Hi there,

I’m writing to you because I’m deeply concerned about the welfare of animals being advertised, bought and sold online, through sites such as Gumtree.

I use the site often. Like many Australians, I love the convenience of shopping online and using the internet to research future purchases.

But when it comes to the buying and selling of pets online, there are serious risks, and I think it’s really important we have systems in place to protect the welfare of those animals.

Websites like Gumtree are not doing enough to protect those animals by making sure the sellers are ethical breeders, and that consumers know what to look for to safely search for a pet online.

Puppy Mills are large scale commercial breeding facilities, with one objective.  MONEY.  Dogs in Puppy Mills may spend their whole life in a cage, and can be bred over and over again.  Once they stop breeding, they are conveniently discarded.

Puppy Mills sell their puppies directly to consumers through the internet and classified ads.  They also sell puppies through pet stores, though more and more pet stores in Australia are now focused on selling only rescue pets.

Criminals will use sites like ‘Gumtree’ to find a bait dog (a dog advertised for free online) can be any dog. It could be your dog. Although they (the monsters who use them) prefer to use non-aggressive or submissive Pit Bulls, they will easily use anything they can get for free. When they get Pits who won't fight, or don't fight well, they use them for bait dogs.

Some dogfighters train dogs by forcing them to tread water in pools; run on a treadmill while a caged rabbit, cat, chicken, or other terrified animal is dangled in front of them; or hang on with their jaws while dangling from a chain baited with meat. Many dogs are injected with steroids, and some dogfighters even sharpen their dogs’ teeth, cut off their ears (to prevent another dog from latching on), and add roach poison to their food so that their fur might taste bad to other dogs.

Dogs who “win” fights are forced to fight again and again and are used to breed puppies for profit. One dog who was described as a particularly successful fighter generated $100,000 in stud fees in a single year. Female dogs are strapped down on “rape stands” to prevent fighting while males impregnate them. Many of the dogs who do not fight or who lose fights are used as “bait” animals.

The “pit” where these bloody events take place usually consists of a dirt or carpeted floor measuring 8 to 16 square feet, surrounded by a wooden enclosure that is about 3 feet high. Dogs are taken to either end of the ring and released at the “face your dogs” command. Sticks are used to pry apart the dogs, who clamp down so fiercely that it is not uncommon for dogs to “fang” themselves (i.e., bite through their own lips). Dogs are encouraged to fight to the death, and the fight can go on for hours—until both dogs are exhausted and at least one is seriously injured or dead.

A federal prosecutor recalls a case in which one of 18 dogs found in a raid had 70 open wounds and was missing half a jaw, while another dog’s body was 75 percent covered in scar tissue. A state police officer in the US who conducts dogfighting investigations says, “When you go to where these fights have happened, you’ll find a couple of dog corpses or a pit full of blood.”

By adopting these guidelines in full, you can help make sure the animals advertised for sale on Gumtree have been properly cared for, and ensure people like me can use the site with confidence about the welfare of the pets advertised there. Ideally I personally think we should put a complete ban on all dogs / animals given away for free through third party websites such as Gumtree.

Australians care very much about animals, and we want to know that influencers and members of authority like yourself are doing everything they can to care for and protect pets that are listed for sale.

I urge you to take this serious and make changes to platforms such as gumtree. Facebook has followed the movement and so should other social platforms.

We need to make the change and put an end to the harm and unnecessary abuse to these animals.

Please reply to me and let me know when you will be implementing the guidelines, and anything else you’re doing to support improved animal welfare.