Puppy Farm Awareness Day.

THE BATTERY FARMING OF DOGS MUST BE STOPPED.

I never like doing these posts because it breaks my heart but I suppose that's the difference between me and a puppy farmer I've got a heart.

I think the best way to describe puppy farms is that they are just factories except instead of mass producing household items they are mass producing puppies. I'm sure everyone's heard of battery hens used for egg laying well It's the same life for the dogs on puppy farms kept in barns, cages, caravans, outbuildings and any other unsuitable building kept with only one purpose in mind to produce as many litters as possible.

The people who farm these dogs know absolutely nothing about dogs, there not fed a proper diet, have fresh water available, receive proper veterinary treatment, kept in dark buildings with no daylight and not socialised and lots of them are probably inbred and suffering from incurable diseases there sole purpose is just to make money. Puppies are torn away from their mothers at a young age, often as young as 4 weeks old. This early separation makes the puppies prone to both behavioural and physical problems and sometimes the consequences are fatal.

The trade in pedigree puppies is booming: thousands of them are being offered for sale under false pretences via the Internet, in pet shops and in public spaces. Bred in poor conditions in so-called ‘puppy mills’ found across Eastern Europe Ireland and Wales, the puppies suffer from severe distress. They are often separated from their mothers at the young age of 3 to 4 weeks, to be transported for sale across Europe with fake documents. When they arrive at their destinations, many puppies are already afflicted by fatal diseases. Many of them may not survive the first weeks of their life. This loss is budgeted by the ruthless traders in advance. In contrast, the new, unsuspecting owners face high veterinary costs and despite intensive care, many animals die or have to be put down.

 Avoid buying a puppy from anywhere or anyone without being able to see at least one or preferably both the parents.

Avoid buying a puppy from a pet shop or any other similar outlet, Internet, newspaper advertisement or car boot sale.

Avoid buying a puppy on impulse or because you feel sorry for a frightened and timid one.

Avoid buying a puppy from someone who cannot answer ALL your questions about the health and welfare of an animal. Ideally take a local vet with you to check an animal’s health and behaviour before deciding.

Avoid buying a puppy from anywhere or anyone without being able to see at least one or preferably both of the parents.

 Avoid buying from a breeder that has several breeds, they may be a dealer supplied by a puppy farm.

Check that the puppy looks healthy and does not have runny eyes, ears and nose.

 Check the age and all the puppy’s documentation i.e. Kennel Club documents, vaccination cards, micro chip documents.

If you are suspicious contact either your local authority who license breeders or RSPCA.

Most puppy farmers deliver there puppies to pet shops, motorway service stations, pub car parks, waste land or anywhere apart from there own premises so you can't see the conditions the dogs are kept in and no one knows where they are located.

Overcoming the problem isn't as easy as just closing them down because as soon as you shut one another one opens, the main thing is to educate the public and raise awareness of them, puppy farms operate on supply and demand so by raising awareness and cutting off the demand they will soon shut themselves down hopefully if there's no money coming in.

To help the overcrowding of animal shelters and to put puppy farms out of business Adopt don't buy.