Ireland’s puppy farmers and smugglers have been hit where it hurts them most by Gumtree Ireland who have banned all advertising of dogs.
Major changes made to the company’s advertising rules were published without announcement on Thursday, ensuring they no longer accept dogs of any age in ads - and now no animal can be cannot be swapped or advertised as free on Gumtree either.
The only dogs for sale on the site today two Labrador pups captured in an unframed picture priced at E20.
The same cannot be said of Gumtree in Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK, but campaigners hope Ireland's lead will add pressure for them to follow suit in a bid to help close down the illegal trade in puppie s.
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For now sales of puppies, many of them from untraceable sellers continue on Gumtree's UK sites along with the heartache and ill health of many of the dogs bought for cash.
Vet Tim Kirby has welcomed the Gumtree.ie news. He said: “The cogs are turning and more people are recognising the issues of animal welfare and due diligence are vital.
"This is massive news from Gumtree and I welcome it wholeheartedly. The fact that they have announced this decision will be enough for many people to understand that there is an issue that is being addressed by a huge company, and individuals can address it too. It’s great news - but there’s more to be done.”
One puppy farm investigator working with Belfast Live, said: “It’s a fantastic to hear this today, it’s a massive blow for illegal breeders and smugglers.
"They have relied on Gumtree for a long time, it gave them an easy route to endless cash deals but that has been closed down and they’ll be furious.
“But these people will not be easily put off. They will undoubtedly try to find another way to get easy sales. They are brutal operators who don’t care about puppies or humans - they only care about money and beating the system.
“Even if the public is not fully aware of why Gumtree in Ireland has done this, it’s simply to see Gumtree has done their research in a bid to act responsibly and that’s a good starting point for the message that welfare of adult dogs and litters of puppies should be paramount and just cannot be guaranteed in an anonymous or untraceable ad.”
Under the heading ‘Dogs’, Gumtree.ie’s new policy states: "We do not allow the advertisement of dogs on Gumtree. Ownership of Gumtree.ie has recently changed. With this change, we have made the decision to suspend dog advertisements.
“Having worked with animal welfare organisations, and in light of unprecedented demand, we believe this is the best decision for our platform and our users.
“We will continue to work hard with animal welfare bodies to find the best possible solutions to maximise transparency and protect animal welfare when it comes to the advertisement of dogs online.
“Gumtree is committed to the highest standards of transparency and animal welfare.”
The company says any failure to comply with their code of practice will trigger the removal of the ad and could result in user restrictions.
And they add that their pet section will not "facilitate uncontrolled breeding, irresponsible commercial pet trading, trade of dogs or any other animal for the purpose of fighting or stud services", and any ads suspected of this kind of activity will be removed.
The company statement read: “An ongoing problem with the pet industry is puppy mills and these are breeders who are breeding a wide variety of dogs. This is perfectly legal as long as the cages are of a certain size and kept clean, however we cannot determine this from a simple ad that is posted on Gumtree.
“This is why we believe it’s important for pet adopters/buyers/sellers to read our code of practice, responsible pet ownership and policies to identify and report non compliant pet owners to Gumtree and relevant authorities.
“In our continuous commitment to animal rights and responsible pet ownership, we have made the following changes to clarify our pet policies. Some recent changes were implemented as the result of community suggestions.”
The ban on dog ads does not stretch to other pets which can still be advertised on Ireland’s Gumtree.
The rules are clear and Gumtree says their existing pet section is intended to “help the community find good, safe, caring homes for pets” and that all ads placed in the Gumtree Pets section must comply with their code of practice.
It includes:
In addition animals have to be of a certain age before they are adoptable:
Gumtree also say they encourage where possible, the adoption of pets and encourages all pet owners to have their animals neutered or spayed and microchipped.
Do Better Done Deal was set up on Facebook in July 2020 to push for better enforcement of pet sales and supply regulations.
DoneDeal stopped allowing dog ads in August 2020 and the welfare group continues to highlight illegal ads and lobby for proper enforcement of microchipping and breeding legislation.
In a statement they said: “Christmas has come early for all the dogs in the Republic of Ireland but Gumtree UK, which was sold to US and German investors by Adevinta in December 2021, continues to sell them in Northern Ireland and Britain.
“Due to sustained pressure and reporting of adverts for non-compliance with Irish legislation over a period of 18 months, Gumtree.ie will no longer be accepting any adverts for dogs.
“Over the last 18 months we have tracked their adverts and we can categorically state and prove, that Gumtree.ie has been used by illegal importers, illegal puppy farmers, legal puppy farmers who seek to hide who they are from unsuspecting buyers and last but not least, pet flippers, who have conned people looking to rehome their dogs, only to turn around and sell them on for a profit.
“On August 7, 2020 DoneDeal announced it would be closing its dog section. Now on April 7, 2022, Gumtree.ie has done the same.
“By controlling rogue seller’s access to the marketplace, we can affect real change. Never let anyone say that people power doesn’t work.
“Ireland can do better for dogs. We are on the cusp of making real change. Ireland could be a leading light in Europe for dog welfare, instead of the holy show we’ve been for so long.
“It is time to hold our public representatives to account for what they do....and what they fail to do. If they are redrafting legislation then they better damn well get it right this time.
“Thanks to all our supporters over the last 2 years. It isn’t over yet. We’re in it for the long haul. Keep reporting those ads.”
The appetite for banning all pet ads from sites such as Gumtree is growing with campaigners gathering support on social media such as Change.org.
