Suppliers have tricks

Dubious puppy trade flourishes on social media

An investigation in seven European countries, conducted by "Vier Pfoten", has uncovered Austria's involvement in the dubious puppy trade via Instagram and Facebook. Fifteen Facebook groups and seven Instagram profiles were identified that offered ads from unregistered traders and puppies under the legal minimum age, among other things. Despite the meta group's guidelines, the providers found loopholes, the NGO criticized on Monday.

The investigations from September 2023 to June 2024 revealed 15 Facebook groups in Austria with a total of 15,600 followers in which puppies were for sale. In six of these groups, offers came from unregistered dealers, while in four groups, puppies under the legal minimum age were even advertised. In addition, seven Instagram profiles with 13,000 followers were discovered that were also involved in puppy trading.

Dubious providers use tricks
Although Meta officially prohibits the sale of pets on Facebook Marketplace, according to "Vier Pfoten", "dubious sellers use tricks to circumvent the rules": "They avoid clear sales terms, disguise their offers with emojis and hashtags, feign false locations and redirect interested parties to private chats," the statement said. Meta often only reacts half-heartedly to infringements, so that retailers can quickly sell on after a report.

"Vier Pfoten" campaign manager Veronika Weissenböck emphasized: "Once again, we see that the puppy trade has gotten out of control. Unscrupulous traders are operating in secret and without fear of consequences. We are calling on Meta to stop the puppy trade on Facebook and Instagram for good until the traceability of both the traders and the animals can be guaranteed."

Watch out for "designer dogs"
When buying a puppy, potential buyers should be particularly careful if an inspection of the puppy and the mother animal is refused. Offers such as home delivery or the refusal of a video call "should therefore set alarm bells ringing". Advertisements with terms such as "designer dogs" and luxurious photos are also signs of questionable offers.

According to "Vier Pfoten", puppies from dubious sales often also suffer from health problems as they are separated from their mother too early and are not vaccinated. For buyers, this not only means emotional stress, but often also high veterinary costs - because dubious dealers usually go underground after the sale.