PUPPY FARMS IN THE NEWS AGAIN!

Again we see the cruel Puppy trade in the news which is highlighting easy imports of Puppies for re-sale here in the UK. The program i'm referring to is THE DOG RESCUERS  which is on Channel five and shows Alan Davies commenting and following the work of the RSPCA in tackling Puppy Farms, Dog neglect and cruelty. This week the program investigated a gang operating from Stockport in Cheshire who were bringing over puppies from Irish puppy farms of various breeds including Chihuahuas, French Bulldogs, Shitzu's and various cross breeds.

Their set up was just pure deceit and lies to the customer with excuses for absent mothers, bogus names and rented houses, vet checks and much more. They rented a house just to sell the puppies from so that nothing came back to them if they need to disappear rather quickly. I can relate to this due to the stories told of previous experiences by my customers where they have gone to purchase a puppy from a breeder who has clearly told them what they want too hear just to sell them a dog. There should be clear transparency with every breeder so customers know how and where the parents live and how and where puppies are brought up. This is one of the reasons why we display every part of our facilities on our website so we can offer customers reassurance of a professional setup.

When people see classifieds like "chihuahua puppies for sale" "french bulldogs for sale" make sure you understand that these could really be saying "sick imported puppies for sale bred by someone else".

So what can you do to try and reassure yourself?

• If you are suspicious and have bought the puppy then check that it is a UK issued microchip.
• Ask the breeder if they or their vet implanted the chip, ask to see their qualification certificate or proof from the vet with the puppies chip number on it.
• Beware breeders selling multiple breeds....These are just in it for the money!
• If you feel uncomfortable then tell the breeder you want to have time to think about it and then leave.
• Make sure you see atleast 1 parent....if the puppy doesn't look as though it knows the parent then be suspicious.
• If you can't see other dogs then again be suspicious.
• If your puppy comes with a passport then chances are it has been imported.
• KC papers mean nothing as people importing puppies easily obtain these from the import certificate.

If you haven't already then have a look at the program here THE DOG RESCUERS