JAN/FEB 2023
As dog lovers, we all want our pooches to have the best start in life and for them to be happy and healthy. It is hard to believe that tens of thousands of dogs are used, abused, bred from, sold and euthanised every year across Ireland and the UK. Many end up in rescues needing extensive veterinary care when they are no longer useful.
In this blog, we are featuring PAAG and the important role they play in the world of online pet animal selling. We will also share with you the devastating impact on two families who have fallen victim to poor breeding practices and puppy farmers.
What is PAAG?
PAAG stands for the Pet Advertising Advisory Group. It was created in 2001 to tackle illegal advertising of pets for sale online. Over the last few years, we have seen a massive increase in online selling. PAAG have acknowledged this so they developed a set of minimum standards, supported by the Government that several of the selling sites have agreed to meet. They also aim to raise public awareness to act responsibly and to do extensive research before buying a pet online.
Who are members of PAAG?
British Veterinary Association, Kennel club, PDSA and many animal welfare organisations. PAAG is endorsed by DEFRA, DAERA in Northern Ireland, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government.
Although PAAG is only an advisory group which websites are encouraged to take on, it is alarming to discover that it is not enforceable. However, it is an important function to encourage all the sites to clean up their act and compete with each other, hopefully with the result of raising animal welfare standards.
Advice
For those of you looking to buy a pet online, you may see the above PAAG logo on the advertising platform. PAAG offer lots of important information and advice to check out before buying a pet online. It is a big decision to choose a pet, and in the age of click and collect, it is all too easy to make an impulse decision without doing any research about the breed etc. Because of this, the websites are flooded with unwanted dogs and puppies who are repeatedly sold on. Many vets offer free pre-purchase advice and we strongly encourage potential buyers to take this up to prevent reselling on the sites.
We strongly believe that all online selling platforms should monitor and ban any concerning adverts but it is not happening due to the many loopholes allowing unscrupulous breeders to operate their trade. We have been campaigning for over two years to regulate online selling platforms and thanks to you, we are hopeful that Reggie’s law will be pushed through soon.
PAAG aims to ensure that pet animals advertised for sale are done so legally and ethically. However, what we continue to see on the selling sites is on the contrary. Poorly bred puppies, mums repeatedly bred and nowhere in sight (they don’t want you to see the squalor they are living in), false advertising, using photos from other websites, the same sellers using different names and addresses, unlicensed breeders, puppy farmers, puppy dealers, and the list goes on.
Luna and Bobby
Beautiful Luna, a Cavapoo puppy was purchased from a leading selling platform on 22nd December 2022. All seemed well on the advert with photos of the puppies with their mum. The advert stated they were all vaccinated and microchipped. By the 30th December, she tragically died from Parvovirus. The vet said she was much less than 8 weeks old and fought to save her. Her family were devastated and on top of the trauma they went through, they now have huge vet bills to pay. We discovered later that the photos in the advert had been taken from another website. Luna was not microchipped or vaccinated. Sadly, this is happening across the UK every day.
Bobby, an American Bully puppy was recently purchased from a well-known selling site. When his new family collected him, he was already severely malnourished, dehydrated, underweight and again advertised as vaccinated and microchipped which he was not. Thankfully, he survived and is positively thriving in his new home, however the family are faced with an eye watering vet bill.
Raising concerns
We know it can be difficult to spot a low welfare breeder when searching for a pet online. The glossy adverts showing healthy mums and puppies can convince you that they are bred in a loving home, when in reality they are not. Illegal breeders and sellers go to great lengths to evade the authorities by dropping off puppies at different addresses to sell on. They often steal photos from other websites claiming they are the pups you are buying. When they are not sold, they pick them up and take them elsewhere, hoping for a sale in a different area. That is why it is important to visit the puppy family more than once to ensure they are bred there and not from a puppy farm. Most responsible breeders will welcome your visits.
If you are concerned over any pet adverts you see, please contact the local trading standards in that area or Action fraud on 0300 123 2040, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
‘My cry in the dark will not shield me from harm, so turn and abhor the puppy farm’ ~ Eileen Hersey, 1996
How to buy a pet - Home (paag.org.uk)