities that come with buying a companion animal.”
Help FOUR PAWS stop the deception!
You can support FOUR PAWS’ Pet Deception campaign by using the Pet Deception Detector to find out if classified ad sites in your country are implementing safeguards to protect pets and people.
petdeception.org/en/comparison-tool/australia
Also, sign the petition calling on the eBay Classifieds Group, which owns a number of classified ad sites around the world, including Gumtree, to take the lead and adopt FOUR PAWS’ measures and standards to protect vulnerable pets and people.
help.four-paws.org/en/petdeception-petition
PETS recommends always purchasing your pet from a registered breeder or rescuing your pet from a reputable organisation.
The original article was published in PETS issue 63. Click here to subscribe to our magazine.
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