The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
‘Look beyond cute if you’re buying a pup’
Pets: Government backs campaign warning of illegal dealers
A campaign warning of the dangers of buying pets from illegal dog breeders and puppy farms is urging people to “look beyond cute” to avoid misery this Christmas.
Puppy owners gathered in Edinburgh’s Inverleith Park yesterday morning as part of the Scottish Government’s Buy a Puppy Safely campaign.
They were joined by representatives from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) and Rural
Affairs Minister Mairi Gougeon, whose advice to prospective buyers was: “Make sure you see the mum, make sure you get the paperwork.
“If not, walk away.” Ms Gougeon told the PA news agency that one in every five puppies purchased online – where most illegal dealers operate – die within the first year, while a quarter are dead before their fifth birthday.
Ms Gougeon said: “We see a lot of people looking to buy a puppy at this time of year and we’re really just trying to highlight the things that people should look out for if they are looking to buy a puppy.
“First of all, if you are looking to buy a puppy try and do that through an assured breeder.
“When you go to collect that puppy, make sure you see it with its mum with the other litter of pups around her, and make sure you get the paperwork as well.
“If something doesn’t seem right, then walk away and call the SSPCA.”
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “‘Look beyond cute’ is exactly what it says – don’t just be fooled by beautiful pictures or lovely descriptions by people over the phone.
“Never ever buy a pup that’s going to be delivered to you, make sure you visit the pup in its breeding establishment and see it with its mother.
“Make sure you see all the paperwork, don’t accept any photocopies because it’s so easy to forge these kinds of things.
“Don’t buy some of the pups from puppy farms that will end up costing you thousands and causing your family misery.”
Paula Webster told the PA news agency she bought a puppy for almost £2,000 after seeing it advertised on Gumtree, but it quickly became clear the dog had health problems after she was picked up.
Ms Webster said: “It got really sick, it had severe anxiety, and because we’d never had a puppy before we didn’t know if that was normal or not.
“We actually had to take the dog back to the breeder and see what was going on. The mum had died and there had been issues with some of the other puppies.”