Manchester-based entrepreneur Felix Robinson has set up a business with her son Tom to make the buying of dogs online safer. 

Felix, who has previously worked in the skincare industry, was inspired to launch Pet Trust UK following the Covid pandemic puppy boom.

Felix said: “During the lockdown a Manchester breeder was threatened at knifepoint with machetes. Her dogs and puppies were stolen from her home after a meet and greet with an alleged prospective family. Sadly, she wasn’t the only one as reports of attacks rose.

“My family and I knew that no platform supported breeders and prospective dog owners to make connections safely.

“Prospective owners are buying dogs online with no way of checking the breeder's credibility, health certificates and breeding practices. They were entrusting their fortunes without knowing if there was even a real puppy waiting for them or they were falling in love and finding their puppy cruelly ripped from them six months later due to poor breeding and hidden health conditions.

“We therefore decided to set up Pet Trust UK to make buying animals online safer.”

Felix believes that the current system for buying and selling dogs online is broken and leaves users vulnerable with the welfare of the public and animals clearly not the top priority.

The Pet Trust UK secure platform provides the following benefits:

• Pet Trust UK will include a dog family tree for all breeds so users can research the heredity of the dogs.
• Pet Trust UK will be doing health certificate checks to reduce the incidence of inherited disorders.
• Pet Trust UK will hold breeders accountable, ensuring the Licences are legitimate.
• All images will have a transparent logo and look at ai technology to recognise when a photo has been copied and if so, will be flagged.
• By introducing the UK's 1st Mandatory ID bank clearance checks, this new online platform ensures that the breeder and potential buyer know that the person messaging them is genuine, their details accurate and they are traceable.
• All potential dog owners will complete a questionnaire, which will be forwarded to the breeder on enquiry.
• All hobby breeders who do not have a licence are to be vetted by zoom with a preset list of questions to ensure the user is not a puppy farmer and is breeding responsibly.

“By ensuring that breeding dogs are healthy, we will contribute to the welfare of all dogs. This will create a trustworthy and safe environment for all users,” says Felix, who is the proud owner of a five-year-old rescue Boxer called Sammi.

As well as providing a safe environment to buy pets, Pet Trust UK also intends to give something back by working with rescue centres and giving a percentage of profits to partner centres. They have already partnered up with DNA Protected, and are working closely with Councils, and The Police to make their platform the most secure place to purchase pets. They also hope to link up with the Kennel Club and Laboratories to validate health results, vets, insurance companies, retailers and pet food manufacturers to give added benefits to customers. The business will be launching an Ecommerce site in September and also intends to provide educational courses and qualifications and resource material on various aspects of pet care.

Felix added: “I see Pet Trust UK becoming a one stop shop for dog breeders, breeding equipment and new puppy owners as we aim to offer something special to our customers. Our focus will also be on promoting licenced breeders and showcasing their profiles.”

For more information visit  www.pettrustuk.com or email felixr@pettrustuk.com