Pet Advertising Advisory Group launches new Advertising Standards

• Collaborative industry group Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) launches new Advertising Standards to replace outdated guidelines.
• The new Advertising Standards launch at a pertinent time with over 800,000 online dog, cat, and rabbit adverts in 2022.
• Popular advertising sites, including Freeads, Friday Media Group, Forever Puppy, Gumtree, Preloved, Pets4Homes, Puppy Choices, and Wightbay, have committed to meet the new Advertising Standards.

Following over 800,000 adverts for dogs, cats and rabbits being posted online in 2022*, the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), has launched its new Advertising Standards for classified advertising websites to reduce the number of poorly bred pets bought by unsuspecting buyers from low-quality online pet adverts.

Each year, many new owners become victims of unscrupulous online sellers, thinking they are buying from reputable breeders. With online pet advertising increasing year on year across popular classified selling websites, the new Advertising Standards have launched at a pertinent time.

The 2023 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report revealed 65% of pet owners found their pet online, equating to 15 million pets, a significantly higher proportion than in 2022 when it was 53%**.

PAAG, which is made up of leading animal welfare organisations, trade associations and veterinary bodies, has revealed the new voluntary Advertising Standards, which are an updated version of the Minimum Standards launched in 2012.

They reflect the fast-paced development in this sector, and the aspirations of the popular advertising sites who engage with the group, to meet the highest standards possible for the sake of animal welfare and buyer security.

PAAG is pleased that six of the Advertising Standards have been adopted into law, which is an encouraging step forward in online buyer safety. In England, Scotland and Wales, licensed sellers must now, by law:

• Include the number of the licence holder’s licence.
• specify the local authority that issued the licence.
• Include a recognisable photograph of the animal being advertised (for cats and dogs only in Scotland).
• Display the age of the animal being advertised (except in the case of fish)
• state the country of residence of the animal from which it is being sold.
• state the country of origin of the animal.

Paula Boyden, Chair of PAAG and Veterinary Director for Dogs Trust, says:

“From underage animals, banned breeds, illegally imported or endangered species to animals offered in exchange for inanimate objects such as phones – the online marketplace for pets in 2012, prior to the launch of PAAG’s original Minimum Standards, was a very different one to what we see today. It’s hard to believe now, but before PAAG began engaging with the websites, it was common for online adverts not to include basic information like an animal’s age or a photograph. Since then, we have seen increasing co-operation and collaboration with our engaged websites, who are all focused on providing as safe an environment as they can for the advertisement of pets. This is an encouraging step; however, we know that there is still more to be done to ensure best practice in the sale of pets online.

“Our new PAAG Advertising Standards clearly set out the legal requirements for pets advertised online, the minimum standards we would expect a classified website to adhere to in its pet advert section. Additionally, they provide further steps that websites can take to keep buyers safe and appropriately informed, and ensure pet adverts are of the highest quality. PAAG is not a regulatory body, so we are hugely grateful to our engaged websites for their hard work and commitment in this area, and we are delighted that they have all agreed to making an annual declaration committing to the Advertising Standards.”

Lord Benyon, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, says:

“I am delighted to support the updated advertising standards announced by the Pet Advertising Advisory Group today, which are backed by several of the country’s largest pet-selling platforms.

“These standards will help enhance existing protections and make it easier for inappropriate or illegal advertisements to be removed as soon as possible – assisting future pet owners to make informed decisions in the process.”

PAAG’s Advertising Standards are an important step on the road to improving how pets are advertised online. PAAG works closely with the websites to provide support and advice on the moderation of adverts and issues of animal welfare. In recent work, the group has been looking at the language of adverts and offering advice on how to reduce the use of undesirable features from a welfare point of view – such as dogs with excessive skin wrinkles – being used as positive selling points.

The websites currently engaging with PAAG and who have committed to meet the Advertising Standards are:

• Freeads
• Friday Media Group
• Forever Puppy
• Gumtree
• Preloved
• Pets4Homes
• Puppy Choices
• Wightbay

Paula added: “We look forward to continuing to work with popular classified selling websites in order to help clean up the online marketplace and ensure online sales can be safe for both the animals involved and the buyers.”

To read more about the Advertising Standards, visit PAAG’s website.