http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/12/11/puppy-trader-probe-after-people-investigation-102039-23625683/

Why ever Councils issue pet shop licenses to individuals allowing them to trade as dealers by buying litters of puppies (from breeders/puppy farmers commercial breeders) and selling to other pet shops or as this individual does by advertising all over the Internet and sell from the back of his car with 10 year old daughter in tow I do not know.

The article says he refers to himself as Dylan Thomas but in fact his name is Huw Thomas from Carmarthenshire I will not be any more precise than that other than to say he definately does not have a shop premises.

It is time that we all joined forces in earnest asking the Government to listen to us, the public and to ban the selling of any puppy from anywhere other than direct from the breeder?

Here here, few of the puppy farmers and BYB's could stand up to the scrutiny of individual puppy buyers, and it would make it easy for people to report if they found unsatisfactory conditions.

Scandalous.

Here here, few of the puppy farmers and BYB's could stand up to the scrutiny of individual puppy buyers, and it would make it easy for people to report if they found unsatisfactory conditions.

I had a rescue GR that at 4 months was on his 3rd home. He was so confused I had no option but to take him on even though I knew he was from a puppy farm. I knew the area where he came from,(Carmarthenshire ) the name and address  of the vet that did the very basic first vaccination (Carmarthenshire ) and the name and address of the man that distributed the pups in Southall, Middx. They were obviously send by van from Carmarthenshire down the M4 to Southall. I gave all this info to the RSPCA and the dog warden - did they do anything with the info? no of course not

If only the government would listen !!! I signed a petition not long ago on Facebook to ban puppy farming but have not heard anything since.
If you get 100,000 names don't they have to debate the issue in parliment now ???
I have lost faith in the RSPCA over recent years, they seem to be focused more on politics and only act when there is a camera crew around.

>If you get 100,000 names don't they have to debate the issue in parliment now ???

Yes, which is why it's important not to have too many petition circulating about the same thing. People won't sign them all so there's less chance of reaching the magic figure.

I gave all this info to the RSPCA and the dog warden - did they do anything with the info? no of course not

This is the biggest problem.

The laws are already in place to deal with people like this, but the local councils and the RSPCA seem unwilling to prosecute them or remove licenses.   

Of course since the councils are being paid for the licenses by these people it must make it awfully difficult to contemplate the loss of revenue they would suffer if all the puppy farmers and dealers went out of business

> Of course since the councils are being paid for the licenses by these people it must make it awfully difficult to contemplate the loss of revenue they would suffer if all the puppy farmers and dealers went out of business <IMG alt=mad src="/images/mad.gif">

and of course cost them money to investigate/prosecute.

> They were obviously send by van from Carmarthenshire down the M4 to Southall.

Were they then delivered to a licenced pet shop?  If so I don't think any law has been broken and the RSPCA, council, police or whatever can do nothing.

> I signed a petition not long ago on Facebook to ban puppy farming but have not heard anything since.
>

We will never have a law to ban puppy farming as it is a non definable term.  What we need are specific laws such as the banning of selling puppies other than directly from the breeder.

Were they then delivered to a licenced pet shop?

No, they were advertised in newspapers within a very large area, my little GR was advertised in Reading and bought by original owner in Reading.( Again down the M4) She couldn't cope with a pup as she had a small toddler. I think she thought it would be a cuddly toy for her baby !!! She then sold it on to someone else and when I found it, it was shut outside in the freezing rain, sheltering behind a dustbin like a drowned rat at just 4 months old. I had no option but to pay over the odds to take it home with me, poor little soul. So he started out in Carmarthen, then on to Southall, then to original owner and then to next owner, so i was owner number 5.

I vetted a dog for our breed rescue a couple of years ago because the family wanted to rehome it.  I went and met them and the dog, and at the same time I had to pick up the 'pedigree' and Vacc certs to send back to rescue.

