Pet advertising rules
When it comes to advertising pets for sale, there are now a number of different requirements that licensed sellers in England, Wales and Scotland now have to meet.
The regulations were drawn up by the Pet Advertising Advisory Group – known as PAAG – and adopted into Law. We spoke to the organisation in the Rip Off Britain HQ.
A Licensed seller 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)
· (except in the case of fish) display the age of the animal being advertised
· state the country of residence of the animal from which it is being sold, and
· state the country of origin of the animal.
PAAG also has its own set of standards that a number of high profiles sites on which pets are found for sale, have agreed to meet.
They include containing specific information such as the species, the breed, the sex and the age of the animal that's being advertised, and state whether or not that animal is or will be microchipped. And, if the animal is young, then PAAG requires adverts to make sure that there's a photo of that animal with its mother.
PAAG also encourages people who see an online pet advert they think might be cause for concern to report it. You can find out more of where to report suspect adverts at the PAAG website:
