Buying a puppy is not as simple as you may think. Sadly, not all puppy breeders and sellers are reputable.

There is a dark side to the trade - puppy trafficking. This is where puppies are bred in large numbers for profit, often with little regard for animal welfare. Many puppies fall sick, and some die.

Grim realities of buying a puppy exposed

An investigation by the RSPCA in 2008 revealed the grim realities of unethical puppy trafficking.

As part of the campaign, undercover RSPCA officers test purchased six puppies, two of which were found to have potentially fatal illnesses.

Chardonnay, a cavalier King Charles spaniel cross, was diagnosed with pneumonia and, despite constant care, sadly died two weeks later. Frank, a mastiff, had parvo virus, but was fortunately saved by vets.

The RSPCA has for many years exposed the misery of puppy farming and campaigned tirelessly to tighten up legislation relating to the breeding and sale of dogs.

In 1999, we welcomed James Clappison MP’s Private Member’s Bill, which  became law and succeeded in closing some of the loopholes in existing legislation.

The Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 brought in a number of safeguards to protect the health and welfare of breeding bitches. This included setting a limit of one litter per year per breeding bitch, and a maximum limit of six in her lifetime to prevent bitches being forced to breed excessively.

It also introduced the need for inspections of breeding establishments to be carried out.

Working to stamp out puppy trafficking

Today, however, we are concerned that the law is not being properly enforced by local authorities and that animal welfare is not always taken into consideration when licences are issued for breeding establishments and pet shops.

Furthermore, the trade in puppies from Ireland – which has weaker legislation governing the breeding and and sale of dogs - has resulted in an increase in the sale of sick puppies and puppies with behavioural problems.

Minor changes = better animal welfare

We believe that with minor changes to licence conditions for breeding establishments and pet shops and better enforcement by local authorities, it would result a significant improvement for animal welfare.

We have been working closely with a number of local authorities to help them improve their licence conditions, and will continue to call for this to be implemented as a nationwide initiative.

We will also seek opportunties for legislative change to further improve the welfare of breeding bitches and puppies bred for profit.

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