Forgive me if this is a daft question.

Is the following true regarding the above act.

It is an offence for a bitch to be mated if she is less than one year old.

Breeding is restricted to no more than six litters in a lifetime and no more than one litter per year.

If it is true it would seem to me to be a pretty useful tool in shutting down puppy farms.

Thanks :)

Sadly those rules only apply to those required to be licensed, and are obviously not being enforced.

Records are supposed to be kept and inspected for the bitches, and also pups sold though retail should have a tag with breeders details, we know this doesn't happen, as the new owners often have no idea where their puppy was bred and I suspect with multiple litters being housed together that any paperwork is unlikely to go with right pup.

There are plenty of laws old and new to address these issues, but none are any use unless there is the will to enforce them.

Thanks Barbara.

The reason I ask is because I'm trawling rescue websites looking for inaccuracies for my interest, two charities in particular seem to present information in a misleading way.

Robert.

The bits you quoted are from the Breeding and Sale of Dogs Welfare Act http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1999/19990011.htm