Campaign to put Puppy Farms out of business

Puppy Mills are mass breeding operations that house puppies and their mothers in dirty, squalid conditions with poor diets, no medical care, no proper socialization and no exercise.

Puppies are often sick, malnourished, suffering from genetic problems and abused in one form or another. Other animals can be commercially bred for profit in the same way including cats.

Like most people I'm against Puppy mills/farms for obvious reasons but I'm also wary of buying pets from pet shops or from people I do not know.

It would be very hard for me not to walk into a pet shop and not want to buy the animals on sale purely for the reason that I don't think that they can be properly cared for. The more animals they sell the harder it is to maintain good, quality care whatever the good intentions.

Of all the pet shops I know around London, most, now, do not sell animals of any kind. Others will just sell fish which for some reason are easier to get away with. They will often have their own private pets wandering about, though!

If I've bought a puppy in the past I've bought them from a rescue home. I don't see the point in bringing more young animals into this world when we can't even look after the ones we already have. My first choice would be a rescue home or sanctuary for any new pet like a cat or dog.

My reasons:

Rescue Homes are overcrowded and they need the help of donations etc. in order to care for the animals. By purchasing your puppy or kitten from them you are, in fact, supporting the charity.

All animals are given a thorough testing to make sure that they are suitable for re-homing.

They are well cared for and all vaccinations are given and up to date.

Animals in a rescue home or similar are not there just because they have behavioural problems. Most are there because they've been abandoned or been given to the rescue home due to financial problems, rules and regulations pertaining to their own housing, owners losing interest, owners not having enough time to care for them properly or ill health/death and marital breakdown. So, by buying one from a home, you are providing a well needed home and security for an older pet.

They are often partly or fully trained and have social skills with people and other animals.

Puppy Mills Breed Misery Poster by Prisonersofgreed
Browse other Puppy mills Posters

Follow the RSPCA's golden rules on buying a puppy in the UK:

- Always ask to see the mother
- Beware if the breeder is outside the UK
- Check vaccination cards. Beware if you can't see the vet's details
- Pedigree certificates do not guarantee the condition of the puppy
- Never buy from someone who offers to deliver a puppy
- Consider a rescue dog from your local RSPCA centre

Puppy Farm Facts!

- In southern Ireland, 1,000 bitches can be bred to exhaustion on one farm
- 1,000 puppies are imported from Ireland each week
- In a RSPCA survey, 17% of new puppies fall ill within days of arriving home
- Watch footage secretly filmed by RSPCA undercover officers, lifting the lid on puppy trading.

Puppy farm pups are often:

- sick or diseased
- malnourished
- sold without proper certification
- removed from their mothers too early
- born in overcrowded, filthy conditions.

SO cute, aren't they?

However, it's puppies like these in this image that are being bred in large numbers for huge profit. Like the puppies born on Puppy farms these puppies often fall sick and are kept in horrific conditions.

As with any pet, puppies are expensive to keep, often costing hundreds of pounds in care, food, vet bills shortly after they've been bought. The cost of Vet bills are considerably higher if the puppies have been purchased from pet shops, newspaper ads, the internet and puppy farms.

If you've bought a puppy in this way and it falls sick, you may be reluctant to return it from where you bought it from. The RSPCA has some advice if this happens to you. Read your consumer rights.

Remember to sign up to the RSPCA's campaign: Give Animals a Voice.

- To make a donation by phone, call 0300 123 0346
- Donate online
- To donate by post, send a cheque to RSPCA Supporter Services, Freepost (SEA11719), Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 9BR
- If you are concerned about a puppy's welfare, call us on 0300 1234 999
- If you have concerns about a puppy that has been sold to you, call Consumer Direct on 08454 040 506
- Tell others about your puppy buying experiences on our great blog called 'Give Animals a Voice'