Acquiring a pup

[GSDOWNER]

Acquiring a pup

So, you have chosen a breed that would suit your lifestyle, read all the pamphlets on “Educating the Public on Pet Ownership” and are now ready to select a breeder. How is this done? By asking the Kennel Club for advice, reading the Pet Care Trust’s Puppy Index or simply thumbing through the advertising section of the pet’s columns in trade journals or newspapers?

The Kennel Club, Dog Lovers UK and other alternative Registration Companies
They will recommend puppies that are K.C. Registered or registered with their own logo irrespective of whether the breeding kennels is licensed or not. They make no checks on the conditions under which the pups are reared and no warranty is given as to the quality of fitness of the litters nor will they accept responsibility for transactions between purchaser and vendor . Which means that should you buy a defective pup it is the owner who bears the onus of vet’s bills and possibly the loss of the pup at an early age.

The Kennel Club, Dog Lovers UK and other alternative registration companies are only interested in accepting a fee for each pup registered with them. If you are unsure whether the kennel you have chosen to purchase your pup from is licensed, check with Environmental Health/Licensing in that area or e-mail us. Take note that a bona fide breeder , licensed with the Local Authority, is regularly inspected under the Breeding & Sale of Dogs Act 1999 but there is still no guarantee to acquiring a healthy puppy. The local authority will only inspect the buildings and documentation, not the animals.

The Puppy Index is produced and distributed in the same unprincipled manner. No checks are made on the breeders whose name is included on the list except in the case of a complaint. BY THEN IT IS TOO LATE. The onus is once again on the purchaser who may well suffer the heartbreak of a sick and dying puppy.

The Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 was compiled by those organisations whose first priority should have been the protection and welfare of DOGS, BITCHES AND THE CONSEQUENT LITTERS. Unfortunately, their main objective seems concentrated on protecting the “Hobby Breeder” which in many cases is no more than a euphemism for a PUPPY FARMER. i.e. someone who breeds excessively for the pet trade and sells puppies to a third party. They could be operating unlicensed or licensed by the local authority.

Under the 1999 Act a keeper of a licensed breeding establishment will be guilty of an offence if he/she sells a dog anywhere other than at a licensed breeding establishment, a licensed pet shop or a Scottish licensed breeding establishment. He/she will also commit an offence if selling a dog directly to anyone; other that to a keeper of a licensed pet shop or a licensed Scottish rearing establishment knowing or believing that the dog will be sold onto another person. It is an offence for a licensed breeder to sell to the above, a puppy less that 8 weeks of age, not wearing an identification tag giving details of the breeder and it must have been bred on his/her establishment.
This leads us to the sale of pups from PET SHOPS AND TRADERS . The holder of a Pet Shop License can still obtain his/her puppies from an unlicensed breeder which maybe a puppy farmer as well as licensed breeders. Even though a pet shop holds a Pet Shop License issued by the local authority it is generally agreed amongst animal welfare organisations that it is unwise to purchase a puppy from a third party where you will not be able to see the puppy with its mother. Always do your homework first by contacting the secretary of the breed club of your choice of puppy who can offer advice and a list of reputable breeders. A reputable breeder would not sell to a third party, i.e. a pet shop.

If you have been unfortunate enough to have purchased a sick or ailing dog from either a pet shop or breeder then we should like to hear from you. Please e-mail us at adogslife@ntlworld.com. Always contact your local Trading Standards officer if after purchase your puppy is found to be suffering from an inherited disease or has died or the paperwork issued at the time of sale is incorrect. A dog comes under the heading of “goods for sale” and the purchaser is protected by the insertion “goods must be of satisfactory quality and be fit for their purpose” under the Sale of Goods Act. Contact also your local Council Environmental Health Officer particularly important if your puppy is/has suffering/suffered from a contagious disease that could infect other puppies sold from the premises.