Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) annual moderation of engaged websites

Between 20th and 24th October 2025, volunteers from across the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) took part in our annual moderation of engaged websites. 

Every year, volunteers from across PAAG’s member organisations carry out this process to identify adverts that do not meet PAAG Advertising Standards. This process involves reviewing listings for a variety of species across each website and flagging those believed to breach one or more of the Standards. 

The results of the moderation are then analysed and used to make recommendations to our engaged websites on how they can improve. 

This year, our volunteers reported 436 adverts across PAAG’s engaged websites for breaching our Advertising Standards. 

The main Standards breached were:

• The inclusion of a recognisable photo of young animals with their mother (applying to dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and chinchillas)- 38.36% of the total issues flagged.
• The inclusion of a clear and accurate photo of the animal being sold- 11.38% of the total issues flagged.
• Clearly listing the type of sale (e.g. commercial, private or rehoming)- 8% of the total issues flagged. 

We are encouraged by the introduction of further standardised fields across some of the engaged websites to ensure sellers include key information about the pet they are selling, including those specifying the sex and age of animal. This is a positive development, and we hope to see it extended across all pet selling platforms. However, more must be done to ensure that young animals are consistently shown with their mother, as this remains the least enforced Standard year after year. 

While progress continues to be made, further improvement is needed to ensure that every pet advertised online has the best chance of having a good life. We are grateful to our moderation volunteers for their dedication, which will inform our next steps and future recommendations to engaged platforms.