Puppy breeding cycle

I READ with disbelief the article by Sarah Rainey (Mail) concerning the breeding of rare Vietnamese Phu Quoc ridgeback puppies.

What a joy these puppies will be for the ‘must-have’ brigade! Very often these buyers are the ones who, having acquired their ‘prize’ (whatever the cost), quickly lose interest and the poor animal is either passed on, neglected or just abandoned.

Rescue kennels are the proof that it isn’t only mixed breeds who are pushed out on the street. These same kennels are also bursting with very expensive pedigree dogs which have probably been an impulse buy, perhaps a breed popularised by film or TV that, sadly, often prove unsuitable for their new owners’ lifestyles. The breeder of these puppies, Cath- erine Lane, says she only wanted a purebred dog. She has more than sufficient funds to buy such a dog from a recognised Kennel Club breeder or, better still, adopt one of the countless pedigree breeds from a rescue centre. She has joined the seemingly endless number of people who, despite media coverage, want to make money from breeding yet more dogs. As she tells us that she already has ‘a waiting list for the next batch’, this unnecessary and thoughtless cycle will go on.

PATRICIA J. HEMMING, Ferrypoint, Co. Waterford.