Animal body warns on pet adverts
THE Irish Pet Advertising Advisory Group (IPAAG) has revealed thousands of people are continuing to buy online despite the danger of responding to pet ads.
An analysis by the group found more than 15,800 advertisements for puppies and dogs were placed on the website DoneDeal.ie over a seven-month period from February to August this year.
During the same period more than 1,700 cats, 9,700 horses, 550 reptiles and more than 1,100 small mammals were advertised also on the pet pages.
The organisation is urging people to adopt from rescue shelters, where animals are vetted for health problems, rather than promoting the puppy mill industry.
IPAAG Chairperson and ISPCA CEO Dr Andrew Kelly said: ‘Thousands of puppies, dogs and other animals are advertised on DoneDeal.ie and other online classified websites in Ireland every month.
‘Animal welfare organisations regularly hear from individuals and families who purchased a pet from an online advertisement only for it to fall sick, or even die, soon afterward. We always encourage prospective pet owners to consider adopting a pet from a reputable rescue organisation first.
‘However, we do recognise that people will turn to their computers when looking to buy almost anything at the click of a mouse and, sadly, this includes pets.
‘This is why we believe the best solution is to engage with online classified sites.
‘DoneDeal do everything they can to adhere to IPAAG’s minimum standards and remove advertisements in breach of these standards.
‘We hope anyone looking to get a new pet, particularly a puppy, will visit www.ipaag.ie and avoid falling victim to unscrupulous breeders.’
One Dublin man, Gordon, spoke of his family’s ordeal after they purchased a puppy from an online advert. He was left with a vet’s bill of over €1,300, heartbroken family members, and no puppy after the animal fell ill and died shortly after he bought it for his daughter. It transpired that the puppy’s vaccination card had been faked.
The IPAAG’s #PuppyDotCon campaign, being launched today, will include a checklist for prospective buyers to help them buy a healthy pet and also identify animalwelfare issues.