Scheme aims to offer the confidence to buy
Dog breeders are being urged to join a new scheme started by the SSPCA as part of their efforts to tackle the puppy dealing trade.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity say they have seen a seismic increase in public demand for puppies over lockdown, leading to bad breeders taking advantage of the situation, putting profit over the welfare of the dogs involved.
Many examples have shown puppies to have been taken from their mothers too early, or having been riddled with infectious diseases caused by lack of proper vaccinations or unsanitary conditions.
Sadly, the charity has cited a number of puppy deaths at their new homes and new owners having to pay for expensive veterinary treatment.
To help fight that, the SSPCA is asking people to sign up to their ‘assured puppy breeder scheme’.
Gilly Mendes Ferreira from the charity told us: “Now, more than ever, we need to provide assurance for the public that they are buying 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 Lanarkshire 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 SSPCA 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 charity does not profit from the sale of any puppies, but does receive a small commission from Petplan for any litters registered.
Gilly continued: “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.
“Sadly, public demand for the ‘nextday delivery’ of a puppy remains sky-high and this is fuelling the multi-millionpound low-welfare trade.
“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 SSPCA’s 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.”
Disrupting the multi-million pound industry is one of the Society’s main priorities, and its #SayNoToPuppyDealers campaign has received widespread public and crossparty political support.
Find out more by heading to www. saynotopuppydealers.co.uk.