Campaign to end trade in illegally farmed pups
Sales of puppies from illegal factories are estimated to be worth £13million a year, with the animals often neglected and living in squalor.
Yesterday animal welfare charities, trading standards and the Scottish Government launched a drive aimed at putting them out of business.
Animal welfare charities have long warned that illegal breeders keep dogs like ‘battery hens’, producing designer puppies such as labradoodles for up to £7,000 each.
In 2014, three men in Aberdeenshire were found guilty of keeping lice-ridden puppies in pens littered with dog mess.
A year earlier a pensioner was jailed for eight months after keeping 57 dogs and puppies in ‘horrendous
‘Illegal trade is organised crime’
conditions’, including a female Rottweiler with a head wound which had been infested with maggots.
The Scottish SPCA says a unified approach to tackle the ‘evil’ industry is required and yesterday it launched the Say No To Puppy Dealers website, which will help those who want to buy a dog spot the signs they may be dealing with an illegal breeder.
Scottish SPCA chief executive Kirsteen Campbell said: ‘Our research showed puppy-farmed pups are more likely to have a genetic disorder and are more at risk of deadly infectious diseases.
‘The Scottish Government estimated that the illegal puppy trade was worth a conservative £13million last year in Scotland alone – and that doesn’t include the thousands of pounds in vet bills paid for by unsuspecting new owners.’
Miss Campbell added: ‘The growing illegal trade is organised crime and at present there little deterrent.’
Puppies bred in illegal farms are often kept in dark, cramped cages, left unsocialised and riddled with diseases. They are then sold via pet shops, newspaper adverts, websites and through dealers.
In 2016 a BBC documentary found dealers north of the Border were selling farmed puppies to owners who had no idea they were bred in cruel conditions, while the SSPCA warn the number of farms is rising.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: ‘Irresponsible and illegal breeding can lead to hefty bills and heartbreak for owners.
‘Those involved in puppy dealing or illegal breeding can earn thousands from a litter but while they count their cash, the dogs they are exploiting inevitably suffer.’
Prospective dog owners are advised to insist on seeing paperwork or certificates for vaccinations and microchipping and to make sure they see a puppy interact with its mother. is A CAMPAIGN has begun to weed out ‘evil’ puppy farmers who keep dogs in battery hen-style conditions.