tonib I've tried to click that link to read the article but every time I do just as its finishing loading the page goes blank?
Oh dear that's a shame - it works for me. Can anyone else on the forum see it
scallywag?
Worked for me
tonib and
bubbles87. Copied and pasted see below ...
A puppy offered in a ‘swap for a mobile phone’ and a ‘fighting dog with big teeth’ are just two examples of the worst online pet advertisements being highlighted by the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG).
The group, comprised of representatives from the UK’s leading animal welfare groups and specialist agencies including the PDSA, has now launched a set of Minimum Standards for websites offering pets for sale.
Their aim is to improve the welfare of the pets and to protect members of the public from ending up with ill or underage animals, banned breeds, illegally imported or endangered species. The standards have also been endorsed by Defra and Lord de Mauley, the Minister for Animal Welfare, who gathered the leading online pet classified websites together today to discuss the need for urgent improvement.
SOME OF THE WORST ONLINE ‘PET’ ADVERTS INCLUDE:
A puppy offered for swap with a mobile phone
A cat for sale in need of severe veterinary treatment due to a badly damaged eye
A rare Zonkey (a Zebra/Donkey hybrid) for sale
A six-week-old Staffie puppy
Male skunk for sale
Four marmoset monkeys
Arctic fox for sale
An advert offering a ladies watch in exchange for a tortoise Golden Retriever wanted for swap with a Chihuahua.
Clarissa Baldwin, chairman of PAAG says: “While we recognise that pets are commonly advertised online, it is still shocking to know that there are between 100,000 and 120,000 pet advertisements appearing on UK websites each day.
"The research undertaken by PAAG has revealed some truly terrible examples where animal welfare was clearly the last thought in the mind of the advertiser. Every day we hear from people who have bought an animal online only for it to fall sick or die soon after.”
Click 'read more' for information on the minimum standards for classified advertising adverts...
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ONLINE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING WEBSITES
Websites must:
1. Run automated checks for 'blacklisted' words/terms such as 'banned breeds' and filter for misleading or inappropriate adverts
2. Require all vendors to include a recent photograph of the animal and monitor for suspicious usage of images.
3. Require that all adverts display the age of the animal advertised. No pet should be advertised for transfer to a new owner before it is weaned and no longer dependent on its parents.
4. Permanently ban vendors – on a three strikes and you’re out basis – who attempt to post illegal adverts, and take down illegal/inappropriate adverts within 12 working hours of notification
5. Ensure that every view item page includes prominent links to PAAG advice on buying and selling a pet (and specific advice for commonly advertised species), including “pop ups”
6. Label clearly on each ad whether it is a private sale, commercial sale or from a rescue/rehoming centre
7. Not include adverts for farmed animals or adverts specifying that the animal is to be used for working, hunting, or guarding
8. Monitor for multiple phone numbers and email addresses in private sales and investigate and potentially ban frequent/repeat breeders (the same vendor offering a third different animal in a 12-month period).
9. Ban adverts of live vertebrate animals as food
10. Ban adverts offering stud animals, animals in season or animals ‘for rent’ or ‘loan’ in pet section. (Adverts offering horses or donkeys for loan are acceptable)
11. Ban adverts offering pregnant animals for sale
12. Ensure that no pets are advertised for swapping with other pets, services or goods
13. Ensure that species scheduled by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are clearly marked as such and make clear to vendors that it is an offence to offer a species covered by EU wildlife trade regulations Annex A and listed by cites for sale without a valid article 10 certificate. Non-human primates should not be offered for sale.
14. Exclude any advert where there is a reasonable concern for the health and welfare of the animal involved
15. Provide a clearly visible function for purchasers to report illegal or inappropriate adverts
16. Ensure that no live vertebrates are advertised for sale as deliverable through the postal system, national or international
17. Require all vendors to state the country of residence from which the animal is being sold
18. Require all commercial vendors to provide local authority licence information when submitting an advertisement
PAAG is working with the Government to remind consumers and websites that an animal is not a commodity like a washing machine or a car, and should not be advertised or bought in the same way. The group is encouraging the public to stay vigilant to ensure that websites meet the standards consistently, and not to use sites that don’t apply the Minimum Standards.
The UK's largest independent online classified advertising site,
www.preloved.co.uk, welcomed the set of minimum standards and Ian Buzer, Managing Director of Preloved, said,
"We have already adopted all of PAAG's minimum standards, many of which reflect our own rigorous system set up to stamp out any suspicious or inappropriate adverts on Preloved, while educating potential advertisers about their responsibilities, and buyers about the long-term commitment pets require."
The activity of Preloved users looking to buy or rehome pets is already closely monitored to ensure they are not breaking any of the site's rules or acting illegally. A record is kept of any complaints made against a member, and the site can ban people whose buying or selling of animals appears in any way suspicious.
Each advertiser is also asked specific questions, encouraging them to provide as much information about an animal as possible, including its age, breed, details on any health checks or vaccinations that they have received, etc.
Mr Buzer said, "We believe that a well-run online classified site offers a much safer environment to rehome animals than some of the pre-internet alternatives, like newsagent windows and lamp posts."
Mr Buzer attended yesterday's meeting arranged by Lord de Mauley,and described the meeting as "very constructive and positive".
He adds: "We are now looking forward to working closely with PAAG to continue building a safe and robust online environment where people can find or offer a home to a new pet with even more confidence."