Posts with Puppies Seemingly for Sale Bundle
UPDATED DEC 2, 2025
Today, August 13, 2025, the Oversight Board selected a case bundle appealed by Facebook users regarding two pieces of content related to the advertising of pets.
The first piece of content concerns a short video posted to a Facebook page by an administrator of the page depicting two puppies in a pen. The caption states the breed of the puppies and the text overlay on the video repeats the same words along with an Instagram handle. The public page where the content was posted states that the user is a specialist dog breeder.
The second piece of content concerns a post to a user’s own profile timeline on Facebook. The post contains six videos of puppies for sale, states that the user is “looking for furparents,” and that they have six pure-breed puppies “open for reservation.” Additional details are included about the puppies, though there is no mention of price or money changing hands. The user describes themselves as a “digital creator” on their profile.
Upon initial review, Meta took down both pieces of content for violating our policy on Restricted Goods and Services, as laid out in the Community Standards. However, upon additional review, we determined we removed the first piece of content in error and reinstated the post. Meta removes content “that attempts to buy, sell or trade live non-endangered animals” unless it falls into a number of stated exceptions. One of those exceptions allows content “posted by a Page, group or Instagram profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities… or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.”
We will implement the Board's decision once it has finished deliberating, and will update this post accordingly. Please see the Board's website for the decision when they issue it.
Read the board’s case selection summary
Case decision
We welcome the Oversight Board's decision today, December 2, 2025, on this case. The Board overturned Meta’s original decision to remove the content in the first case and upheld the decision to remove it in the second case. Meta previously reinstated the content in the first case, so no additional action will be taken.
When it is technically and operationally possible to do so, we will also take action on content that is identical and in the same context as the first case. For more information, please see our Newsroom post about how we implement the Board’s decisions.
After conducting a review of the recommendation provided by the Board, we will update this post with initial responses to that recommendation.