New campaign from Dogs Trust charity urges public not to be ‘Sold A Pup’

Dogs Trust, Ireland’s largest dog welfare charity, has launched its ‘Sold A Pup’ publicity campaign to highlight cruelty and deception surrounding the illegal selling and advertising of dogs and puppies.

The charity is urging the public to support their petition to stop the illegal sale of dogs and help stamp out puppy farming in Ireland.

The campaign will include an emotive new TV advert produced by Irish production company Cardel, directed by Katarina Lundquist, and voiced by Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan.

The animation demonstrates the horrendous reality of where purchased puppies may come from and how easy it is for puppy farmers to hide behind the façade of online adverts.

Laws were introduced in February of this year around the sale, supply and advertising of pets, but many sellers continue to deliberately flout them.

The new rules make it a legal requirement for puppies to be eight weeks of age or older before being sold. A microchip number for each dog must be displayed on the ad, as well as the Dog Breeding Establishment registration number, if applicable, and a seller/supplier number for anybody selling more than five pets in a calendar year.

Sadly, many online ads are not compliant with the new rules.

Research carried out by Dogs Trust revealed that 72% of people were unaware of these regulations and 68% were unable to spot an illegal ad, leaving them open to being ‘sold a pup’ as recently happened an unsuspecting Dublin family.

Bailey was advertised for sale online as a 'Cockapoo' for €1,150. Restrictions meant the family were unable to travel to collect him, so a lorry driver friend picked him up and brought him home.

Upon arrival, it was clear Bailey was a completely different dog to the one advertised and the seller, who provided no paperwork, suddenly became uncontactable. A trip to the vets quickly established Bailey was in fact a Springer Spaniel and the poor dog was covered in lice, an indication of the poor conditions he originated from.

Speaking about the campaign, Executive Director, Dogs Trust Ireland, Becky Bristow said: "Most people wouldn’t dream of buying their dog from a puppy farm; however, the sad reality is many unwittingly do so!

"Puppy Farmers often go to extreme lengths to hide the true environment their pups originate from as they prioritise profits over the welfare of the dogs in their care."

Dogs Trust is urging the public to sign their petition to help end the misery behind the illegal sale of dogs using the hashtag #SoldAPup. They are calling on the government to enforce the already existing laws as a matter of urgency and to penalise those who do not comply.

The Dogs Trust petition, and more information about the campaign, is available here: https://www.dogstrust.ie/whats-happening/latest-appeal/christmas2020/