Dogs are much treasured and loved family members in households across Australia, providing love, companionship and immeasurable joy.

It has become increasingly common for Australians to buy puppies online, however, and ads placed online are unregulated¹. There has been an alarming rise in nefarious and sophisticated online puppy scams preying on Australians hoping to find a new furry family member. These scams have been spurred on by the increasing demand for pets brought on by the Coronavirus lockdowns². The Australian Competition and Consumer Authority Commission (ACCC) has reported that in 2021, Australians lost a shocking $4.2 million dollars to puppy scams, an increase of 1000% since 2019³.

Puppy scams exploit Australians searching for a pet by placing fake ads online for puppies that do not exist, and often accept payment from multiple people for the same dog⁴. The breeds most commonly used in these fake listings are cavoodles and other poodle breeds⁵. These ads are often placed on fake websites or online classifieds, with scammers impersonating businesses and stealing ABNs to set up websites^{6, 7}. Police have noted a pattern in which victims are asked to make cash deposits which includes costs for transport between states, insurance and registration fees⁸. There are reports of scammers also contacting buyers after payment for further “emergency” needs⁹.

These scams take a huge financial and emotional toll on those that have been defrauded, with reports of individual losses up to $25,000¹⁰. So many Australians have fallen victim to these scams that there is now a dedicated support group¹¹.

By shopping online for pets, Australians are inadvertently supporting the unethical and cruel practice of puppy farming. Many puppies sold online come through the puppy trade¹². Dogs in puppy farms are intensively overbred, and kept in unhygienic and overcrowded conditions that lead to poor health outcomes for both parents and pups¹³.

Australian puppy farmers have capitalised on this increased demand for dogs, with a rise of 25% in reported puppy farms across the country as of 2021¹⁴.

Clamping down on this unethical practice, stricter laws on puppy farming have been introduced in Victoria and Western Australia¹⁵. To dodge these stronger laws, puppy farmers have moved to NSW, with a marked increase in intensive dog breeding applications in some NSW border towns^{16, 17}.

Avoid the heartbreak and supporting animal suffering. Our new campaign #CuteQuickSick is here to help dog lovers from getting puppy-scammed and to end puppy farming in Australia and around the world.

The best choice for any person looking to add a dog to their family, is to enquire with your local animal rescue groups and shelters.

Sadly, there are common misconceptions about rescue animals but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Animals in shelters come in all breeds, ages and sizes, they have been given full veterinary care, and their temperaments assessed, so you will be able to find the best animal for your home and lifestyle.