I have received a press release from the RSPCA stating that the number of people buying a pedigree puppy from a pet retail outlet has increased since this time last year. What has changed in the last year to significantly cause an increase? The last survey 2007 - 2008 said 11% would be happy to buy from a retail outlet, this year 19% would be happy to buy from a pet retail outlet. This is quite a big jump in percentages, which is sad as most retail outlets sell puppy farmed pups.

Maybe saves the people researching to look for the puppy or being vetted as puppy owners . If this is the case then would think they have no support from a breeder who normally is always willing to offer advice. Shame though because they then miss out on seeing at least the mummy of the puppy
Jean

> What has changed in the last year to significantly cause an increase?

I can't think why people have changed their decisions can anyone ? Answers on a postcard to "Passionate Productions"perhaps ??????

You could be right there MM.  Did see the other day on the news that they are trying to stop a certain company here in Manchester and Leeds from selling animals.  My auntie has a dog from said place, it is nothing like the breed it is supposed to be, is not to be trusted with people and was covered with fleas when they went to the place but they still bought it.

Part of Marc Abrahams article in OD this week was about a 'pet retail' place in London :-(

I know of loads of people who have been to said dog outlet in Leeds near me and the danger is I think that people just go for a look but then end up buying a pup there and then.  I have told countless people not to go but do they listen - noooooo!

There used to be a retail place near me who sold pups/kittens , and you had to pay an entrance fee to get in to look ! 
There were so many complaints about the health of these animals that it was eventually shut down .

Many years ago my Mum worked for a couple who thought they were very posh and the wife was Ladies Captain at the golf club . They travelled all the way down to London to buy a mini daschund pup from Harrods just to show how posh they were !  That poor dog only got a walk when i was on school holidays so went to work with my Mum .

I don't know if it's relevant but the number of people calling and asking for puppies has risen sharply. Bear in mind I run a rescue, I am not a breeder. However, I think it is all for the wrong reasons, especially when I start questioning people why they want a puppy etc.

The  fact that many breeders are  putting off litter plans due to the rescession and the bad publicity pedigree dogs have recieved of late is leaving the door wide open to the puppy farmers to supply.

In my breed I have had puppy enquiries stating the litter secretary has details of 1 litter in southern England and 1 in Scotland. Nothing inbetween and many pet buyers just do not fancy a 6 hr + car journey with a young puppy and also to meet the breeder in advance. I fear this is when they start to trawl the internet and discover these places.

Unfortunately this is a want it and want it now society. Dog supermarkets and puppy farmers dream come true.

I have received a press release from the RSPCA stating that the number of people buying a pedigree puppy from a pet retail outlet has increased since this time last year. What has changed in the last year to significantly cause an increase?

They can pay on their Visa Cards. We have one near us that calls itself a "Pedigree Puppy Supermarket" and it's horrfic. I went for a nosey when it first opened and people were queueing up to pay by card. It's insane. The prices were ridiculous - £300 - £400 onto the price that you would pay if you bought from a breeder and all the pups had runs, dirty water and were pot bellied like they had never been wormed.

It broke my heart.

You could be right there MM.  Did see the other day on the news that they are trying to stop a certain company here in Manchester and Leeds from selling animals.

Made the same mistake myself back in 1983 when I bought my first ever dog from the Manchester branch.
A Golden Retriever, that should I have had any children I would have had to have her put to sleep, temperament was awful. Luckily I managed the temperament and never let her be in a situation where she could bite. That is why I am so passionate about temperament and purchasing from a proper breeder. She was all Welsh puppy farmed. Pity Passionate Productions aren't as passionate as I am. Just gave the puppy farmers a better chance at selling their puppies.

People just don't want to buy from breeders anymore due to the Pedigree Dogs Exposed.  It gave ALL breeders a bad name.

Plust the fact that dogs are viewed as comodities.  Folk would buy them along with their weekly shop if they could.

> Did see the other day on the news that they are trying to stop a certain company here in Manchester and Leeds from selling animals.

They will not succeed until it is made illegal to buy a puppy/kitten etc from the person who bred it or who owns the stud dog were the stud fee was a puppy from the litter.

