Bandeath is a shining beacon of hope for dogs
MSP praises shelter in debate about puppy farms
Bandeath Stray Dog Shelter at Throsk - which was saved from the axe earlier this year - has been praised in the Scottish Parliament.
Green MSP and Stirling councillor Mark Ruskell made special mention of the shelter during a debate in Holyrood about puppy farming.
And he suggested anyone hoping to become a dog owner would be better advised to go through such shelters and rehoming charities than encourage unscrupulous dog dealers.
“Bandeath does fantastic work,” said Mr Ruskell. “Not just with animals, but through its incredible volunteering opportunities for young people.
“Such facilities are vulnerable to local authority cuts and need our support.
“It is true that the continued presence of the illegal puppy trade in Scotland is a mark of shame on our animal welfare record.
“The Dogs Trust estimates there are around nine million dogs in the UK.
“However, the Kennel Club registers around 250,000 puppies each year, and rescue organisations rehome around 150,000. There is a gap there.
“To maintain that number of nine million dogs would require hundreds of thousands more puppies to be circulated throughout the UK each year.
“Although some of those puppies might come from legitimate breeders who are not Kennel Club registered, there are clearly criminal breeders who are providing hundreds of thousands of puppies on an industrial scale, preying on our desire to give a home to a vulnerable animal.”
Mr Ruskell said puppy farms often fail to meet the requirements of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, which states dogs should have their own bed, long periods of rest, and opportunities to socialise with people, dogs and other animals.
Lack of hygiene, proper diet, routine health measures and veterinary attention can also lead to puppies being sold to new owners with a burden of parasites, preventable infectious diseases and painful or chronic inherited conditions, from which many never recover.
Mr Ruskell added: “Despite the code of practice, (animal protection charities) Dogs Trust and OneKind have highlighted numerous cases in which puppies have been bred, kept and transported in poor conditions severely impacting their health.
“Both charities highlight ineffective border controls and enforcement of the pet travel scheme at UK ports as a major contributing cause of puppies being farmed in an inappropriate and negligent way.
“It is clear that a number of actions need to be taken.
“I urge the Scottish Government to work with the Westminster Government to ensure, for example, that there are more stringent checks at UK borders; a central database in which microchip numbers and dates of entry into the UK are logged; a shift of enforcement responsibilities, perhaps away from carriers such as ferry companies and towards Government agencies; and an introduction of further offences and increased penalties.”
Mr Ruskell also asked the Scottish Government to crack down on online sales. All the animal welfare organisations that are behind today’s debate agree that all pets, but especially dogs, should be bought only after the buyer in person sees them with their mother, to ensure that they are being raised in a healthy and appropriate environment.
“The continued sale of puppies online means that there is little to no scrutiny of the breeding and living conditions of these animals.”