The Kennel Club is warning would-be canine house owners that platforms like Instagram and TikTok give “unscrupulous” breeders simple access to the mass market.
Revealed as a part of The Kennel Club’s ‘Be Puppywise’ marketing campaign, the statistics present that just about twice as many would-be house owners within the West Midlands flip to social media websites in comparison with 5 years in the past.
The figures have led to The Kennel Club warning potential canine house owners to be cautious of social media sellers, who draw consumers in with cute photos as a substitute of correct background checks.
Mark Beazley, chief government at The Kennel Club, mentioned: “In as we speak’s curated digital world, attractive images are the lifeblood of social media and photos of puppies seize consideration – there may be an apparent enchantment to purchasing and promoting puppies utilizing these platforms.
“But if folks neglect that behind each cute photograph on social media, there’s a actual puppy, and an actual want to make sure that their well being and welfare has been prioritised, then there could be really devastating penalties.”
The analysis, carried out by The Kennel Club’s ‘Be Puppywise’ marketing campaign, discovered that:
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greater than two in 5 (45 per cent) folks within the West Midlands purchased their puppy ‘as a result of it was cute’
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three in 10 (31 per cent) admit it was the ‘cute puppy photograph’ that the majority appealed of their pet’s promoting
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an additional quarter (27 per cent) spent lower than two hours throughout their analysis, leaving them notably vulnerable to scams and unable to identify the warning indicators of puppy farms
Mr Beazley continued: “Platforms like Instagram and TikTok may give unscrupulous breeders simple access to a mass market, the place they will promote pups with little scrutiny, so it’s all the way down to the puppy-buyer to be sure that they ask the precise questions, see the puppy, with their mum and of their home surroundings, and step again if issues do not feel proper.
“Failing to take action can result in a world of heartache for puppy-buyers and retains rogue breeders in business, while puppies proceed to undergo the implications, as this analysis reveals.”
The analysis additionally highlights that greater than half (59 per cent) of puppy-buying selections within the West Midlands are influenced by social media, and three in 10 (30 per cent) consumers say their most important data supply was both social media, influencers or celebrities.
