Popular Web Site Cracks Down on Selling Methods

 Interesting news from the Halifax Chronicle Herald which featured this story about purchasing animals off a popular Web site. Let's hope it helps.

Buying a pet from an online classified ad can be risky business.

At Kijiji.ca, they are working to eradicate suspicious ads that offer parking lot puppies.

"We rely on our users to let us know of any ads that they have come across that may be questionable," said Shawn McIntyre, Kijiji community relations manager.

Kijiji uses an array of sophisticated tools to filter ads but still needs public input about things they might not be aware of, McIntyre said from the popular website head office in Toronto.

In New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and other regions, the sale of dogs, particularly puppies, on websites like Kijiji has often resulted in complaints to the SPCA.

"We have a great working relationship with the SPCA. They let us know if anything comes up that we need to be aware of that may involve Kijiji," said McIntyre.

Earlier this month, Eileen Jay saw a Kijiji ad offering a puppy she wanted to purchase. A Nova Scotia woman was selling a bichon frise puppy.

Jay called about the advertised dog and talked about how they could get it to her on Prince Edward Island.

The seller, who identified herself simply as Ashley, would not make the drive.

"Then she wanted me to Western Union her over some money and I said, "I cannot, I do not know you," said Jay.

"And my family was saying, "Look out. This could be a Gail Benoit."

"I did not even know who she was," Jay said of Benoit, a Digby-area resident convicted in 2009 of selling sick puppies. Benoit was found guilty of animal cruelty and assault charges stemming from a 2007 seizure of pups from her home.

The puppy seller continued to call Jay, seeking money and locations to meet. They finally settled on a Halifax location.

"She wanted me to pay $150 for delivery and $650 for the puppy," said Jay.

The seller blocked her phone number so it appeared as unknown on her caller ID, except for one time.

"She called me about 25 times," Jay said about the persistent Nova Scotian.

"She failed to block out one call and it came right up as Gail Benoit."

A woman who answered the Digby phone number, responding to the name Gail, said, "I do not think so," when asked if she was selling pups on Kijiji.

Jay quickly decided to miss the Halifax rendezvous.

She said the puppy seller called a few more times to leave some rather nasty messages but eventually stopped.

Jay said she learned a lesson.

"Do not ever agree to meet anybody anywhere but their home."

People may contact Kijiji through a flagging system to notify it of ads that may be suspect.

"We do have a code of conduct on our website when it comes to the pet category that clearly outlines what we consider to be an unethical pet reseller," said McIntyre.

Many provincial SPCA had a lot of input in helping Kijiji write its pets-for-sale code, he said.

"We filter ads to look for things that may sort of indicate that an ad is too good to be true. If an animal is drastically under-priced or does not have a lot of information, we will ask questions and we expect our users to do the same."

McIntyre said details about a dog lineage are important.

"We want our users to provide as much information as possible and use clear images of where the animals are kept so that when users view these ads on Kijiji they can make a decision based on that."

He said Kijiji strongly advises against anyone meeting in a parking lot to buy a dog.

"That is obviously a red flag for us."

No one has begun legal action against Kijiji with respect to an ad, said McIntyre.

"It is something obviously that we are always going to be concerned with. It is not something that has come up, however."

In some cases, Kijiji can remove a questionable pet ad within minutes of it being posted. And going to the library to post an ad so a blacklisted home computer won’t show up is of no help.

"We can find you no matter what," said McIntyre.

The sale of puppies from parking lots continues however, said Scott Saunders, an animal welfare advocate.

A transaction was attempted this month near Middleton, off Highway 101, he said. Someone suspicious of the seller bailed out and contacted Saunders, he said.

"They do not know what they are getting into," he said.