A pet accessories company has been told to remove marketing material claiming that its beds reduced stress or anxiety. The ruling against Bella&Toby was made by the Advertising Standards Authority, the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media.

The ASA looked into three separate instances – a paid-for Facebook ad, a Facebook page, and a website ad – after receiving a complaint. The complainant, who understood that separation anxiety could not be addressed by the use of a comfortable bed, challenged the efficacy claims for the product.

In response to the complaint, A&T International Ltd, the parent company of Bella & Tony, said that the round shape of their bed helped the dog sleep in a ‘donut position’ and that this is comforting for dogs. They provided a link to a website for a third-party mattress manufacturer. The website cited a clinician in veterinary medicine who explained that dogs sleep in this position in order to protect their internal organs.

Bella&Toby also said that if a blanket is placed over the bed, then this can make the dog sleep in ‘the burrower’ position. The same website cited a veterinary consultant who said that burrowing could be a way for a dog to take a relaxing break from keeping watch.

Bella&Toby understood that the thick layer of fur on the bed could remind the dog of sleeping next to their mother. They said that the soft padding gave the dog the feeling of sleeping on a cloud.

They provided a testimonial from a customer which stated that the bed was very good quality and attested that their dog goes straight to the bed when there are fireworks.

The ASA considered that consumers would understand from the ads that the dog bed reduced or eliminated separation anxiety.

In its ruling the ASA stated: “The CAP Code required marketers to hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation.

“We assessed the evidence provided by Bella&Toby. The links provided were for a third-party mattress manufacturer, and a general interest website about dogs. The information explained the opinions of a veterinary clinician and consultant on the effect on dogs of sleeping in various positions. 

“However, although it provided general context, the evidence was not focused on the use of Bella&Toby’s dog bed. It was therefore insufficient to support the claims under investigation. We also considered the customer review was the subjective view of an individual. While representative of their experience, it was not the type of robust evidence required to support objective, scientific claims.

“Because we had not seen evidence that the dog bed shown could reduce or eliminate anxiety in dogs, we concluded that the efficacy claims for the product had not been substantiated and were likely to mislead.”

The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising) and 3.7 (Substantiation), and 12.1 (Medicines, medical devices, health-related products and beauty products).

The ads must not appear again in their current form. The ASA told A&T International Ltd t/a Bella&Toby not to claim that their beds reduced stress or anxiety unless they held adequate substantiation.

The full ASA ruling can be views at https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/a-t-international-ltd-a22-1169887-at-international-ltd.html