THE END OF PUPPY FARMING?
‘The Kennel Club’ and ‘Moto Service Stations’, are reporting that puppies across the country are being ruthlessly sold in car parks. These puppies are sold by puppy farmers who are using dogs as simple breeding machines. Most of the dogs used by puppy farmers are treated with little regard to their basic needs and care.

Many of the puppy farmers are only interested in a quick turnover and profit mainly from intensive breeding. Some of the bitches used to benefit their greed are sometimes stolen pets which are classed as popular pedigree dogs. The average age of a mature bitch is approximately 2-3 years old yet bitches are being used at 12 months old.

Mr Smith from Birmingham tells how he was approached by friends of friends who asked if he would be interested in one of their pups as they didn’t have room at the kennels to keep her. “I have always loved the breed and jumped at the chance of looking after the pup. The owners said that if I was willing to keep her all they would want was the bitch when she was mature to breed a litter. At first I was very sceptical, however by now the dog was already a part of my family. She trusted me. As soon as she was 18 months old they came to collect her and took her away to breed her. My family was devastated. All we wanted was our dog back. They wouldn’t even take the money I offered them for her. Soon I realised that this was their plan all along. Get someone like me to look after the dog and then they get to use her as a breeding machine. The pups sell for around £1,200 and she gave birth to a litter of 10.The puppy farming business is big money. The dog is always the loser. When my dog was returned she was under nourished and very traumatised. I informed the various authorities!”
The story above is very typical of the ethics of the Puppy Farmer. The pups themselves are usually separated from their mother and litter mates far too early. This early separation is very traumatic and can impede healthy development of the dog for the future. One such aspect of hindering the puppies’ development is that it is the bitch and litter mates who teach a pup the acceptable levels of biting. The bitch and litter mates act as a barometer to pain levels during play fighting and feeding. During play fighting and feeding litter mates and mother dog will either yelp or show signs of annoyance if puppy bites are too hard or painful. Ideally the puppy you are to get should be 8- 12 weeks old. This type of dog communication is carried into the new home and if puppy hasn’t had the interaction it has required during its first few weeks there is no gauge to work with. Hence the biting and aggression problems we are witnessing in the media today. The puppies are also made to suffer further by being transported on long journeys, without their mother and very cramped in cages.

Conditions Inside a West Sussex Puppy Farm
The Staff at Moto services have confirmed to have witnessed people buying dogs in car parks. Apparently to meet in a service station car park is a preferred location for any puppy farmer. These service stations are easy to get to and create a degree of anonymity. Most of the puppy farming in Britain is hidden away in private households and are hard to detect. By the puppy farmers meeting in car parks they can be found easier and prosecuted.
Anyone tempted to buy a puppy from a person in a car park to “save it” is just giving the cruel business of puppy farming a hungry market, which encourages the malpractice further.
Both The Kennel Club and Moto Services are keen to stamp out all illegal trading.

If you do see any such malpractice in progress please contact

The Kennel Club on 0207 518 1020 (public affairs dept)

Have you a story/experience reguarding Puppy Farming? Why not send us a letter for the new forthcoming letters pages! Email with subject title Letter!

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