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• Almost 6,000 animals were offered for free;
• Dogs account for 27 % of all advertisements counted and pups alone have an estimated value of 5.5
million euros;
• Birds are the second largest group with 24 % of all advertisements.
The survey for buyers was filled in by 86 people. Positive remarks were that internet is a good medium,
regular stores are usually more expensive, there is more to choose from and it is easy to use.
Negative remarks were that some providers have bad intentions and many purchases are done on impulse.
The survey for providers was filled in by 51 people. The general opinion among these providers of
companion animals through the internet is positive. Negative remarks were that many animals are offered for
the wrong reasons and many purchases are done on impulse.
The next table displays the opinions of the organisations interviewed on the subject of companion animal
trade through the internet.
Table I: The opinions of the organisations interviewed on the subject of companion animal trade through the internet
For/
Stimulates Enough attention Enough law Enough supervision
Against purchase on
impulse
from Government and
legislation
Dierenbescherming Against Yes No No No
Sophia Vereeniging Against Yes No No No
IFAW Against Yes No No No
Helpdesk Asielen Against Yes No No No
Stichting Serpo For Unknown Unknown Yes Unknown
Dibevo For No No No No
Marktplaats For No Unknown Unknown AID supervises
Speurders For Unknown Unknown Yes Supervise themselves
PvdA For / against Unknown No No No
CDA For / against Yes Unknown Yes No
The interviewed organisations stated several conditions concerning the trade in companion animals through
the internet that should be met. Identification and registration of at least dogs and cats should be mandatory,
providers of animals should have to be certified, more and better supervision is needed, education and an
increase in awareness is needed, there should be a list that contains species that people are allowed to keep
and more and better law and legislation is needed.
In the report ‘Shared care, facts and figures’ (‘Gedeelde zorg, feiten en cijfers’) from the RDA (Dutch
governmental council for animal affairs) from 2006 an estimate is done on the total amount of money spent
on the purchase of companion animals each year. The value of the companion animals offered on the internet
found in this research is much higher than the RDA estimate. The amount of companion animals offered on
the internet is increasing and at the same time Speurders.nl reports that there is no obvious decrease in the
amount of newspaper advertisements. It seems likely that because of internet trade, companion animals more
regularly switch owners. This can be the result of purchases on impulse. Companion animals that are offered
for free are a potential prey for traders who want to make some money fast and easy. This might be a threat
to animal welfare. The size and complexity makes internet difficult to supervise, but on the other hand it can
be said that the amount of information placed in advertisements makes supervision relatively easy.
Buyers and owners of companion animals often have a lack of knowledge concerning proper care for the
animals, but also concerning law and legislation.
The characteristics of the trade in companion animals through the internet are complex and the extent of the
trade is enormous. Especially more and better supervision and education seem necessary. It is advised that
there should be one central point where buyers and owners of companion animals can find all the
information they need. Also the inspection agencies need more knowledge and capacity for more and better
supervision. A behavioural code could be agreed on among advertisement sites and more research on the
subject is needed.