Channel 5 News was trumpeting that fact that these stores had said they would stop buying from the puppy farmers featured on the program, however they did not say they would 1. Stop selling puppies, 2. Stop buying from other puppy farmers, 2. Stop importing dogs from Ireland from the puppy farmers there. So no real change at all, sick & dying badly bred puppies from bitches & dogs used as money crop machines will continue to be sold & the gullible public-influenced by Passionate Productions programs-will continue to buy from them because the puppies are not KC registered & as we all know KC registered puppies are the ones that are unhealthy following the revelations on the TV(Despite the fact that the 2 sick dogs on the program were in fact not KC registered-a deliberate omission by PP in order to make a better impact with the program)

>They will not succeed until it is made illegal to buy a puppy/kitten etc from the person who bred it or ....

I think you mean 'made illegal to buy a puppy/kitten other than from the person who bred it ... ;-)

Doh

> I think you mean 'made illegal to buy a puppy/kitten other than from the person who bred it ...

Senior moment ! :-D Must be because I'm a year older on Thursday LOLOLOLOL

What has changed in the last year to significantly cause an increase?

I think it could be down to people not having enough money to buy from some breeders (of course if they cant afford to buy the dog they shouldnt have one) my brother's and his wife's dog was a "gift" from her mum as it was about £600-£800 which they didnt have. And as we all know petshops get there pups from puppyfarms so they can charge less as they havent put in the money or effort that propper breeders put into there pups, however a lot of people dont realise this, My brother took me to a pet shop that sell puppies and i asked where they come from (just to see what they would say) and they said the pups are from licencied breeders (and left the room very quickley befor i could ask any more questions) and everyone my brother and his wife included think that they mean good breeders, they dont realised that puppyfarms are also licenced breeders. The most expensive pup was £350, and you can just pay the cash and get the pup straight away! You also get the 'cute factor' when someone sees the pup and buys it as its cute. (i had to drag my brother away from the caveilers)

So to people who havent done any research it seem a lot quicker and cheaper to buy from a petshop. allthough we all know its not in the end.
I wish they would stop pups being sold in shops, and those puppy farms.

And as we all know petshops get there pups from puppyfarms so they can charge less

Like I said above, said shops Leeds sell their pups at a much higher price than buying from the breeder. I think a lot of it is the plastic society that we live in, everyone is very quick to get the Visa out - I even have people asking me if they can buy my pups by card and can't understand why it's not possible - Who has a chip and pin machine in their house?!?!?!

People are so used to purchasing everyday items on their cards, it just seems to be convenient for them to buy from a pet shop where they can pay by card rather than cash. Poor poor poor puppies...

There is one opened up in my area.

You can look on line, make your order, deposit , and they will deliver said pup to your door,  the same day....

Now thats quick service,  you can buy your pup without even getting of your chair..

Last time we were in Spain one of the pet shops in a very large shopping centre had puppies in glass fronted cages and it was VERY hard to resist buying (despite the hassle of getting a dog home from Spain), I've seen the same in Florida markets, including St Bernard puppies. As pet owners we all know that if you don't want a dog, you don't go and see puppies! Many of these purchases will be impulse buys, people nowadays want instant gratification (I know because I'm one of them but not for pets usually!), they don't want to research breeders, wait for the best puppy etc, etc. They want a dog and they want it now! This is why it is so wrong to have pups on sale like this, no dog should ever be an impulse buy, regardless of who bred it. When I was a child it was the norm to see litters of cross breed/mongrel puppies for sale in the pet shop, it used to break my heart to have to leave them there in that cage, and my poor mother must have been demented with my requests to have a puppy (we had a dog at home already), my experience in Spain showed me that I hadn't changed much in 40 years :-) . Even my mother ( she of the hard heart who wouldn't get me one out of the pet shop all those years ago :-) ), was hard pressed to leave the Shar Pei that was on sale in Spain.
Its time this practice as banned and in fact, I thought it had been as I haven't seen puppies in pet shops for years!

Yes i think these shops are probably reeling in the people with the cute pups factor and then in turn they're impulse buying. 
If using a credit card to pay your not really paying for the pup in one go, the payments can be spread out (albeit with interest)  People don't need to save for them or do research either, the poor pups are there for the taking. 

I've not seen puppies sold in shops over here in the UK ever. Though was shocked to read about Harrods selling them just like i was about some of these northern pet shops which above people have mentioned.

