Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by David Ward

I am writing to draw your attention to an issue which I think needs addressing with regards to the breeding and sale of dogs.

I am part of a team who run a campaign page on Facebook called Get Gumtree Animal Free.

We monitor the Gumtree website’s pets for sale section and feel the online sale of animals needs to be regulated more then it currently is.

At present stating the breed of a dog for sale on Gumtree is optional which means that banned breeds can easily be sold on the site. We have logged thousands of adverts on the website which are blatantly selling pitbulls or offering them for stud. Sometimes this is done using coded language such as “red nosed dog” “American staff” “king staff” etc and as Gumtree rely on word recognition software rather than processing each ad individually you can see why it’s a very attractive outlet for those involved in the breeding and sale of banned breeds of dogs.

Any breed of dog can behave aggressively and the breed specific legislation is flawed but if stating the breed is not compulsory banned breeds will continue to be offered for sale.

The online market place is becoming a major selling forum for people who are breeding animals for profit and it’s anonymity and unregulated format has become a haven for those involved in the unscrupulous trafficking/breeding of animals for profit. The adverts are free to place, no user address or registration is required which means traceability of users is very difficult. Most ads placed by people are providing just an email address or mobile phone number so if an individual wants to use an internet café and a pay as you go mobile phone traceability is zero. Perfect if you want to sell a banned breed of dog.

I have volunteered in animal rescue and welfare for over 20 years and have never known anything like the crisis we are currently facing with regards to the volume of over breeding and abandonment of animals. We believe that the online markets are provided an outlet for breeders who are then encouraged to breed more litters. These online markets are also provided a very easy way for people to dump animals or find animals. This impulse buying means many go into dog ownership without considering the full impact dogs will have on their life. Often the breeders just want the money and so any back up support or responsibility for the health of the animal is non-existent.

It is known that dogs can get stressed and can become aggressive due to the treatment they receive or the environment they are kept in. These websites are full of puppies being rehomed at less than the recommended 8 weeks of age as stating the actual age of puppies is optional when placing these ads. It has been claimed that this early separation from their mother can lead to behavioural problems later in life. One of which is biting. Internet sites are awash with puppies for sale of unknown parentage with little comeback on the seller/breeder should a problem arise.

We believe these websites need to be subject to more scrutiny and there needs to be a change of laws to protect animals and people from unscrupulous advertisers. The rise in dog attacks and irresponsible dog ownership is symptomatic of the way animals are being treated by people. I believe that lifestyle choices and cultural attitudes which can be associated with certain groups in society, has lead to dogs being treated as accessories. Whether it’s keeping a Chihuahua in a handbag or a banned breed status dog, people are treating dogs in a way which suggests that dogs are getting caught up in owner’s needs more than theirs.

There are thousands of dogs for sale on the internet right now and it’s a self monitoring and largely unregulated “free-for-all” market. If you restrict the outlets you may restrict the breeding. As it is anyone can breed any breed of dog and sell them on. Often for large amounts of money. This money is often undeclared for tax purposes and has become a very common way for people to get cash. These “backyard breeders” are breeding huge amounts of dogs for profit and selling them via the internet with no traceability at a time when thousands of healthy dogs are being killed due to abandonment. Rescue centres are being crippled financially and have to turn many away. The waiting lists to get an animal into a rescue centre can be months long.

Unless a radical step is taken the UK will continue to see a population explosion of abandoned animals and irresponsible attitudes towards dog ownership. Dogs have become a status symbol for some and when these individuals are faced with lifestyle changes, often economic, the dogs are often the first “asset” to be sold or dumped. “Hobby” breeding is also seen as a way to make quick cash so the cycle of breeding animals to sell has gotten worse as people seek easy cash.

Some Suggestions

There needs to be a lot more restrictions placed on indiscriminate breeding and more needs to be done to encourage neutering and spaying.

Website operators need to be subject to certain laws in the same way that pet shops are if they are offering live animal sales.

Individuals need to be subject to more restrictions on their private breeding of animals.

Compulsory micro chipping will only go so far but it will need to be FOR ALL dogs not just puppies. It MUST also be compulsory to change ownership details otherwise you will simply be hearing people say they no longer own the dog and it is not their responsibility anymore.

Get the following message across:

“Sharing your life with a dog is a privilege, not a right.”

Thank you for your time.

June 2012