A puppy farmer is somebody who breeds puppies purely for profit, without regard for a dog’s health or welfare.

Puppy farmers often keep breeding bitches in cramped and filthy cages or small pens, where they rarely see daylight or touch grass. In many cases the breeding bitches will be mated on every heat, being fed just enough to keep them producing pups, with little or no veterinary care at all.

Their puppies will often start their young lives in the same cramped conditions and are not given veterinary care, vaccinations, adequate food or any training. As a result the puppies are often not socialised and commonly suffer from fatal health problems including pneumonia and parvovirus as well as dangerous infestations of fleas and worms.

Puppy farmers separate puppy and mother before the puppies are mature enough to be taken. The puppies are often sold in pet shops or through puppy dealers who will offer to handover the puppy at a ‘convenient’ location such as a motorway service station. Puppy farmers and dealers will even created a staged ‘home’ for the buyer to meet the puppy making it extremely difficult for to tell a good breeder from a rogue.

A puppy farmer will often be unhappy or unable to offer advice on how to care for the puppy or refuse to take the puppy back if there are subsequent problems with the puppy.

Click here to find out how to ensure that you don't buy from a puppy farmer.

The Kennel Club’s response
The Kennel Club is campaigning to end the cruel practice of puppy farming. We act as the secretariat for the Puppy Farming Study Group, a group comprising representatives from the Kennel Club, animal welfare organisations across the whole of the UK, Local Government and members of the Government. In 2009, we presented a petition to the government which contained over 15,000 signatures.

The Kennel Club is calling for:

1. The standards and principles of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme to be mandatory throughout the country. Our Accredited Breeder Scheme strives to raise breeding standards and indicate responsible breeders to potential puppy-buyers. Accredited Breeders offer health tests, follow KC breed standards and agree to allow KC Inspectors’ access to their premises for spot-checks.
2. A review of the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999, to prohibit the sale of puppies in pet shops under the Animal Welfare Act.
3. The Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 (as amended by the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999) to be consistently enforced across all UK authorities.

We are committed to educating the public on this issue so that puppy buyers will know how to distinguish clearly between responsible breeders and puppy farmers. We are also working to inform Local Authorities about the resources available to prosecute breeders suspected of bad practice.

Campaign update
In July 2010, Welsh Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones AM, made the announcement to replace the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 with Welsh specific regulations that are intended to improve animal welfare.

The Kennel Club has particularly welcomed the minister’s pledge to try to tackle the cruel puppy farming trade but has major concerns about the decision to change the conditions that will trigger licensing from five or more litters, to three or more breeding bitches.

What can I do?
The Kennel Club has devised a set of guidelines to help you ensure that you don't buy from a puppy farmer. Click here to read them.

You can also write to your local parliamentary representative, outlining your concerns and the Kennel Club’s three campaign asks (as above). Read the Kennel Club’s guide to letter writing to help construct your letter. If you wish to discuss these issues with your MP/MSP/AM/MLA/MEP face-to-face, you might also wish to use Kennel Club’s guide to a successful meeting.

Useful links

• Search for Puppy Farming Study Group contacts
• Click here to read the Kennel Club's press releases on puppy farming
• Back to main Kennel Club campaigns page

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KC Dog and Dog Law, Kennel Club Issue Statements, Kennel Club 

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