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eradicate points of sale of
irresponsibly bred pets. ‘To
legally sell in the UK all you
need is a pet shop licence,
and it doesn’t matter where
puppies come from in the
world they just need this
licence, a licence which is
ridiculously easy to obtain.’
Says Marc. He continues,
‘Puppies brought in and sold
from abroad should be
terrifying people, as they are
loaded with diseases, such
as Rabies, Parvovirus and
Echinococcus, and often
have serious behavioural
problems too’.
However, do not think that
puppy farms can only be found
abroad. They are a growing
business in the UK and, besides
being sold through pet shops,
are often advertised online by
fake breeders, who set up in
houses to convince the public
they are genuine. Marc says
that there are ways to tell if a
breeder is genuine or not. ‘It is
very unlikely that a genuine
breeder will have more than
one breed. If you go to buy a
puppy and see multiple breeds
advertised then it should
immediately raise a ‘red flag’.
Check to see if mum is there
and if the bitch that they say is
mum is actually interacting
with the puppies. Be prepared
to say NO. A good breeder will
not pressurise and will advise
you to come back when you
are ready. If it is a scam then
the atmosphere will change
immediately and pressure will
be put on you to buy’.
Similarly, if the pups are in
squalid conditions, don’t buy to
‘get a pup out’ as you will only
perpetuate the problem but,
report it to the relevant
authorities instead so that all
the pups are saved.
Although the government
needs to change the legislation
and manage our borders
better, it is also down to the
public to stop buying from
these outlets. Marc’s advice,
when considering buying a
puppy, is to first ask yourself if
you really need one. Do you
have the time, money, space
and patience required for this
new addition to your family?
He continues ‘Go to a
responsible breeder or consider
getting your puppy/dog from a
rescue centre. Rescue centres
have changed massively over
the years and mostly take
puppies and dogs whose
owners have died, or can’t
cope, or have developed
allergies. They have usually
been well cared for and are
checked for diseases and
behavioural problems. You
can still have a young dog,
as the average age dogs are
abandoned is 18 months, or
you could put your name down
for a puppy if you are willing
to wait’.
Marc says, ‘If we can change
legislation and lose the ‘pet
shop licence’ allowing buying
in and selling young puppies,
then we will save a lot of dogs
from a terrible existence. While
there is still this middleman,
or ‘dealer’, the problems will
continue. Even the drug dealers
are turning to puppy farming
as, not only is it very profitable,
there are no harsh sentences
as a deterrent’.
If you would like to be
part of the campaign
to stop puppy farming
then write to your local
MP, DEFRA minister
George Eustace, or visit
the PUP AID website at
pupaid.org.
Help
STOP
Puppy Farming