2020 was the year of puppies among everything else! I think it’s safe to say we can all agree more people than ever were looking to adopt dogs and puppies from the extra time spent at home due to working from home or lockdown. It was great for people having more free time to Foster dogs in need or adopt a dog that needed more time to settle and benefitted from people being home with them or had more time to dedicate to raising a puppy. However, it was unfortunately a year that many puppy farmers and backyard breeders saw a boom in profits and dog theft sadly skyrocketed too. With another lockdown looming and more people than ever adding dogs to their homes, we want to address how to source a dog and avoid buying from puppy farmers and unethical breeders.
There are many avenues of information regarding dog adoption and the addition of a puppy into your family. We are always going to suggest rescuing a dog from a pound or shelter rather than buying from a breeder. Rescue dogs can make a perfect dog and are no different or less lovable than bought puppies. Irish pounds and shelters are always full with dogs and puppies, from purebred to mixed breeds of all ages, shapes, sizes, backgrounds and personalities, all looking for their forever homes. From litters of dumped puppies to older dogs being rehomed due to no fault of their own, it is always worth a look as you can be certain the right dog is waiting for you. Unfortunately, in the run up to and post-Christmas, it is the time of year for the influx of surrendered and dumped dogs and puppies. The huge increase in numbers of dogs and puppies in need of our help puts more pressure on the already struggling rescues. This can be due to an array of reasons at this time of year from people who are making holiday plans and are unsure what to do for the care of their pets, to changes in people’s home circumstances or even people getting rid of older dogs to make way for the Christmas puppy and the usual need to rehome Christmas puppies purchased as gifts and become unwanted after the festive season. It can be heartbreaking and puts a bigger strain on the Irish rescue shelters.We understand there are certain circumstances where people want specific breeds or ages and have ideas of what they would like when it comes to searching for a pet. We do recommend you opt to talk or make a visit to some rescues for advice and have a talk about what kind of dog suits your circumstances best. In PAWS, we have had every kind of dog from purebred newfoundland dogs, Amercan Bulldogs, shih-tzus and other specific highly sought after breed and crosses with every kind of character, of every age and size. If you must buy, we have some advice on how to source a healthy pup from reputable places. It is heartbreaking that puppy farms still exist and Ireland unfortunately still holds the title of Puppy Farm Capital of Europe. Christmas is a puppy farmer and backyard breeders favourite time of year and they make a fortune each year off the suffering of dogs.
If you are still looking to purchase a dog instead of adopting, for individual circumstances surrounding your home or family, we still highly recommend talking to your local rescue first, or a reputable dog trainer /behaviourist or vet practice on what to look out for to avoid puppy farms and about the breed types that would best suit your home, activity levels, the behavioural and health issues that can be associated with specific breeds and the temperament that can be associated with them. Rescues such as Paws have had to care for ex puppy farm breeding dogs and know what to look out for or will know of notorious local puppy farmers. They can advise you on what to look out for and the problems associated with purchasing from a puppy farm or backyard breeder.These sources can help and also can put you in touch with the Irish Kennel Club and asking for their assistance in sourcing a reputable, licensed and above board breeder. A rescue or professional vet practice can also help in providing advice on the red flags to look out for when sourcing a puppy.
The number one thing to do is avoid online selling sites and websites of any kind at all costs. Very few reputable breeders use a selling site for advertising puppies. They are full of puppy farmers and backyard breeders advertising their litters of highly sought after pups. For this very reason, many well known selling sites have banned the sale of dogs online to avoid this. You may think it is the way to go to just type in a breed into the search bar and find what you want but you can almost guarantee the cute puppies with bows in the advert are puppy farm puppies and need to be avoided. Puppy farmers are experts in only showing the consumer exactly what they want to see. What is usually behind the photos is a terrified mother dog being used as a breeding machine in a box with no light on puppy farm somewhere. If you contact a breeder and they suggest any of the following; meeting in an obscure place such as a carpark, not recommending you visit the litter or meet the parent dogs, having an array of different breeds on hand, the puppies not being vet checked, vaccinated or wormed, then walk away! You are speaking to a puppy farmer. Be vigilant though, many of the clever puppy farmers know what you have been told to avoid. If you visit the puppy and it is in a home, be sure to see the pup interact with the mother dog, be sure to look for signs that she looks like she has recently reared a litter of puppies. Many puppy farmers put on the ‘shop front’ image of puppies coming from a home environment but really they have been reared in filthy conditions on a puppy farm elsewhere and were brought to the home you’re visiting when you phoned to inquire.
Remember, when speaking to a breeder to ask a lot of questions, reputable dog breeders love the breed that they are speaking about, they have dogs of very long lines, have been involved in the breeding of this breed for years and years and will only have one or two litters of pups for sale a year. They will want you to ask questions and be happy to answer them and ensure their puppies are going to good homes. A good breeder is not interested in making money and will want to ask you a lot of questions to be sure their puppies are going to only the best homes and they will want to know that should your circumstances change and you can no longer keep your dog, that you return the dog to them and not rehome them yourselves. A dalmatian breeder once spoke to me at Crufts in 2016 and was able to tell me about the many generations they have had throughout their lives, was able to explain the ancient history of the breed to me, all the health conditions that come with the dalmatian breed and explained how they only breed one litter once a year from their health screened dogs. I remember walking away thinking how much better the animal welfare issues in Ireland would be if everyone who bred dogs was that reputable and caring for dogs.
It is not just an ethical issue when you sourcing your newest four legged family addition. It is important to remember too, that puppy farmed dogs are often very unhealthy and come with many health problems from joint and bone problems to complications that come from breeding unhealthy dogs in filthy environments. They often come with behavioural problems which can stem from bad socialisation during crucial early stages or from being taken away from their mothers too early. They often come with heavy worm and flea burdens, diarrhoea, eye and ear problems and often develop anxiety and fear issues and problematic training issues having been bred to unsocialised mother dogs in highly stressful situations on puppy farms. Well bred puppies become confident, healthy, well rounded and well reared dogs in adult life when given the right training and socialising. Puppy farming is a cruel and heartbreaking practice that must be stopped and the best way to do it is to raise awareness whenever you hear of someone sourcing a dog or are looking for one yourself and knowing how to spot a puppy farmer when you see one and walk away.
The only way they will stop doing what they are doing is if they stop making profit from the exploitation of dogs. Often people think purchasing puppies from puppy farmers mean they are offering a good home to a puppy in a bad situation but unfortunately this just creates more of a market for the sellers and makes space for more puppies to be bred. It is upto individuals to ensure they do not fuel a puppy farmer and try to always adopt instead of buy. Speak to the ispca or your local reputable vet practice or rescue for more information.
