The survey says: pet stores

We asked 5,000 TaskSpotting users about pet ownership

Some owners complain that they have bought puppies that have died just days later. Reem Mohammed / The National

Many of us adore our pets. They are members of the family. For some expatriates, having a pet can make living far away from home just a little bit easier and more comfortable. That is why the pet business is growing. As with any popular business, however, regulation and oversight is needed.

We asked 5,000 TaskSpotting users for their opinions on pet stores. TaskSpotting describes itself as the region’s only advocate marketing platform and pitches our questions to its app community who typically engage with brands and relevant issues to create content, spread awareness and share feedback.

Given the recent spate of puppy deaths as reported in The National this month, it is unsurprising that most users supported more pet store regulation. A total of 88 per cent of users felt that animal breeding should have better regulation and 93 per cent believed that pet stores in particular needed greater controls placed upon them.

Somewhat surprising was the relatively low number of users that said they would adopt a pet before purchasing one from a pet store. Only 67 per cent said they would consider adoption over purchasing. One clear way of ending the problem of bad breeders is to adopt animals in need.