illegal dog market - xmas thriving

I applaud all the publicity re these puppy farms, now nobody should be lulled into buying through the internet.

BUT I'd like to see more. Very few of the programmes tell you where to get your new dog.

If you want a recognised breed get in touch with the Kennel Club who have a list of approved breeders. Many of these will have pups that won't make the grade as show dogs but make great pets.

Then there's the pet charities who are looking for 'forever homes' for abandoned pooches.

Finally there's the home breeder and here you do have to be very careful. Are they genuine, can you see the mother dog, are the puppies clean, well fed, sociable.

We've had dogs over the years from all three sources, plus one that wandered in one night and stayed.

It breaks my heart when I see these poor puppies and the breeding bitches.

Does the Kennel Club /PDSA/RSPCA or other national organisation have a system where home dog breeders can register so potential pet purchasers know that particular seller has a stamp of approval? OfDog / OfPet style??

I would like Crufts banned . There has been registered breeders prosecuted for cruelty ,i have little trust in the KC and am so against their desire for perfection , nature ie not perfect, it is beautiful .

That would be ideal Pen though unlikely to happen. It has been proposed that anyone who wishes to breed ought to, in law, be licensed. Can't see that happening either.

But I've had some lovely dogs from home breeders, and always Mum has been there to see surrounded by happy, healthy pups. Questions to be asked? Have the puppies been wormed? Have they had any injections yet? And they ought to give you a few samples of the puppy food they've been weaned onto to take away with you. Finally if they ask you to bring a blanket so they can rub it against Mum and the other puppies, so their scent will be on the blanket, then that's a good sign too.

The Kennel Club has upted its ethics in the last few years Annie. I take your point and it was the BBC bann on filming Crufts that's brought change for the better.

They have revised many of their breed standards as a result and healthier dogs are the result.

However much you dislike them though, there is a difference between registered breeders who want to show dogs and those approved breeders. Don't confuse the two.

Almost worse than that is the common practise of caving in to children's demands for a puppy. Then later, when school and work start up again, or when the family go off for a holiday, they abandon the poor thing.
You see the poor lost animals running along the side of the road, looking for the car which dropped them off. It's heartbreaking - the dog refuges here were overwhelmed this last summer.
What can be done about it?

That shouldn't happen now Tricia as all dogs should be microchipped by law now.

I agree - that's an absolutely disgusting way to treat any animal.

In the U.K.

I don't confuse them Anya, my brother shows at crufts , which causes disagreements every year. My opinion of a registered breeder and owner of s crufts champion who advises to glue a puppy's ears to help them grow erect is not suitable for printing .

So you're saying someone who is registered to show at Crufts (this runs into the thousands) is the same as approved breeeder (a handful throughout the U.K.) that has passed an inspection of its puppy breeding facilities?

Fair enough, if you think they're the same, but I assure you they are not.,

BTW nearly knows someone who shows at Crufts Annie

Apologies I should have written assured breeder.

This is the only organisation accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to certify dog breeders, under the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme. This means that the Kennel Club is recognised as an impartial and competent inspector by the government's sole national accreditation body.
This gives the puppy buying public additional confidence that Assured Breeders are committed to meeting and maintaining high standards for caring for the health and welfare of their puppies and breeding bitches, and are the best point of contact for buying a healthy, happy puppy.

She is an assured breeder Anya

Sorry Annie

What breed of dog?