Plea for vets to help stop puppy farming gangs

Veterinary professionals are being urged to do more to help put puppy farming gangs behind bars.

Owners have also been encouraged to share any concerns they may have about the origins of their pets with staff amid a surge in illegal breeding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plea by IVC Evidensia, which has also published a guide for owners to help them find a responsible breeder, follows a number of recent prosecutions.

Sharing information

David Martin, IVC’s group animal welfare advisor, believes sharing information is vital to catching the criminals.

He said: “We need to build a picture of where these puppies are coming from and put in pieces of the jigsaw, so we can go after the major players.

“If the RSPCA get just a single call about a breeder, they may not be able to do much, but if they get 10, it’s a different matter. So, the profession needs to make the report and encourage clients to make the calls.

“We also need to continue to support our licensed breeders and encourage people to buy from them rather than the dodgy illegal trade.”

Sentencing

In one current case, four people are awaiting sentencing in connection with the fraudulent sale of puppies, worth around £850,000, related to two addresses in Essex. During a three-year investigation, nine puppies found living in a shed were taken into care, while others were discovered dead in a freezer.

But Mr Martin, who worked on that case, believes it and others show that criminals can be caught.

He said: “It shouldn’t be onerous on a vet’s usual duties. As professionals, we do have to signpost clients who have welfare concerns about a puppy they have purchased to report their concerns or worries. And if a vet has concerns about a client that may be breeding illegally, then we need to consider whether we need to report it.

“There is a lot going on to stamp it out and prosecute it, from local authorities, the RSPCA and the police. Big steps are being taken to put these people out of business and, in many cases, behind bars.”

‘Drastically worse’

Although illegal breeding was already a problem prior to the COVID pandemic, Mr Martin said it became “drastically worse” during that period, in which the dog population soared by 25 per cent. Much of that increase was due to a surge of breeding activity on the British mainland, rather than dogs being imported from elsewhere, with a particular emphasis on apparently fashionable breeds such as pugs, bulldogs and dachshunds.

Mr Martin said the operations cause major ongoing challenges, even for those puppies that are rescued.

He added: “There’s no high quality veterinary care, vaccinations are unlikely to be practised, and a lot of puppies have congenital health problems and parasite burdens. It causes massive problems.

“We always focus on the sick puppies that are brought into practices, but it’s the bitches and the dogs that produce those puppies I feel for most. They are the ones who spend months or years in these horrendous accommodations. The puppies get the chance to escape, but the adult dogs spend forever being breeding machines.”

Warning signs

IVC’s guide for owners shares a range of warning signs of an illegal breeding operation and how to tell if the seller you’re dealing with is responsible.

Mr Martin said would-be owners should not be tricked into a quick decision.

He added: “Take time to do your research, and to make sure the puppy you choose is healthy and legally bred. Don’t let yourself be tricked into buying an illegally bred puppy. You may feel like you’re helping the poor creature (and indeed you would be), but ultimately, you’d be contributing to the illegal puppy trade as a whole.”

The owners’ guide is available at www.myfamilyvets.co.uk/choosing-a-puppy-breeder