Puppy Farming

A dog's life in a puppy farm is pure misery all day, every day. They are shown no love or attention and spend their lives shut in cold dark sheds or stables. A South Wales puppy farm was once described as "a concentration camp for dogs" by an animal welfare expert.

Puppy farmers/breeders mass breed for financial gain, therefore the welfare of the puppies isn’t priority. Puppies are born into an evil world, many weaned off their mother at only four weeks old.

The puppies are not socialized and don’t receive veterinary treatment or any type of health check. They may get vaccinated but only to ensure none of them catch Parvo and pass it on to the rest of the ‘stock’. Illegal vaccinations are commonly used.

Dogs are kept in awful, dirty conditions some are packed so tightly together they cannot turn around. Space is important, the more that can be squeezed in one place the more money there is to be made. The only person the dogs see is the breeder, who might pop in once a day to chuck in what little food they do get, usually just enough to keep them alive.

The bitches are breeding machines and when they can no longer produce they are no use to the breeder and are shot or hit over the head, some are just abandoned. Humane killing would cost money, so that won’t even be considered as an option.

Puppies are sold and shipped all over the UK and sometimes abroad, adverts in papers, pet shops, wherever there’s money to be made. It is also known that puppies are sold from the back of cars. Some of the very weak ones die being transported.

When people buy a puppy from puppy farms, they run the risk of ending up with a dog which has many health problems. It’s common for the puppies to be suffering from skin diseases, fleas and worms. Some will have weak immune systems which mean they can contract diseases easily, many will be fatal. They may also have behavioural problems due to not being socialised properly.

Awareness article produced by and for Sighthounds Online. All content and images © Sighthounds Online