I have seen lots and lots of pet shops in the US and OZ selling pups, when i was travelling in OZ i would often go to the local pet shops and ask to get these pups out to play with them, felt they needed some time out of the crates to play. I asked many of the pet shop owners about how much time they get out of the crates and they said that each evening one pup would go home with the manager each night and this would be rotated through all the pups if not sold. He also said that only when people come in and ask for the pups to be looked at do they get further time out their small crates.

Not sure the protocol in the States but i was in Cape Cod mall a few years back, this is when i was looking into getting a Bernese, i saw one in a pet shop and i just wanted to cry, it must of been about 4 months old due to its size and the small crate it was in. I ran to find my family and i just felt the need to rescue it and get it into the right home, but the time we'd all got back it wasn't there and was told it had been sold, i was gone for like a few minutes.. How can you sell a pup to someone you don't know in a matter of minutes. Kicked myself for not staying with the pup.
Since then i have avoided this chain of pet shops as i know i would be trying to rescue the lot through breed rescue's especially the large/giant breed dogs in crates way too small for them. Poor mites.

> I've not seen puppies sold in shops over here in the UK ever.

There are the two Puppy Superstores in the north, but there are puppy dealers & puppy farmers all over the country. Puppy dealers buy in the puppies at too young an age & then sell them on. The puppies are not KC registered as anyone breeding & registering their dogs with the KC & then selling them to a 3rd party will be banned by the KC. The puppies come from UK & Irish puppy farmers & you will never see the mother with the puppies. These premises tend to be quite well kept, but still devoid of the correct environs for the puppies to develop correctly.

The puppy farms are sometimes as seen on the Channel 5 news, but they are also some quite smart kennels, the bitches & dogs are still not treated right & they are not health tested etc nor are many KC registered.

The problem is that since PPs program the GP believe most of what they see on the BBC & now all KC breeders are tarred with the same brush as the pet breeders that produced the two sick dogs on the program. They naively believe that unregistered dogs are more healthy than registered ones ! :-(

Ugh - what id like to know is, this new animal welfare act we had in was it '07? Which states animals ought to be housed properly and allowed to display natural behaviours... HOW do the facilities of puppy farms and puppy 'superstores' even vaguely fulfill those criteria?

Or is this another load of legislation that means b - all?

MM, i guess where i live we don't have dogs/pups being sold in stores. I was told years ago how they sold them in pet shops, but thought that had stopped in this country, but you live and learn.

I am all too aware of puppy farmers and we have one too many around my area and also far too many advertising in the free papers(like the F.A.).

> They naively believe that unregistered dogs are more healthy than registered ones ! :-(

I've heard that far too many times recently, trying to correct people is a nightmare, they refuse to listen and think that the PDE programme was full of whole truths and won't believe that anything was missed out. So thanks JH for that, i don't think. Grrr. Thankfully a few people know right from wrong and i am so pleased when i hear people say i want to find a good breeder.. whoopdedoo..

> Or is this another load of legislation that means b - all?

It's down to the local council Environmental Health Department & they are mainly a load of useless w****rs, who would rather chase up alleged "Dangerous Dogs" that stop the puppy farmers & their deadly trade. I know our animal welfare officer is actually frightened of dogs !! The 2006 Act also empowers the RSPCA to take action in the cases of domestic & companion animals ! This is why they are asking for more money on the TV !! Sadly they have done b*gg*r all about the breeders who bred two of my dogs & the way they keep their dogs !

The reasons why the sale of puppies from pet shop licence holders has increased in the last year maybe due to the fact that often people do not realise that are buying a puppy from a 'pet shop.' Seems an odd suggestion I know but due to the fact that so many pet shop licenses are granted by Councils to individuals selling puppies from their own homes.  In addition to a dogs breeders licence or dog boarding kennel licence they may also acquire the pet shop licence to enable them to 'buy in' puppies to resell to back up their financial income from the other two ventures.

Puppies are sold from such a variety of outlets now and more keep opening, superstores, pet shops, individuals selling from home calling themselves 'kennels' very misleading when they advertise puppies for sale and advertise like this. People think they are breeding kennels and when they arrive and see the puppies they forget to ask about the Mum or think it does not matter because the little waggy tail has made them lose all common sense and reasoning. Puppies are sold from garden centres, rescue centres all legally because the Council has seen fit to issue a pet shop licence to an individual who thinks they can make a fortune selling puppies, unfortunately many do and will continue to do so.  It is  time the public woke up to the fact that all outlets that buy in puppies to resell have to purchase their puppies from puppy farms and licensed commercial breeders usually from Wales or Ireland. No ethical responsible breeder would ever consider selling a litter of puppies to a third party so the people that do buy in puppies to resell have no other choice but to buy from these breeders.

