SSPCA appeals to local dog breeders
Mix of intergalactic and human drama
The Scottish SPCA is appealing for dog breeders in West Lothian to join its Assured Puppy Breeder Scheme.
The free scheme was launched as part of its ongoing efforts to tackle the low-welfare puppy trade.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity has seen a seismic increase in public demand for puppies over lockdown.
Unfortunately, this led to bad breeders taking advantage of the situation and putting profit over the welfare of the breeding dogs and puppies they were selling.
In many instances, puppies have been taken from their mothers too early or were riddled with infectious diseases caught due to lack of vaccinations or the unsanitary conditions they were raised in.
Sadly, this led to many puppies passing away in their new homes or new owners having to pay for expensive veterinary treatment.
Scottish SPCA head of education, policy and research, Gilly Mendes Ferreira, said: “Now, more than ever, we need to provide assurance for the public that they are buying a puppy from responsible breeders. The general public can view members of the scheme through our ‘Say no to Puppy Dealers’ website and look in to buying a puppy safely from them. We don’t currently have any breeders in Edinburgh or the Lothians so we are very keen for reputable breeders in the area to sign-up to help us tackle the low-welfare puppy trade.”
The voluntary scheme is available to any dog breeder in Scotland.
The Scottish SPCA has developed a framework for responsible breeding and inspectors will assess applications and visit breeding premises annually to make sure high welfare standards are in place.
The scheme is free and the society does not profit from the sale of any puppies but does receive a small commission from Petplan Ltd for any litters registered.
Gilly continues: “Our mantra is ‘adopt don’t shop’ and we will always advocate rescuing rather than buying. But, as long as puppies are suffering due to this industry, we will do what we can to bring down this despicable trade. The pandemic and public demand for puppies has led to more reports to our animal helpline about unscrupulous dealers who want to make money fast with no regard for animal welfare.
“We’ll continue to tackle traders and dodgy dealers, but we also want to highlight the breeders in Scotland who prioritise the welfare of parents and pups. We know there’s thousands of breeders across the country who do just that and we hope many of them will join this scheme. We are very pleased to have the support of Trading Standards Scotland. This gives the public another avenue they can report concerns to, especially if they spot adverts on online selling sites they think are fraudulent.”
Trading Standards Scotland is asking online consumers to make sure they are buying puppies from legitimate sources and to do their research before they purchase a puppy online.
Julie McCarron, head of intelligence and coordination at Trading Standards Scotland, said: “We are supporting the Scottish SPCA Assured Puppy Breeder Scheme because it gives consumers a means of ensuring that they are obtaining a puppy from a reputable source. It gives consumers peace of mind that their pup is likely to be healthy and is not likely to require costly vet treatment. It also helps avoid the emotional distress of having purchased a sick animal who may die soon after it is purchased.”
The Scottish SPCA Assured Puppy Breeder Scheme offers one-to-one support from inspectors and an annual visit. Members have access to support and guidance all year round and are provided with a welcome pack for every new owner. Members will be able to send puppies to their new homes with Petplan’s fourweeks free insurance and claim 15 per cent discount through the Canine Health Scheme. These benefits are in addition to tackling the low-welfare puppy trade by being a certified responsible breeder. Find out more here: www.saynotopuppydealers. co.uk.
Ladywell Community Council are having a Zoom Annual General Meeting on Wednesday March 3 at 7pm. If you would like the link to attend the meeting please email ladywellcc@mail.com.
This week’s recipe is a tribute to my mum, who sadly passed away recently.
She was the person who gave me my passion for cooking and has left me with many happy memories of time spent in the kitchen together.
I now have possession of many of her handwritten recipes, which I will be sharing with you over the next few weeks. For this week let’s start with one of her all-time favourites, for which she will be well remembered.
The thing that everyone laughs about is the fact there is coffee in the gravy... but it works!
You could be forgiven for wanting to ditch planet Earth with all that is going on at the moment.
And that’s exactly what humanity is forced to contemplate in Christopher Nolan’s homage of sorts to Stanley Kubrick’s seminal sci-fi 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Once again scripting with brother Jonathan, Nolan’s head-spinning spectacular follows a group of explorers – led by Matthew McConaughey’s Cooper – going on a crucial space mission to try to save the human race.
In many ways Interstellar is a tough film to review as the less you know going in the better.
Worm holes, a frighteningly realistic dying Earth and the space-time continuum are a step up from your average blockbuster intellectual fare and, while there’s a lot of science talk, you’ll just about manage to keep up.
Linking up with Nolan for the first time, McConaughey’s family man with brains terrifically leads the way and shares great scenes with young Mackenzie Foy as Cooper’s daughter Murph.
The Nolan brothers craft a perfect mix of intergalactic and human drama, coaxing typically strong performances from Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck and others.
And those who say Christopher Nolan can’t do emotion very well will be forced to eat their words – particularly during several video messages that blitz even Bruce Willis’ teary, heroic farewell in fellow space mission-to-savethe-world flick Armageddon.
Creative flourishes abound in his wonderful looking film too, from talking head documentary-style scenes and arguments over the validity of the Apollo moon landings to a jaw-dropping waterbased set piece too good to spoil here.
Long-term Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer’s hypnotising score works brilliantly and the director also makes clever use of periods of silence to build tension, evoke wonder and recreate how it feels to be in space.
It may be a bit long and the ending could divide audiences, but in my book Interstellar marks another out of this world piece of cinema from a director not afraid to take risks.
●Pop me an email at ian.bunting@ reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any movie or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.