Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Impulse buyers fuel trade in sick puppies Kennel Club calls for a ban on pet shop dog sales
FOLLOWING last week’s tragic tale of Freddie the Labrador who lived for just five days after being bought from a pet shop, here are two Yorkies, Pixie-belle and Lily.
Pixie-belle survived for a mere eight days, again after being sold by a pet shop.
“She was my first dog. I’ve dreamed of having a Yorkie since I was five,” said its owner, who says she is afraid of the pet shop owners and does not want to be named.
Pixie-belle seemed healthy at first, although rather hot, but then lost her appetite and became very lethargic.
Her condition worsened, with foaming at the mouth and fits, and vets prescribed antibiotics.
“They thought it could be kennel cough, parvovirus or even distemper,” said the distraught owner. “It was around 6am that I got the phone call asking me to give consent to putting her down. I was in pieces. I never even said goodbye.”
The other Yorkie, Lily, was bought by a different owner.
She survived – barely. Within two days of purchase, the pet shop puppy was diagnosed with multiple illnesses including campylobacter and, says the owner, “the worst ringworm my vet has ever seen on a puppy”.
She explained that Lily recovered: “But she struggles to learn things, and is very anxious. She still can’t walk properly or go to the toilet in the park – it all makes sense now that we know she is from a puppy farm.”
Cases like these are fuelling demands for a ban on the sale of puppies by pet shops or any other third party retailers who take them away from their mothers. Two major charities – Dogs Trust and Blue Cross – have caused dismay among animal welfare campaigners by lobbying the Government to delay a ban, saying more research is needed.
But the Kennel Club supports an immediate ban and has just released a report saying that licensing pet
Reality TV star Sophie Kasaei is in trouble for plugging a so-called slimming product on social media.
“Tummy game plan? You know it’s @flattummytea,” she posted on Instagram, where she has 1.5 million shops lends legitimacy to a trade which supports puppy farming.
“Third party selling is effectively puppy dealing,” it says. “We believe that legitimising third party sales contributes to the increasing problem of puppy farming and buyers not knowing where to get a well-bred puppy.”
Kennel Club research shows that
followers. She went on: “Nothings gonna get you flat the same as this tea will.
“The excuses are in the past, much like the water weight I used to have.”
The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that the
plugs must not appear again, saying they broke the advertising industry code on health claims.
The tea is produced by Australian company Nomad Choice Pty Ltd, which said it was unaware of the code. pet shops encourage impulse purchases, with disastrous results for the dog and owner.
“One quarter of pups under six months suffer from conditions ranging from parvovirus to kennel cough if their owners spent only six to 20 minutes researching where to buy them from,” the report reads.
“One in 10 of these died in their first six months or needed ongoing treatment.”
The Club warns that local authorities lack the resources to police the existing scheme for licensing breeders, and says this will become worse if the Government implements plans to increase the number of breeders who need licences.
It is calling for the official recognition of its own Assured Breeder Scheme.
“If Assured Breeders were more commonplace, it would help the puppy-buying public to know where to go to get a well-bred dog in order that over time the current high demand for puppies from puppy farmers would reduce and the demand for puppies from good breeders would increase.
“This problem cannot be underestimated as it is clear the puppybuying public cannot recognise a puppy bred by a commercially driven breeder with low welfare standards.
“At the moment, the vast majority claim that they would never buy a puppy from a puppy farmer.
“However, recent statistics from the Puppy Awareness Week 2017 survey indicate that many may unwittingly do so.”