Animal breeder or broker in Ontario or a puppy miller? No need to ID yourself… you are welcome on Kijiji.
Here is the scenario:
You are an unethical breeder of domesticated animals (dogs/cats etc) and you are seeking a marketplace to sell.
But you need to be able to be invisible…. you don’t want buyers trying to contact you because the puppy is sick or they want to have the vaccine certificates or they have questions about why their new puppy seems to have severe giardia. You certainly don’t want animal welfare showing up because you are selling very sick kittens!!!
Where do you go that will protect YOUR identity?
A very large proportion of these individuals use KIJIJI.
Why?
Sellers of animals such as puppy millers/backyard breeders and brokers can remain hidden = NO TRACEABILITY!
That means:
- No consumer protections
- No health protections if any of the animals have zoonotic diseases
- No oversight
- No inspections
- No enforcement
- Undeclared income for the greeders and brokers!
A puppy miller or broker can create a sellers account on Kijiji with a simple email….any email…be anyone you want!!! They are truly invisible!!!
For over 15 yrs, Kijiji has been called out by animal welfare advocates for providing a selling platform to allow “bad actors” to continue to profit and animals to continue suffering because they refuse to bring in real requirements that would require holders of these accounts to have to identify themselves by producing government issued ID = traceability.
Not only does Kijiji refuse to bring in this consumer protection….the Government of Ontario refuses to require this of sellers.
The Gov could…but they won’t. WHY?
The Ontario government bears responsibility for the regulatory framework governing breeders and animal sales in Ontario. Ontario enacted the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, 2024 (PUPS Act), which amended the PAWS Act and created puppy-mill offences.
But this is particularly important: some significant provisions concerning sales, transfers, record keeping and facilitating puppy-mill sales remain not yet in force. The current consolidated PAWS Act specifically identifies s. 23.1—the prohibition on selling or transferring dogs contrary to regulations—as “not in force.” Certain additional puppy-mill provisions likewise await proclamation.
What would actually change the situation?
Ontario could establish a province-wide breeder licensing and registration system with breeder identification numbers, traceability and enforceable record-keeping.
The premise sounds promising BUT…this would be very hard to do. Breeder/brokers do everything they can to stay invisible, you think they are going to step forward to get a license?
But what if….you required licensing AT THE SELLING/TRANSFER end instead of the breeding end?
Manitoba’s Bill 19 has changed the regulatory target. Rather than simply asking, “Are you a breeder?”, the legislation is designed around the activity of selling, transferring, giving away, or advertising a pet animal.
Ofcourse the real power of this legislation will be in the Regulations…
- Who is exempt
- Definition of a “repeat” seller
- What volume of sales will trigger the licensing requirement
- What information will the seller be required to provide
Humane Initiative has been meeting with the Policy team within the Ministry of the Solicitor General for 5 months about needed changes to Ontario’s animal welfare laws, primarily puppy mills. We brought forward Manitoba’s Bill 19 during the summer asking the Policy team to review the legislation for the purposes of adopting the licensing part into Ontario’s model. Talks are ongoing…..
Please never buy an animal from online selling platforms like Kijiji, FB Marketplace, online ads etc..
And be very careful when dealing with a breeder – even if they have a glossy website! Many full blown puppy mills and puppy mill brokers have snazzy websites with puppies frolicking in the grass or snuggled with Mum on a cozy bed. These are intentionally meant to disarm your suspicions.
Visit the breeder at their home (never meet somewhere else), ask them for a tour. Ask to see the other dogs living quarters – even if it is through glass only. Make sure you meet the parents, ask to see their vet records. Ask which vet they use and call the vet for a reference.
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