Two of the UK’s largest pet welfare charities, Dogs Trust and Cats Protection, have joined forces to warn unsuspecting animal lovers about buying a new furry friend this Christmas, particularly through social media.
Despite Dogs Trust’s longstanding slogan, ‘A Dog is For Life, Not Just Christmas’, charities are still reporting that people buy pets as gifts this time of year, and social media is being used to shop for pets. Although many social media sites do have rules around pet sales, the charities warn that there is little to no active moderation on social media sites for pet adverts which makes it difficult to police pet adverts and protect animals and buyers against sellers who prioritise profit over an animal’s health and welfare.
The advice comes today on Cyber Monday, a time of year when buyers could be more vulnerable to falling victim to a dodgy advert. Despite charities advising that Christmas isn’t a good time to add the pressure of a new pet to busy festive homes, there will be those looking to buy a new dog, cat, rabbit or other household pet in time for Christmas, who will be at risk of falling victim to scams or funding irresponsible breeders and sellers.
The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), made up of Dogs Trust, Cats Protection and other animal welfare organisations, trade associations and veterinary bodies including Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, The Kennel Club, Woodgreen and Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund, was set up to tackle irresponsible advertising of pets. Research by the group has now found that 94%* of social media adverts reviewed of pets for sale would not meet PAAG’s Advertising Standards. These guidelines are in place to prioritise animal welfare and stop scams. 80% of adverts of young animals didn’t have an image of the pet with its mother, which could mean the animal was removed prematurely from its mother, for example from being smuggled into the country.
Across social media, 19% of all adverts reviewed by PAAG volunteers were flagged as being a potential scam. Common types of scams on social media include coercing buyers into paying a deposit for a pet that doesn’t exist, or sellers lying about the health of animal.
As well as urging consumers to not buy pets on social media, the charities are calling on social media companies to do more to protect animal welfare and have today written to Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to urge them to close the loopholes in their policies which allow people to sell pets on their platforms. This should include prohibiting posts or adverts where the selling is encouraging people to buy through the platform.
Unlike classified sites such as Gumtree, Preloved and Pets4Homes which have committed to following the Advertising Standards set out by PAAG, social media platforms simply define their own rules on pet sales, with little oversight. PAAG research found that 89% of pet ads on social media breached the sites’ own rules for pet sales.
Emily Woffindin, 27 from Fareham came across an advert on Facebook Marketplace for an old rabbit hutch when after further investigating, turned out to be an advert for a live rabbit.
Emily says, “I was on Facebook searching for a cage for my foster guinea pigs when I came across an advert for a rabbit hutch. It looked so small and worn down, entirely unsuitable for housing a rabbit but looking closer at the image I could see a rabbit was inside. Concerned for the welfare of the rabbit, I messaged the seller pretending to be interested, he responded quickly and asked if I would also like to buy a rabbit and sent me images and videos saying he had many rabbits available. I then reported the advert, and it was removed. Since then, however, I’ve noticed many people post listings on Facebook advertising an animal hutch or crate, however once you express an interest, they often follow up by trying to sell you an animal as well, often spamming you. This tactic allows time to bypass Facebook’s restrictions on selling animals. My advice to people would be to be vigilant and watch for signs of animals being kept in inappropriate conditions. Buying animals this way supports unethical breeding practices and may involve animals that are unwell or kept in poor conditions.”
Claire Wilson-Leary, Public Affairs Manager at Dogs Trust said, “While we would always encourage people to adopt one of the many animals looking for their second chance of finding their happy place, we know that people often want to buy a particular pet or breed. We want to encourage people to ensure that they fully consider the lifelong commitment that comes with owning a pet, and to find a reputable breeder or rehoming centre, and not buy a pet for sale on social media.”
Stefan Blakiston Moore, Advocacy & Campaigns Manager at Cats Protection said, “The role of social media in the cat trade is a significant concern. Cats Protection’s Cats and Their Stats Report 2024 has found that Facebook is the top individual source being used to find a cat to buy. Buying a pet is a uniquely emotional purchase – buyers are not just picking a new item for their house; they are investing in a family member, making them vulnerable to scammers and unscrupulous sellers – both of which appear to be extremely prevalent on social media.”
For more information visit www.paag.org.uk/advertising-standards
