Sheila Voas: Make sure you haven't been sold a pup farmed by criminals

The Scottish SPCA has launched a new campaign, warning would-be dog o wners to be on their guard when buying a puppy it may have been farmed by an illegal breeder with no regard for its welfare

Unfortunately, in recent years, that adorable puppy is more likely to have been bought from an illegal breeder. So likely, that it’s estimated only 24 per cent of puppies bought in Scotland now come from an approved breeder.

For this reason, the Scottish Government, together with the Scottish SPCA, has launched the Buy a Puppy Safely campaign to raise awareness of the growing issue and help educate the public on the warning signs of an illegal breeder, the lengths they go to dupe buyers and the devastating consequences puppy farming can have.

It’s a complex subject and one we have been battling for years. There is legislation in place to tackle illegal breeding from a criminal perspective – the Scottish SPCA diligently leads on case-by-case investigations and undercover raids. However, it’s become more and more apparent that this £13million industry is booming due to public demand.

Sheila Voas, Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland

While we want to educate the public on the severity of the issue, we don’t want to scaremonger people into not buying a puppy at all. After all, a dog can be a wonderful companion. But, the daily evidence and heartache of illegal puppy farming is shocking for those families affected.

One of the most devastating consequences of illegal breeding is the death of a puppy. One in three puppies bought from online adverts experience illness or death in their first year, often in the first few days or weeks.

Most illegal breeders don’t vaccinate their dogs or the litters, unnecessarily increasing diseases and deaths. Farmed pups are more likely to have serious infectious diseases such as parvovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea and can cost up to £4,000 to treat. Always ask to see vaccination and worming records, microchipping certificates, and results of any health tests and don’t leave without the paperwork.

There is of course also the welfare of the animals at stake. Many illegally bred puppies are removed from their mothers when they are too young, which means they don’t receive the maternal nurturing which is vital in the early stages of any animal and this can impact upon the puppy’s temperament – a concern for any family. Illegal breeders see puppies as a commodity, if selling them on at six weeks old instead of eight means an early income, then why not?

One thing that is key is changing public perception. Once people know about the severity and scale of the issue, they want to help prevent it. No one likes to think their beloved puppy came from a dark, criminal background, and could be seriously ill, or have behavioural problems.

So, what can people do? They can seek out assured breeders who have a local authority licence or evidence of Kennel Club Assured Breeder scheme membership – simply ask for proof and they’ll be happy to show you.

Many illegal breeders won’t encourage multiple visits to the puppy, in fact some avoid letting you see the puppy until the day you take it home. An assured breeder will be happy for you to visit the puppy several times, they want to ensure you’re the right person for their puppy and not just it being the right puppy for you. Then there’s the puppy’s mum. Always make sure you meet her. Puppies should be with their mum until at least eight weeks old which means whenever you visit, she should always be there.

Many illegal puppies are bred in another location and will be brought to a ‘show’ home for customers to visit. If a breeder gives the excuse she’s not around or out for a walk, then ask to wait or come back another time.

All of these precautions may seem extreme, but I don’t think it should be easy to just buy a puppy online without doing the preparatory work and thinking it through. I want people to know there are measures in place that assured breeders have to abide by, measures an illegal breeder will simply ignore. We want show people that you can buy a puppy safely and it’s simply about doing your homework. The illegal puppy trade is something we will continue to tackle on a national level, but we do need public support to reduce the demand and make illegal breeding a less desirable route for easy money making.

Sheila Voas, chief veterinary officer for Scotland.