Petfished - Partnership Marketing

In August 2018 Defra consulted on a proposal to introduce a ban on third party sales of puppies and kittens in England. This followed a high-profile campaign known as 'Lucy Law' which brought attention to the poor welfare conditions associated with pet shops and dealers and the so-called puppy farms that supply them.

Lucy's Law came into force on 6 April 2020. It means anyone wanting to get a new puppy or kitten in England must now buy direct from a breeder or with one of the nation's reputable rehoming centres. Licensed dog breeders are required to show puppies interacting with their mothers in their place of birth. If a business sells puppies or kittens without a licence, they could receive an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to six months.

On 2 March 2020, ahead of Lucy's Law coming into force, we launched a campaign called Petfished. The term 'Petfished' is a play on 'Catfishing', where a stranger creates a fictional online persona to lure someone in. The campaign raises awareness of unscrupulous sellers so that prospective pet-buyers can buy a cat or dog safely, from a trustworthy source. Urging people to question 'Who's the person behind the pet?'

The campaign aims to:

- Educate our audiences about the risks of buying from an unscrupulous seller

- Disrupt the purchasing journey and encourage people to not only research the breed of dog they want but equally to research the seller

- Challenge perceptions that low welfare breeders are easy to spot.

Policy objective: To reduce the demand for puppies and kittens, cats and dogs sold by third parties and supplied by low-welfare and/or illegal breeders.

Communications objectives: The campaign encourages the responsible sourcing of puppies/kittens/cats/dogs by getting buyers/adopters to research the seller before they visit