But the public seem to think it does not matter on the face of it the puppy is often presented or sale looking ok, they have no idea of the misery that has been endured by the breeding bitch to produce litters of puppies time and time again, often living in squaler and deprivation.  It is only when  they get home and the puppy sucumbs to sickness that they start to ask themselves why?

Pet shop licence holders make it too easy to buy a puppy and are prepared to sell to anyone no questions asked, no prior home inspection, vaccination, pedigree or registration (sometimes false) some offer a guarantee, sounds perfect doesn't it, if the purchaser knows no better, then for a bonus they can pay by debit card or credit card or even easy terms.  Hand over the puppy and off they go can sell you the bed, food and toys and it is all one complete package, just what the busy family wants instant pet - a puppy.

It is so wrong, puppies should never ever be allowed to be sold from a third party seller if the puppy trade was banned then that would make a massive dent in the puppy farm fraternity.

If anyone has any doubts then please view the web site below.  Information is always gratefully received about the trade in puppies.   

         
http://puppyalert.googlepages.com/

Fitting the general trend of the question title, but not the puppy farm bit of it, the biggest change I have seen with puppy enquiries/buying trends in the last year is the number of enquiries for bitches.  It worries me if someone wants a pet puppy but is fixated on having a bitch, rather than the puppy whose nature fits their circumstances best.  It is even more noticeable in the Pugs than the spaniels.  Also know of 1 "breeder" (puppy farmer) who is now selling breeding pairs and trios (like with hens!).  She has increased her pug bitches from 6 in 2007 to 12 now, and is very happy to cash in on the "my dogs are not show dogs so are healthy" theme.  I think a fair number of her pups must go to retail outlets, as I only see of few litters a year advertised, and she has recently been bragging about how much she is making from the pugs, and how they have paid her mortgage off!  She does seem tohave a high turnover in "reject" bitches, often advertising one after a C section, which is another trend I have only noticed in the last year or so.

Though was shocked to read about Harrods selling them just like i was about some of these northern pet shops which above people have mentioned.

I visited Harrods recently (first time in many years) and actually spoke to the people in charge of the pet department. There is a world of difference between them and the infamous puppy superstores I'm pleased to say. They don't sell to just anyone -they ask for vet references, they do home checks (including checking there are suitable areas to exercise a dog), they ask for proof of the person either owning their own house or the landlord allowing pets -lots of stuff like that, plus the pups are carefully checked by Harrods' own vet before being accepted for sale. They even usually have a waiting list of people wanting to buy a puppy of a particular breed. (They said something like "We honestly can't always understand why people won't go straight to a good breeder and pay less money, but some people just seem to prefer to buy everything in one place.") They even ask for parents to have been health tested -at least the basics like hips etc. They only accept KC registration, not the "alternative". Pups are sold as pets only, not to be bred from, and tend to be endorsed. Nobody can walk in and just buy a puppy on the spur of the moment -and there are large notices on the walls explaining all of this. Still obviously nothing like going straight to a good breeder -but a far cry from the puppy superstores where having the money to pay is all that matters.

Well Marianne even though i don't agree with it and it appears the staff may not either they are at least doing the right thing by getting reasonable stock and doing all the relevant checks on the new potential home they will be going to.
I will hazard a guess that the dogs there are mainly of the toy variety?

Think i will have to pop up there and see for myself as well. Just want to see how they are kept in the shop compared to what i have seen in other countries. Have no intention of ever getting another dog right now and wouldn't go there for one either, direct to the breeder is always imo the best way.

> They only accept KC registration, not the "alternative".

I wonder if the KC have been known to discipline breeders who have sold through Harrods, as surely this contravenes KC regulations?

M.

Please do not get taken in by the presentation given by the staff at Harrods it is glossy face to justify the £900 plus they charge for a puppy. Behind the scenes it is a different story, all pet shops selling puppies are the same no matter how they try to sell the puppy.

Here is a link to one of Harrods suppliers, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4133278.stm
the puppy farmer was unlicensed and within a few days of being exposed as supplying Harrods, Ceredigion Council granted the puppy farmer a licence to make them legal - a commercial breeder supplying dealers and pet shops with puppies. Harrods or any other seller of puppies have bought in puppies to resell from licensed and unlicensed breeders (puppy farmers) they are no different from one another it is just that some have higher price tag. Do not get fooled reputable, ethically, caring breeders do not sell puppies to dealers or pet shops even if they are called Harrods!

