PETA advert will encourage people to adopt pets

People are being warned about the dangers of buying animals in a new advert by welfare charity PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals).

The group has launched a new advert following thestory of a dog called Kai who was abandoned at Ayr railway station.

PETA’s ad warns of the dangers of buying animals – and instead urges people to adopt.

Kai, a shar pei, received international attention after being left tied up with a suitcase full of belongings after an internet sale went wrong.

The advert reads: "I'm Kai. I was bought and sold on Gumtree and ended up homeless", and goes on to encourage people to "adopt – don't shop".

PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi said: “When people buy a dog off the Internet, they're not only funding breeding but also robbing a homeless animal of his or her chance at adoption.

“Unlike animal shelters, breeders don't screen their buyers or perform home checks, so there's no way to ensure that the animals are going to good homes or that the new guardians receive an animal companion who's suitable to their household."

PETA is urging Gumtree to enact a policy banning advertisements from breeders to prevent animals from ending up in the hands of negligent or abusive people.

The charity says many breeders raise animals in horrific conditions and keep them in a constant cycle of pregnancy.

Each year, thousands of dogs and cats in animal shelters must be killed because there aren't enough good homes for them.

Other animals are abandoned on the streets, where they starve to death, fall prey to abuse or get injured or killed by vehicles.

Bekhechi said: “Meanwhile, there are thousands of dogs like Kai who are currently languishing in shelters across the country, literally dying for a loving home. PETA encourages people moved by Kai's plight to rescue their next animal companion – or if possible, two – from a local shelter instead of buying from anonymous sellers and always to spay and neuter.”