Puppy farms ‘breed 25% of dogs’

More than one in four dog owners may have bought their pet from “cruel” puppy farms, research from the Kennel Club suggested today.

The organisation is campaigning against puppy farms, where animals are bred from overused mothers with little concern for the wellbeing of the adults or puppies, which may suffer from health or behavioural problems.

A survey of more than 400 dog owners found 29 per cent of them bought their puppy from the internet, a pet shop or a newspaper advert – all outlets which the Kennel Club said are used by puppy farms.

Three in five of those questioned said they had not seen the puppy with its mother before buying and more than half did not see it in the place it had been bred and reared before they took it home, the Kennel Club said.

The findings have prompted concerns that more puppies are being sold through the internet, with dogs being delivered direct to people’s doors.

Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kisko said: “Puppy farming is a cruel trade that treats dogs as commodities rather than living creatures.

“You wouldn’t buy a commodity, such as a car, from a dodgy dealer offering no MOT or service documents, but people don’t ask for the same assurances from a breeder when buying a dog.”