It is strictly against KC rules to sell puppies through a third party & any breeder being caught gets a lifetime ban from KC events etc. The puppies may well be from KC registered parents, but are they actually KC registered themselves-interesting thought !

I  had a email from Harrods puppy buyer a couple of months back, asking if I woudl consider supplying them.  I replied wiht a polite but detailed response about why I would NOT, including as one of hte less important points that it is against KC regs for any breeder to KC pups to sell to them.  I also sugggested that it might be a wonderful marketing tactic for Harrods to  drop the puppy sales in a big bang of publicity and get wholey behind the anti puppy farming lobby.  Strangely they never got back to me!

I've not seen puppies sold in shops over here in the UK ever. Though was shocked to read about Harrods selling them just like i was about some of these northern pet shops which above people have mentioned.


The one i went to was around slough/london way.

Yeah pat i read about that. i cant beleave that they gave them a lience when a vet nurse was saying how bad it was up there, but i guess that why we get loads of puppyfarms up here in wales. what a shame.

>The last survey 2007 - 2008 said 11% would be happy to buy from a retail outlet, this year 19% would be happy to buy from a pet retail outlet

Before we all start jumping on the PDE bandwagon, ;-) it would be interesting to know what the % are in previous years and how does that compare.  Two years doesn't really tell very much.

>So no real change at all, sick & dying badly bred puppies from bitches & dogs used as money crop machines will continue to be sold & the gullible public-influenced by Passionate Productions programs-

From what I've heard, there is something in the pipeline at the moment to govern the sale of 'fit for function/purpose' animals but these things take time.  If everything goes to plan, these puppy farmers and the like will be gone from our midst forever.  Let's see what happens.

>> Or is this another load of legislation that means b - all?
> It's down to the local council Environmental Health Department & they are mainly a load of useless w****rs, who would rather chase up alleged "Dangerous Dogs" that stop the puppy farmers & their deadly trade. I know our animal welfare officer is actually frightened of dogs !! The 2006 Act also empowers the RSPCA to take action in the cases of domestic & companion animals ! This is why they are asking for more money on the TV !! Sadly they have done b*gg*r all about the breeders who bred two of my dogs & the way they keep their dogs !

Mmm.. having known EHO's .. tbh they spend more time chasing round filthy takeaways and meat packing plants and serving Filthy and Verminous orders on minging council tenants than prodding people about dangerous dogs.. though in my LA, they STILL give out a leaflet with a load of rubbish about pitbulls (leaflet says you have to have it on a lead and muzzled!!!) but I guess the net result is the same.. doing b. all about pet shops and puppy farms.

I complained to ours several times and the ONLY reason someone did something was because the Mothership worked 'with' them, that was over a pet shop selling animals they were not licenced to sell (tortoises and certain birds) and also keeping a tank full of baby piranha in the front of the shop with live feeder goldfish in the tank with them. Cruel for all concerned.

Had I not had the leverage of Mother working with them id have got nowhere because sick and abused animals come a long long way down the list after takeaways serving a side order of cockroaches and e.coli with your curry..

The RSPCA..... to my mind need a flippin' (thats so not the word i was going to use apologise to the sticklers for nicer language) rocket up their backsides.  Ive heard all their arguments that the law says they can only do so much, and now we HAVE a law that says they can do quite a bit more and act very much sooner... and they still do nothing but apparently, decieve the general public and con money out of old ladies. Im sure that will get some backs up and I know that there are many individuals working for local branches who really put in the effort and work their fingers to the bone... but there is something very badly rotten I think, when you phone the RSPCA to get urgent help for an animal and you have to sit through half an hour sometimes of recorded messages and call centre workers explaining how you can donate money to them before you get any sort of assistance.

If they actually 'Prevented Cruelty' anywhere NEAR as effectively as they collect dosh, I wouldnt have a problem at all!

Anna and I who are involved with the anti puppy farming camaign Puppies event on September 19th also wrote to Harrods and this is the reply we got:

Thank you for your letter, which the Chairman has asked me to reply to on his behalf.

Whilst Mr Al Fayed read your letter regarding your request and is grateful for your approach, he regrets that this is not a project that he is interested in.

