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| PET GAZETTE | GUMTREE/ONLINE PET SALES
REGULATING THE SALE
OF PETS
ONLINE
In light of the recent law changes when it comes to how pets can be sold - in stores or
otherwise - Shekina Tuahene speaks to online classifieds board Gumtree to see online
companies are attempting to fall in line with regulations
O
nline purchases are
naturally approached with
caution and any avid online
shopper knows to be wary
of individual sellers and
their authenticity. Buyers
become much more vigilant when it comes
to high ticket items to lessen the risk of losing
out monetarily, but the general public may
not hold sentient beings to the same value -
the online animal trade is famously hard to
monitor and often operates above the law.
It’s not only rogue sellers who are a
problem to the online market - when it
comes to living beings, buyers can be just
as troublesome. Often are stories reported
where pets bought online are rehomed or
taken to rescue centres in as little as days or
hours after being purchased by new owners.
A lack of education and general
preparedness are frequently the major factors
behind these rapid rehomings. It is safe to
assume that owners would not intentionally
part with hundreds of pounds only to give
the pet up for adoption or rehome it within a
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short space of time, but behind the shocking
headlines are actual pets being given up and
moved around without time to settle.
The internet marketplace is seen as an
unregulated playground and even when
procedures and systems are put in place,
there is less trust than in-person equivalents.
But just how bad is the selling of pets online?
With the decision to implement Lucy’s Law
set to have an definitive effect on the bricks-
and-mortar segment of the trade, what is the
online world doing to catch up?
Gumtree, the online classifieds company
which recently hit deadlines after a six-week-
old Jack Russell Terrier named Buddy was
purchased on the platform and rehomed
just hours later, has introduced a paywall
on its pet section to help it filter those with
underhand practices as well as bring trust
back to its company and the overall online
sale of pets. Although all of its operations
are conducted online and it is very much an
internet company, Gumtree admits that the
internet has made the trading of pets “far too
easy”. A spokesperson says: “Animals can
be traded at the click of a button and, whilst
legal, it has become too casual.”
Despite the negative press, the company
insists that it has always advocated for the
welfare of pets above all, and has always
aimed to educate prospective owners
with its Pet Advice Hub, which includes
a Rehoming Guide, Buyer’s Guide and
Buyer Checklist, found in the same part of
the site where buying and selling takes
place. Our spokesperson insists: “Our
goal is that all animals advertised for sale
online are advertised legally and ethically.”
Considering that many potential owners
grossly underestimate the cost and dedication
required for pet keeping which then leads to
the subsequent rehoming, this is just one of
the steps the company is taking to reduce the
frequency of such cases.
While it can be hard to place blame when
it seems both parties acted legally, the quick
adoption of a pet also brings into question
the ethics of the person doing the selling. Just
how much information and advice is given
before money changes hands and what
October 2018