It is the dream of many children at Christmas: to discover a puppy or a kitten under the tree.
But the arrival of the new companion can sometimes turn into a nightmare for those who have tried to find an animal on the internet.
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According to the deputy Dimitri Houbron, rapporteur at the Assembly of the law for the fight against animal abuse,
"80% of purchases of pets are made online"
.
On social networks or on advertising sites, the offers are numerous and it is sometimes difficult to see clearly.
Le Figaro
explains how to avoid scams.
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On social networks, check the profile that promises you the animal
On Facebook or Instagram, pages, groups and messages offering puppies and kittens are legion.
But beware, this oversupply cache scams that can cost you.
One of them is to promise a cat or a dog breed most often in exchange for payment of transportation costs a hundred euros.
Once the payment has been made, the interlocutor disappears without the adopter hearing from the animal.
A very widespread technique, but which continues to claim victims.
To guard against this, it is better to carry out a few quick checks on the profile in question.
First, verify that the profile URL matches the name displayed by the profile.
Consult the history of this profile, his photos, his posts, his friends.
If it seems too empty or too recent, it may be a fake account intended to mislead you.
Beware of exchanges on private couriers
On social networks, remain vigilant about generous donors or sellers who insist on exchanging as quickly as possible by private message, far from the eyes of the moderators of these groups and pages and the eyes of other Internet users who could alert them to their practices.
Sensitized to scams, the Facebook group Wanted Animaux also refuses that its members indicate in their posts the possibility of exchanging by private messages.
"All proposals for donations or sales must be commented on the post which allows us to have a look and exclude people who could be scammers"
, explains Juliette, one of the two moderators of the group.
They also keep a watchful eye on publications and membership requests in an attempt to protect those who are looking for an animal.
Read alsoAdopt a kitten: 5 things to know before you start
Make sure there is a breeder or an association
If you decide to turn to a kennel spotted online, first check its existence. Since 2016, it is compulsory for anyone who sells a puppy or a kitten, to register in advance with the chamber of agriculture and to obtain a SIREN number (IT system of the business directory). The latter must appear in the sale advertisement. But it happens that these numbers are false or stolen from official farms by unscrupulous private sellers. A quick internet search allows you to check the validity of the SIREN number.
Contacting and meeting the breeder, however, remains the priority before making a decision.
“The first thing to do is to have phone contact with the seller.
Then, if he or she seems credible to you, you go there to check the place of life, meet the mother and the other puppies or kittens of the litter to see if they are playful, come towards you or if they stay. prostrate in their corner ”
, advises Christelle Sollier, the head of the Anti-Trafficking Unit of the SPA.
Read alsoAdopt a puppy: 5 things to know before you start
Do not accept that the means of payment traceable
If you proceed to checkout without seeing the seller, do not accept any kind of payment.
The crooks favor non-traceable transactions such as money orders, prepaid bank cards or
"even by check or transfer via a provisional rib"
, underlines Christelle Sollier.
"Better to refuse when you are offered to pay by money order or prepaid card"
, confirms Joël Irion, communication manager of the Bas-Rhin police who alerted in March 2020 to the scam for donation of puppies mentioned above. .
In general, it is recommended not to pay for your animal online before having met it.
The essentials to check before acquiring the animal
A puppy or kitten cannot be given away or sold until it is eight weeks old, the time necessary for it to be properly weaned.
The animal must be identified before any transfer either by a tattoo on the inside of the ear or the thigh or by an electronic chip injected under the skin.
They allow it to be registered in the national identification file of domestic carnivores (I-cad) and to find its owner if it is lost.
Identification is mandatory before 4 months for a dog and before 7 months for a cat.
Before being welcomed into their new family, puppies and kittens must also have received a first injection of the vaccine (this is done at 8 weeks, the second one month later).
Regarding official documents, make sure that the transferor provides you with:
a certificate of transfer,
an information document on the characteristics and needs of the animal,
a veterinary certificate, established after a clinical examination of the animal.
Towards better online control
It is therefore better to remain vigilant when preparing to choose or even buy an animal on the internet.
The law against animal abuse, promulgated on November 30, nevertheless hopes to provide a better framework for this market.
In particular, it plans to restrict the online sale of pets to pet shops and breeders.
To obtain an exemption, sites hosting offers for the sale of pets on the Internet must, among other things,
"create a dedicated section and monitor and label each advertisement"
.
Read also Law against animal abuse: soon circuses without wild animals
But above all,
"if you really want a cat or a dog, first think about whether you have the time, the place and the means to welcome it",
insists Jacques-Charles Fombonne, president of the SPA
.
Rather, it encourages families looking for a companion to approach pastoralists and shelters overwhelmed by the number of abandoned pets.
“When you adopt at the SPA or in another refuge, you save two animals: the one you take and the one that can be taken out of the pound and taken in in its place,” he
recalls.
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