Thank you once again for taking the time and trouble to write and may I extend to you the Chairman's best wishes for the future.

Yours sincerely
Holly Lee-Kemp

H A R R O D S
C H A I R M A N S   O F F I C E
e-mail:holly@chairmans-office.com
DL: 020 7893 8034  *  T: 020 7730 1234  *  F: 020 7893 8545  *  W:  alfayed.com

We contacted Mr Al Fayed via his web site and Holly Lee-Kemp and the pet department manager whose name is Katie. We were originally told that they would consider our request to have a meeting with them regarding the sale of puppies from the store.

If Harrods are interested enough to order and stock puppies to add to the profits they already make then they should be open, honest and prepared to defend their actions when questioned by the media.

Harrods are no different to any other pet shop, dealer or third party seller of puppies, they may display a name that many believe to be 'posh' but the puppy trade they dabble in is far from 'posh' and they should be ashamed for partaking in it. They are offering puppies for sale to prospective puppy purchasers who are too ill informed to know that buying a puppy from any source where they cannot see the puppy with their mother and littermates is not the correct way to purchase a puppy, even if they do walk out of the shop in a Harrods puppy carrier.  All they are doing is wasting a lot of money and are prepared to pay an over-inflated price for a puppy without knowing anything about the history of the puppy or the breeders that are supplying Harrods.

Maybe someone can advise me, as does Harrods ensure that all their puppies when offered for sale display the following, (see below) if they have purchased heir puppies from licensed breeders, commercial or otherwise?  

As according to the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (welfare) Act 1999 all puppies sold from licensed breeders to a licensed pet shop (which Harrods has acquired to enable them to 'buy in' puppies to resell) must be wearing a collar and indentificatin tag or badge according to the The Sale of Dogs (Identification Tag) Regulations 1999. The badge should display the date of birth of the puppy, an identification number, if any, allocated to the dog by the licensing breeding establishment at which it was born.
(3) the keeper of a licensed pet shop is guilty of an offence if he sells a dog which when delivered to him, was wearing a collar with an identifying tag ot badge but is not wearing such a collar when delivered to the person to whom he sells it.
'identifying badge or tag' should display the licensed breeding establishment that it was born, date of birth and an id number, if any'

Maybe Harrods would be prepared to answer why not, if that is the case.  The Council responsible for issueing the pet shop licence should be advised that Harrods are not complying with their licensing conditions too if it is found they are buying from licensed breeders and the puppies sold without collar and name tag or badge.                

> As according to the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (welfare) Act 1999 all puppies sold from licensed breeders to a licensed pet shop (which Harrods has acquired to enable them to 'buy in' puppies to resell) must be wearing a collar and indentificatin tag or badge according to the The Sale of Dogs (Identification Tag) Regulations 1999. The badge should display the date of birth of the puppy, an identification number, if any, allocated to the dog by the licensing breeding establishment at which it was born.
> (3) the keeper of a licensed pet shop is guilty of an offence if he sells a dog which when delivered to him, was wearing a collar with an identifying tag or badge but is not wearing such a collar when delivered to the person to whom he sells it.
> 'identifying badge or tag' should display the licensed breeding establishment that it was born, date of birth and an id number, if any'

I wonder if the other retail outlets do this? I bet they don't and they are all as guilty as each other if they don't..... Does anybody have any idea if this is what happens in other retail outlets as well?

Polly it is common practice that most do not there could be a number of reasons for this as follows.

The Councils are not enforcing legislation.

The Council when licence premises under The Pet Shop Licence Act 1951/91 do not always refer to the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (welfare) Act or the Sale of Dogs (Identification Tag) Regulations 1999 and rely entirely upon the conditions of the pet shop licence.

Some pet shops state they sell only from puppies that they source from licensed breeders not puppy farmers but fail to sell puppies with collar tag or badge. As no reputable ethical breeder would sell litters of puppies to a pet shop the pet shop has no choice but to acquire puppies from both licensed and unlicensed commercial breeders  but when it comes to selling the puppies they do not wish the purchaser to know which puppies have been bred on unlicensed or licensed premises.  Without any form of ID they can all be passed onto the public as the same. To be honest there is little difference between licensed and unlicensed breeders supplying the pet trade they are all puppy farmers.

