Please stop selling pets online
With thousands of animals for sale on the web, prospective pet owners can ‘pick and choose’ their perfect pup. And for owners who find themselves with an unwanted animal for whatever reason, selling or giving a pet away online can feel like a quick, easy and ideal solution.
However, selling an animal through a third party site such as Gumtree risks their health, welfare and happiness – and can also be dangerous and costly.
The pitfalls of online pet sales
Whilst not everyone who tries to buy or sell an animal on sites like Gumtree has a hidden agenda, they unarguably offer deceptive breeders and sellers a way of duping the general public into spending hundreds or thousands of pounds on abused, unwell or unsuitable animals.
When purchasing a pet online, there is no existing way to check or authenticate the breed, health or welfare of the animal you are buying (or the credentials of the person selling it) – and no experts on hand to support t the process of rehoming.
This could result in people taking home a sick or incompatible animal, or conversely, giving up a beloved pet to someone with nefarious intentions for the animal.
Brave and Shadow
When Brave and Shadow – two adorable chihuahua puppies – were born to an unneutered mother earlier this year, the owner quickly found herself overwhelmed and unable to cope with the new additions to the family.
The pregnancy had been unexpected, and the owner soon realised she was not in a position to keep the two puppies. Wanting to rehome them as soon as possible, she turned to Gumtree, listing them for sale.
As time went by and no serious offers were made, the owner began to get moreand more desperate to get rid of the dogs. Luckily for little Brave and Shadow, she ended up turning to the Mayhew in Kensal Green to see if they could help and the adoption officer went straight out to collect Brave and Shadow.
After giving them both a thorough health check, we were then able to match them to two perfect new owners, who each underwent an adoption interview and a home check before taking the pups home.
Unlike when selling pets online, Mayhew vets and adoption officers were on hand to support Brave and Shadow’s old and new owners during the rehoming process.
New owner, Patricia, said: “Brave is settling into his new family life, and his confidence is growing steadily day by day. He is so intelligent and playful, and a great addition to our home ”
Loki
Loki, a staffy/collie/greyhound crossbreed, was actually a beloved pet who had lived with his original owner for a year. However, when she suddenly found herself in a difficult situation, it became clear tshe would have to give Loki up.
The owner listed him on Gumtree, hoping a new owner would come forward quickly. To her relief, someone did – only for it not to work out; seeing Loki return to his original owner after only a few days.
Luckily for him, one of our Adoption Officers then spotted the listing, and contacted the owner to ask if she would like to be part of our Rehome From Home scheme instead.
During a Rehome From Home process, our adoption officers to arrange veterinary treatment, health and behavioural checks, and can also help to provide food or even foster care if the home situation changes.
Call the charity on 020 8962 8017 or see themayhew.org