Abstract
Simple SummaryThe aim of this study was to analyze dog and cat advertisements on a popular online trading website in Australia in February 2016. A total of 2640 ads for dogs and 2093 ads for cats were classified as being relinquished on Gumtree. A total of 23% of dog ads and 62% of cat ads were for free animals. The median age was 1.42 years in dogs and 0.9 years in cats. Compared to the human population there were proportionately more ads in Queensland and fewer ads in Victoria. In comparison to pets from animal shelters advertised on PetRescue, there were more purebred dogs on Gumtree, although the common breeds were similar. Fifteen people who had relinquished a dog or cat on Gumtree were interviewed. They used Gumtree because they believed shelters were full, they wanted to see/interview the new owner, or because they originally got the animal on Gumtree and it works. These results shed light on a hitherto under-studied population of relinquished dogs and cats.While traditionally people relinquish their pets to an animal shelter or pound, the internet provides a newer method to re-home. We analyzed advertisements (ads) on the largest website in Australia for trading dogs and cats: Gumtree. Data was collected in 2016. Dogs were sampled on 7, 16 and 24 February 2016 and cats on 9, 19 and 26 February 2016, with 2640 ads for relinquished dogs, and 2093 ads for relinquished cats. It was estimated >31,000 puppies/dogs and >24,000 kittens/cats are relinquished on Gumtree per year. The median age of dogs was 1.42 and cats 0.9 years of age. There were 23% of dog ads and 62% of cat ads for free animals. Compared to the human population, there were proportionately more ads in Queensland and fewer ads in Victoria. A total of 15 people were surveyed who had relinquished a dog or cat using Gumtree. The dog owners used Gumtree for two reasons: because they believed the shelters were full (n = 4); and they wanted to see/interview the new owner (n = 2). For cat owners: they had originally got the cat on Gumtree (n = 2); they use Gumtree for other things, and it works (n = 2), and; they wanted to see/interview the new owner (n = 2). The data collected will be valuable for implementation of policy and interventions to protect the welfare of unwanted dogs and cats.
Highlights
Australia has an owned dog and cat population of approximately 4.8 million and 3.9 million, respectively [1]
The aims of the present study were to: (1) estimate the total numbers and prices of dogs and cats relinquished online on Gumtree; (2) analyze the breed and Australian State/Territory of origin of dogs and cats relinquished on Gumtree and compare with animals presented to PetRescue [26] and the RSPCA; and (3) interview a sample of pet owners relinquishing their pets on Gumtree to determine their reasons for relinquishment and why they chose to advertise their pet online
The average number of dogs per ad in 50 random ads was 1.06, giving an estimate of 31,726 dogs advertised on Gumtree per year
Summary
Australia has an owned dog and cat population of approximately 4.8 million and 3.9 million, respectively [1]. It is likely that the total population of dogs and cats is higher, as un-owned animals/strays, and those in registered or independent shelters or pounds would contribute to the total population. The ownership of an animal may be transferred through sale or other trade, and animals in a shelter or pound can be rehomed. This results in a complex network of animals. Animals leave the care of their owners through being lost, surrenders to a shelter or pound, being abandoned, being given away or being sold. There have been attempts to measure the un-owned population of dogs and cats in shelters [2,3], but there is a lack of research into the dogs and cats that are transferred between owners and between owned and un-owned populations in other ways
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