The Kennel Club has launched a new campaign in a bid to clamp down on puppy farms.

Designer crossbreeds

Puppy farming is where high volumes of dogs are bred from overused breeding bitches, without any regard for their health or wellbeing. Sadly the numbers of puppies brought from these farms is on the rise, which some believe has been fuelled by the demand for designer crossbreeds.

According to recent research by the Kennel Club, a quarter of all puppy owners may have bought their dogs from a farm. The survey also revealed that three out of five buyers didn’t see the mother and over half didn’t see where they were bred, which means that most buyers are unaware of the conditions their dog was born into – or indeed where they came from.

“Because the industry lacks virtually any regulation, we urge people to go to a Kennel Club Assured Breeder since they follow all of the steps that we expect of the most reputable breeders and agree to have their premises checked by a Kennel Club inspector,” said Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary.

Alarming trend

The STOP Puppy Farming campaign hopes to introduce some form of legislation, which would see all breeders having to adhere to rules and regulations, similar to those followed by members of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme. This is the only scheme in the UK that monitors dog breeders and states that they must provide a contract of sale.

“There is now an alarming trend which is seeing breeders view dogs just as commodities without any regard for their rights as living creatures,” said Marc Abraham, Kennel Club veterinary advisor. “People wouldn’t buy from a car from a dodgy dealer, offering no MOT or service documents, but sadly people don’t ask for the similar assurances from a dog breeder. These pups will then most likely suffer terrible health and behavioural problems further down the line.”

Shocking conditions

As part of the campaign the Kennel Club has produced a film called STOP the Suffering, STOP Puppy Farming, which shows the shocking conditions that the puppies are kept in. It has also started an online petition to put an end to the farms.

Watch the film here (warning: this video contains some scenes which may be distressing to viewers)