GSPCA issues a warning about buying pets online

He said the charity regularly received calls about potential scams relating to animal adverts seen online.

‘At the GSPCA we are extremely concerned about reports of people falsely advertising animals online to try and deceive people looking for a new pet out of their money,’ said Mr Byrne.

‘Every year we have reports of pictures of puppies advertised on Facebook which either may not exist or could be from puppy farms or backgrounds that are not ideal for the animal's welfare.’

He estimated that up to 500 households in Guernsey look for a new dog each year and about the same number look for a new cat.

‘Especially during the Covid years, with travel so difficult, many people went online to look for their new four-legged friends. This certainly seemed to increase the number of scammers out there trying to deceive good people out of money with false adverts online,’ said Mr Byrne.

‘Living in the islands of course presents many challenges in looking for that beloved pet, but we all need to ensure we do what we can to ensure we aren’t deceived, and we source our animals from rescues or other reputable breeders and individuals.’

Guernsey is not immune to these issues.

‘We have seen first hand when we helped the 25 Slovakian puppies that were being illegally transported to the UK to a dealer, how people can be deceived into buying pups from puppy farms,’ he said.

‘At the GSPCA we have a 10-point step guide to help those looking for a puppy which you could also apply to looking for other species of pets, but please do remember that we have many animals looking for homes at the GSPCA and adopting a rescue pet is helping an animal in need.’

Islanders can look for pets at the GSPCA, but they can also look to the Pet Advertising Advisory Group, which works to improve the ways pets are advertised to prevent scammers.

The webpage is https://paag.org.uk/how-to-buy-a-pet/

Mr Byrne said that social media could be a problem.

‘In Guernsey there are thousands of users who follow pages on Facebook, selling all sorts of goods and sometimes animals,’ he said.

‘There are also false charities that create pages to try and sell animals that don’t exist, so it is extremely important to verify who you are dealing with before you part with any money.

'Often the best way to find an animal is to be referred by a friend or vet.’

Other options include the ADCH website www.adch.org.uk and the Kennel Club www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/find-a-puppy/