Sick business

WHEN unscrupulous dealers sell sick and dying young dogs to unsuspecting buyers, the horrible truth for many could be that – unlike the old adage – their dog IS just for Christmas.

Rather than families being advised not to get pets they can’t keep, the new danger is they will unwittingly give a home to one from an illegal puppy farm and see it die early.

The RSPCA deserves applause for hunting down and prosecuting the gangs breeding and trafficking dogs in a multi-million-pound scam, so the charity’s call for mandatory licensing of breeders and sellers is worth consideration.

Animals should be raised in humane conditions and families should not be conned into paying for an ill or badly treated dog.