TikTok’s Puppy Boom

The Growing Problem of Influencers Selling Puppies Online

Our research team has noticed a disturbing pattern emerging across TikTok and other online platforms: influencers are selling hundreds of puppies each weekend from commercial breeders and unlicensed operations without the proper licensing or transparency. We have audited hundreds of interstate transport records and dozens of online sellers to confirm that there is a new type of brokering happening and it isn’t one that can be tracked easily. 

Unlike responsible breeders who operate with transparency and proper animal care, this new type of online puppy seller is tapping into the demand for popular breeds like French Bulldogs, Doodles, and Yorkies (to name a few!) in order to flip those puppies for profit without any accountability or transparency. The seller will hop onto TikTok live on a weekend night and will just hold a puppy in front of the camera or have the camera facing a pen of puppies. They will often sit there and repeat the price and breeds of dog, while repeating their ways to buy. There is never any mention that they aren’t the actual breeder of the puppies (go ahead and ask us how many TikTok breeders have blocked our team when we ask…) but they often offer to deliver the puppy. Sales are made quickly through some cash app, although they usually prefer cash.

This happens hundreds of times each week. Anonymous online sales. 

When someone buys a puppy like this, they truly have no idea where the puppy came from. No questions are asked regarding where the puppy was born, how the parents are living and if they have been genetically tested, or whether the breeder is operating in compliance with the law. This also makes it harder for complaints to be filed in cases where the puppies are sick, because there isn’t a real business or address to file complaints on. Online marketplaces and social media have created an aura of casual legitimacy and urgency that scammers are able to exploit in order to get customers to place deposits or pay in full as soon as possible. 

Consumers who purchase puppies without making sure that their breeder is legitimate may end up with animals that lack proper veterinary care, accurate health records, or legal protections. And, since no one knows where the parent dogs are, it is impossible to confirm that they aren’t being kept in poor conditions or have animal welfare issues.

But it isn’t just the customers who are getting scammed. 

Ripe For Fraud

In October 2022, Pennsylvania authorities discovered an illegal puppy ring operating out of the Philadelphia area. According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, five individuals were charged with criminal conspiracy to commit theft, theft by deception, and corrupt organizations for using fake cashier’s checks and counterfeit cash to buy puppies from Pennsylvania breeders and then resell them through their social media pages. The operation targeted breeders who raised popular, small breed puppies, and prosecutors estimated over 30 thefts resulting in more than $430,000 in losses for those breeders. Our research team has found that at least one person from this case is still actively selling mini poodles, mini Goldendoodles, and other small dogs on TikTok Live every weekend- and he will deliver nationwide.  Former U.S. Representative George Santos even participated in a similar scheme where he would buy puppies from breeders with bad checks as part of a sham animal rescue, which was not registered as an official nonprofit organization. 

It is scary how quickly and easily sellers online can create new profiles or websites and continue with their business like nothing has changed. This makes it nearly impossible for enforcement agencies to track them and consumers to be able to know who they are truly doing business with.

What can consumers do? 

Researching before you buy is the only way to ensure that you are not getting scammed or that aren’t supporting an inhumane breeding operation. 

• • Meet the breeder and the puppy in person before paying or transferring funds.
  • Verify licensing and health documentation from veterinarians and state agencies. Find out where your puppy was born!
  • Avoid sellers who push for payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or unconventional methods.
  • When possible, adopt from reputable rescues or shelters rather than from unverified online sellers.

You can view more tips on how to avoid puppy mills here. 

What can advocates do? 

Online sellers, whose business model operates by buying puppies from breeders and reselling them, are required to have a Class B USDA dealer license. Whether they are selling on Facebook, Craigslist, TikTok, Puppies.com or any other online platform, they need to be licensed and inspected by the USDA if they are buying and reselling puppies that they themselves did not raise. Concerned customers and advocates can collect as much information as possible on the seller including their name, address, and any evidence you have of them conducting AWA regulated activity and file a complaint here. Please only file complete complaints with the USDA or they will not be able to investigate. If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to our research team. 

It should also be noted that many puppy-selling stores across the country use TikTok live to sell puppies as well. 

The rise of online social media-driven puppy sales highlights a huge gap in our licensing regulations, consumer protection regulations, and consumer education efforts. How can we continue to protect both animals and consumers in a digital world that rewards visibility over accountability? Without greater transparency and enforcement, fraudulent sellers will continue to exploit the public’s goodwill and their love of pets.