Stop the cruel puppy trade on social media

Social media platforms Facebook and Instagram (owned by Meta) have unknowingly become a favourite place for unscrupulous dealers to advertise countless puppies each year. 

Easy access to buyers is fuelling the cruel and illegal puppy trade and the suffering of puppies. FOUR PAWS investigations¹ have found Facebook groups with dogs for sale aimed at the European market with more than half a million members. We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Sign the petition for Meta to close loopholes that allow unregulated and cruel traders to advertise dogs on Facebook and Instagram.

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  Countless puppies suffer in Europe's illegal pet trade, bred in grim conditions on puppy farms, sold online, and often separated from their mothers too early. Many endure harrowing journeys across borders and arrive sick or even die shortly after reaching their new homes.

  Illicit sellers exploit social media platforms to evade regulations, with 32% of puppy buyers who bought their puppies during the Pandemic finding their pets advertised on platforms owned by Meta (Facebook and Instagram). Investigations reveal dealers offering underage puppies, dogs subjected to cruelty, and those with severe aesthetic alterations.

  These dogs often originate from unregulated puppy farms enduring cramped, unsanitary conditions and lacking proper veterinary care. Sold at just a few weeks old, they are transported across vast distances, with buyers unaware of the grim origins.

  Despite Meta’s platform rules prohibiting private sales of animals on Facebook and Instagram, enforcement remains lax, allowing cruel dealers to exploit loopholes and perpetuate this illicit trade.

  You can help stop this!
  Please sign to call on Meta to end the cruel puppy trade.

¹ Link to investigation report page. www.puppy-trade.com