Helping the public make smart pet purchases

We’re a nation of animal lovers, which sadly makes us an easy target for unscrupulous sellers. A quick online search for the dog of your dreams can pull up reams of tempting cute pictures and great offers which can be difficult to turn down. But, as we are finding, time and time again, when an advert seems too good to be true, it probably is.

That’s why, this week, some of the UK’s top animal welfare organisations, veterinary and industry bodies who make up the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) have united to help stop Britain’s animal loving public from being duped into buying pets advertised online by pet sellers who put profits before welfare.

With 1,000 new online pet adverts appearing every day PAAG, which is chaired by Dogs Trust, has launched a new website www.HowToBuyAPet.co.uk to help arm the public with tips on how to spot an untrustworthy ad or scam and the questions to ask a pet seller before you visit and part with cash.

Uniting against online adverts from unscrupulous, and often criminal, pet sellers who make a good living pedaling pets that are often sick, underage or have been illegally imported into the UK, the group hopes the website will be the definitive source of advice and information for the public and includes details of how to report suspicious websites or traders.

Since it was formed in 2001, PAAG has been working tirelessly to tackle the thousands of underhand online animal sellers, yet the group fears that the issues we are seeing now are just the tip of the iceberg, and it has become far too easy for Britain’s animal lovers to be deceived.

HowToBuyAPet.co.uk is designed to protect the public; to help stop them becoming a victim of a scam and to eliminate their chance of ending up with a sick pet, huge veterinary bills and heartbreak.

We want our website to become the first step in your journey to getting a happy, healthy pet and urge you to take a look before you buy your next pet.