Hamburg. Meta's social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, have become hotspots for unscrupulous puppy trading in Europe, as recent research by the global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS shows. Millions of dogs fall victim to the illegal puppy trade every year in Germany and six other European countries. Sellers seem to be able to circumvent Meta's guidelines and national and EU regulations on puppy trading without any consequences. FOUR PAWS is calling for an immediate halt to dog ads on Facebook and Instagram until the trade is properly controlled and regulated, thus ending the suffering of puppies across Europe.
FOUR PAWS conducted an investigation from September 2023 to June 2024, searching ads, profiles and groups on Facebook and Instagram for people who were not verified as registered businesses but were still offering dogs for sale. The investigation analyzed content from Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Investigators came across more than a hundred Facebook groups and over fifty Instagram accounts with puppy ads from unverified private individuals. In June 2024, the Facebook groups investigated, including sellers and potential buyers, had more than 600,000 members. However, the trading of animals by private individuals is a clear violation of Meta's own guidelines.
Emojis, hashtags and private chats –
how trading is hidden on social media
Across Europe, rogue sellers have developed targeted methods to circumvent Meta's monitoring and policies. These include avoiding explicit sales terms, group descriptions that advise members what words to avoid, and the use of emojis and hashtags to disguise their purchase intentions. Potential buyers are often redirected to private chats. In some cases, sellers fake a different location to sell to certain countries or pose as certified breeders to create false credibility.
The German figures fit into the overall picture
In Germany, 19 Facebook groups were identified in September 2023 in which private sellers of puppies violated Meta's terms and conditions. These groups had 38,000 members. In 2024, there were still 18 Facebook groups, but the number of members grew to 49,000. Of the 44 Instagram profiles observed in Germany that offered puppies, 15 were obviously private sellers with a total of 34,000 followers. In June 2024, six of the profiles had been deleted. This left nine private profiles with 22,000 followers.
In Germany, it is difficult to check who is a reputable breeder and who is not: the requirements for breeders vary from state to state and there is no central database, although in Germany they must at least be able to provide an imprint. In Germany, there is no mandatory marking and registration requirement for dogs and cats in the Animal Welfare Act. This puts Germany at the bottom of the list in the EU and makes it easy for illegal traders.
“The cruel puppy trade is thriving on Facebook and Instagram. Thousands of people are at risk of being duped by unscrupulous traders. They see heartwarming pictures of puppies without questioning the cruel conditions under which they were bred and kept. Although Meta has taken measures to ban the sale of dogs on its platforms, the patchy implementation continues to open the door to illegal trade and cruel breeding practices. Unscrupulous traders are obviously operating in secret and without fear of consequences. We appeal to Meta to take immediate steps to stop the puppy trade on Facebook and Instagram for good until the traceability of both the traders and the animals can be guaranteed,” says Nick Weston, Head of Campaigns for Pets at FOUR PAWS.
In February 2024, FOUR PAWS reported 64 of the suspicious posts, profiles and groups on Facebook and Instagram offering dogs for sale in accordance with Meta's suspicious activity reporting guidelines. Only two Facebook Marketplace ads were removed, while no action was taken by Meta on the other content.