News release from the Animal Welfare Foundation


APGAW CALLS ON KENNEL CLUB AND BLUE CROSS
TO GET BEHIND PUPPY CONTRACT


The BVA AWF/RSPCA Puppy Contract has attracted support from the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW) in its update report on dog breeding.

'A Healthier Future for Pedigree Dogs - Update Report' found that all stakeholders believe a puppy contract is a good tool to use in the buying and selling of puppies but that it would be much more useful if there was just one contract promoted and used.

The report calls on the Kennel Club (KC), Blue Cross and breed clubs to get behind a single contract by joining the main stakeholders who have already endorsed the AWF/RSPCA Puppy Contract and Puppy Information Pack (PIP) www.puppycontract.org.uk

The KC and Blue Cross sat on the Dog Breeding Stakeholder Group when the BVA AWF/RSPCA Puppy Contract was discussed but decided not to endorse it. Some breeders and breed clubs use their own version of a puppy contract but APGAW hopes that a resolution can be found which results in a single contract being promoted and used by all stakeholders.

The report also suggests that breeders operating to high standards by using the puppy contract (and other tools such as the KC/Dogs Trust Puppy Plan, KC Assured Breeder Scheme and health testing) should be rewarded by local authorities with a lower licence fee.

The APGAW update report will be sent to Defra ministers and MPs for consideration. 

Commenting, BVA AWF Chair of Trustees Tiffany Hemming said:

"APGAW has set out what needs to happen to make significant improvements to dog welfare and we are delighted that the report recognises the important role of the Puppy Contract and PIP.

"We hope the Kennel Club, Blue Cross and breed clubs keep talking to us about endorsing the Puppy Contract and PIP in the future so that we can all speak with one voice to potential puppy buyers about dog health and welfare."

As in rearing and all sorts of areas I do not agree with 'One size fits all' concepts.

for a universal contract to fit most situations it would have to be so basic as to on it's own be pretty useless.

It's lie, these puppy plans, fine is they are a suggestion as to what kinds of socialisation and early imprinting, handling is needed, but not as it stands where it implies these things must be done.

For example puppies fed in 7 different places????  Why 7?  I have seen other puppy rearing guides say rules of 12.

I can think of 4 different locations pups have been fed, but will untold harm be done if they are not fed in the car?

Most of us are too busy rearing our pups, swatting them away from climbing on the poo shovel, goosing them when they are tearing up the grass, chasing with them around they mulberry bush (well currently a stack of breeze blocks) then sitting while they clamber over my lap, and finally zonk out, before i put them to bed in the kitchen where they briefly protest, but then settle with their supper and fall asleep.

There is no one right way of doing things, and i have no wish to be part of some clinical way of being with my dogs, as part of breeding for us surely is the huge enjoyment we get from rearing puppies, despite the soggy wet bundles making your clothes stink when they have been running around outside in this weather.  Perhaps the correct thing would be to keep them in a sterile environment where they didn't get wet and smelly, buy where's the fun for them in that.

> The report also suggests that breeders operating to high standards by using the puppy contract (and other tools such as the KC/Dogs Trust Puppy Plan, KC Assured Breeder Scheme and health testing) should be rewarded by local authorities with a lower licence fee.
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I would imagine there would be few breeders that bred to such standards that would require to be licensed, those standards cost money, and are labour intensive, and would not be profitable for the commercial breeder that requires licensing.

I have just printed off the paperwork to put in the puppy folders, for one litter of 6 pups that are leaving (one staying) I have had to change the black ink twice, and two of the coloured inks.

I have bought toys for the pups, vet bed, collars, leads, stainless steel bowls, fed excellent food in ample quantities to both Mum and pups and most of all spent time with pups, including a constant Rodin of poo pick up, bedding changing, puppy pen scrubbing.

I suppose it gives a framework to add breed specific info to and any other things that you do as a breeder to bring up well balanced pups.

Then it should be framed as suggestions and not prescriptive.  The Q-tip thing in the puppy plan got me, I don't use them, never have, yet have not suffered for ti and still have well adjusted generations of dogs.