Looking at the pedigree, (if thats what you could call it!), Parents, Grandparents and GGrandparents were all just written as their own names, not a KC name in sight.  It may as well have been written on loo paper for what it was worth.  The owner told me the dog was a good pedigree.

I asked where they had him from, and they told me they'd met a lady in a car at Bristol Services, and she had 7 puppies with her.  3 other families turned up at the same time and took a puppy each from this woman.  Apart from this sheet of paper, they walked away with the puppy and nothing else after handing over the money.

It wasnt until they got home and looked at this puppy properly, they realised his tail was docked and that it was bleeding and a right mess.  They took him to the Vet who discovered the bone was showing from the end had to amputate it further as it was infected.  He reckoned when the tail had been docked but whoever did it, had done it when the pups were a good few weeks old :(

Fortunately in the dogs favour, he was very friendly and was rehomed to a lovely family very quickly. 

I dont know how these people sleep straight in bed at night. :( It infuriates me that responsible breeders who pay alot of money for health checks on their dogs prior to breeding in the hope they produce the best puppies, then maybe end up losing bitches and pups when they have to have emergency C sections etc, and people like these who do not care a hoot about health testing, whether bitches are old enough etc, just sell puppies like they are going out of fashion purely for the money.  Then its always left for somebody else to pick up the pieces when things go wrong with these dogs.

To be in possession of a pet shop licence does not allow a person to sell puppies from the boot of their car as it is illegal to do so. He would also need authorisation under the Animal Transport Act 2006 or 7 if Wales to enable him to transport puppies as part of a business. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 may come into play but as he is licensed as a pet shop it will be dependent upon the Councils actions as to whether they  make the decision to take action and ask the RSPCA to assist them with their enquiries.  Welsh Councils are very lax in taking any sort of action on any animal welfare issues relating to dog breeding or puppy selling so I will not be surprised if they find 'reasons' or should I say excuses to do nothing even though this licensed trader is acting illegally by selling from the boot of his car in a car park.

> To be in possession of a pet shop licence does not allow a person to sell puppies from the boot of their car as it is illegal to do so.

I wonder how the law relates to selling on line or by telephone and then delivering the dog?  As opposed to say, just parking up at a market and touting to passers by.  Does the licence demand they have a physical premises.  Might there be a loophole here?

I wonder how the law relates to selling on line or by telephone and then delivering the dog?

I know for certain that if the transaction still takes place from the back of a vehicle or in a public place ( in Scotland ) then that would be illegal. My friend along with her vet, the SSPCA and police set up a "sting " to catch a puppy farmer some years ago. She had unwittingly bought her OES puppy from this man ( eleven pups in the boot and told to take her pick ) until I told her about puppy farming and that the man was certainly one, she had no idea. She became so angry about the whole thing and luckily had a great vet who was keen to get involved, that between them they got the ball rolling and caught the bugger red handed.

Stooge if an individual is 'buying in' and reselling puppies from their own private property and advertising the sale of those puppies over the Internet by mobile or land line they do need a pet shop licence. If they are transporting those puppies either from where they have purchased them (from the breeder or another pet shop licence holder) they need authorisation under the Transport of Animals legislation because they are operating a business - the business of buying and reselling of puppies.

Here is a snippet from Defra on selling in public places.

The Pet Animals Act 1951
The Pet Animals Act 1951 (as amended in 1983) protects the welfare of animals sold as pets. The Act requires any person keeping a pet shop to be licensed by the local authority. Before granting a licence the local authority must be satisfied that the animals are kept in accommodation that is both suitable and clean; that they are supplied with appropriate food and drink; and are adequately protected from disease and fire. The local authority may attach any conditions to the licence, may inspect the licensed premises at all reasonable times and may refuse a licence if the conditions at the premises are unsatisfactory or if the terms of the licence are not being complied with.

Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the law in this area and anyone who has reason to believe that a pet shop is keeping animals in inadequate conditions should raise the matter with the local authority who will decide what action to take within the range of its powers.

Under s.2 pets cannot be sold in the street, including on barrows and markets.