The breeders supplying dealers and pet shops do not always wish to be identified so do not comply with regulations when selling to dealers and pet shops.

Litters get mixed up when sold through dealers to pet shops.

I think that all puppies should be identifiable by microchip/tattoo/DNA profile this should be the responsibility of the breeder before the puppy is sold and it should be law.    

    

> I think that all puppies should be identifiable by microchip/tattoo/DNA profile this should be the responsibility of the breeder before the puppy is sold and it should be law. 

I agree with this, I have my own dogs DNA identified, and previously to this option being available I used to have my dogs tattooed. I am not a fan of microchips but can see they might well have a place in this.

As every piece of meat sold in a supermarket legally has to be traceable to the farm it came from, puppies should be much easier to identify than a joint of meat or a chicken.

One thing which is I find bizarre, is that a breeder can be sued under the Trades Description act if the puppy is not fit for purpose, but when I have covered articles for Our Dogs I have found over the years that when buyers go to Trading Standards or try to take these retail outlets to court they get nowhere and these places seem to get away with it time and time again!

I am wondering what advise is being given to puppy purchasers when they make their enquiries to Consumer Direct/Trading Standards with a sick puppy, incorrect paperwork, puppy misdescribed etc. 

Are they being advised that they may not succeed if they start proceedings through the Sale of Goods Act and therefore the purchaser is put off or fears the cost involved. Which is all a nonsense, because most will have a sound case if the puppy is suffering from a genetic disease, hereditary condition and diagnosed early or is sick soon after purchase and needs lengthy and costly veterinary treatment or even due to illness the vet advises euthanasia as the only humane option.

All the information is on both Consumer Direct and Trading Standards web sites there are even pro forma letters to make it easy and no solicitor is involved so there are no extra costs just the cost of taking action through the small claims court which is a small sum to pay to get justice against rogue traders. It also means that the puppy seller (if the case is successful)has a Court Judgement awarded against them, as a business they will not welcome this happening. Some to prevent this will settle out of Court. I am aware of many individuals who have been successful in Court but I have to admit some have had to chase their money as the guilty seller has been reluctant to pay up initially.

I advise everyone that contacts me to go through this route and have that information on my web site but if puppy purchasers are being misinformed indirectly by putting what they may peceive as obstacles in the way by Consumer Direct/Trading Standards I will remove it because it defeats the object and I will return to advising each individual myself.

Anyone wishing to persue this route can always get personal help and advice from the local CAB office too.

I think it is important to keep all avenues of information open and your web site is excellent for this.

I guess at Our Dogs we only ever hear the reports from those who have been unsuccessful, in much the same way vets see more sick pets than most of us do. I recall one such case where the dog was purchased from a Manchester store we all know of, the puppy had several issues not least of which was it's temperament. It ended up being put to sleep but the owners did go to court, yet the store is still trading happily today. :-(

Trading Standards and Office of Fair Trading have the option if they have collated enough complaints from purchasers, this applies equally as well for puppy sellers such as pet shop licence holders as for any other trader such as dodgy car sales persons/traders.  If TS receive enough complaints they can use the Enterprise Act 2002 and take a seller of dodgy goods to Court. This happened to one notorious puppy seller in my area who imported all puppies from S Ireland, she was found guilty and told she would be back in court if she or anyone connected to her business sold a sick puppy ever again.  She has but TS have failed to return her to Court and the Council re issue her licence every year, which rather makes a mockery of taking her to Court in the first place.

But this will not be the end of the story as since the Court case in 2004, TV and the media have repeatedly focused on her activities and asked the Council why they renew her license. Something will transpire one day to fold her business of selling sick puppies and duping the public but it does seem a long winded proceedure.

i dont beleive that someone would get a puppy from those shops. it should be against teh law to sell dogs with out seeing where they were raised and seeing at least one of there parents.
that way puppy farmers and shops would go out of buisness, and anyway alot of those shops sell pedigree puppies with false pedigrees, they will through the odd CH in there and stuff.

Yes I agree wholeheartedly it should be against the law to allow puppies to be sold from pet shops or any pet shop licence holder.

This is a step in the right direction

http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/topstories/4255510.MPs_asked_to_act_over_Sutton_and_Kingston_pet_shop/

but they need to direct their aim at all pet shop license holders not just Kingston, Surrey because they are all the same selling puppies from puppy farms, licensed and unlicensed commercial breeders and they all sell from time to time sick puppies.