PUPPY FARMING

A puppy farm is a means of making money – pure and simple.

People who run puppy farms do it for the money, not for the love of dogs.

This is a cruel trade that involves keeping breeding bitches in small pens, often in complete darkness and without any contact with other dogs. These dogs are bred from continuously as soon as they can be (ab)used in this way – but when they are too old, they are either killed or just discarded. They have no contact with the outside world, have very little contact with people and are not allowed to exercise or play. This has been likened to battery farming of dogs – yet it is still legal in this country!

Dogs kept in such appalling conditions often suffer from eye, ear and skin infections, stress and malnutrition – to name but a few!

Puppies born in these conditions often have genetic or other health problems and may also have behavioural problems as a result of being taken from their mothers too early.

Health problems are left untreated by the puppy farmer and commonly include Parvovirus; worms and severe diarrhoea; hip dysplasia; heart problems; eye conditions, including glaucoma and cherry eye; and severe skin complaints.

Puppy farms in England, Wales and Scotland are licensed by local councils and are not illegal. Puppy farms are most common in Wales and Ireland; it is estimated that as many as 50,000 puppies are imported from Ireland every year, most destined for pet shops in Southern England. The county of Carmarthenshire in Wales alone is thought to produce 28,000 puppies a year (source: Puppy Love). Puppies are sold in pet shops and via adverts on the Internet and in newspapers.

If you want to share your life with a dog and are ready to make such a significant commitment, please consider a rescue dog. Thousands of dogs are put to sleep each year through no fault of their own and rescue organisations across the UK are facing huge pressures with more and more dogs ending up in their care.