written by Karen Clark-Stapleton

In the day of puppy farming butt kicking which we all love to do , when does it become acceptable to condone irresponsible breeding by internet. Some may argue that to offer these novice breeders support will ensure that the litter(s) they have will be protected, but surely there is a downside here.

I often peruse doggy sites to see what is going on and who is saying what, frankly some of these sites are unethical, irresponsible and encourage those with limited knowledge simply to do it again and again, then those very same people attack puppy farmers ?

I read with interest recently the postings on one dog site that appeared to say hey its okay to breed your bitch 3 times in a row , they then went on to attack members that thought it was unethical.

The management of that forum and their friends did not once state that this was fundamentally wrong and when the breeder then committed an act that possibly shortened the life of the litter produced they failed in their duties to point out the new legislation on animal welfare. Some may argue what she did was ignorant and stupid, but is that an accepted excuse in law, well not in my book.

Breeding carries with it not only a welfare responsibility but also a legal responsibility to carry out acts and procedures correctly. When so called experienced breeders fail to inform its membership on what is good practice and not should they be held liable ?

I would argue yes, once they set about to establish themselves as experts then legally they have a duty to inform and deride, castigate and encourage , after all they are quick enough to tell people exactly how long they have been breeding and showing and there isn’t anything they don’t know !

I cannot believe that after 3 litters a breeder would not know even how to keep a litter warm post partum , how to feed a pup should it become abandned by its mother, and I would be questioning what she is doing with the money she is getting for the pups sold, to me she sounds like a puppy farmer or pet profiteer, as such , it should not become accepted behaviour to encourage simply because she is a member on a site to which she is asking help from.

Before breeding any animal thorough research needs to be carried out to ensure that the animal is fit, healthy and good enough to be bred from, we here all too often the excuses “I just wanted her to have a first litter”, She needs a litter…. the list grows longer by the day , but we dont here very often ” I have carried out all health tests even those not being promoted at the breed club”, sadly herein lies the problem.

Breeding creates an income for EVERY breeder, how they choose to use that income is for each individual. What they should not be doing is stating its acceptable for them and their membership , whilst attacking puppy farmers, as in my book they are one and the same.Until breed clubs behave more ethically then poor dogs will continue to blight the world of pet ownership and that is not acceptable .

Related posts:

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2. Wales ‘First’ With Animal Welfare Guidance but Will it be the ‘First’ to Outlaw Puppy Farming?
3. Another Breed Club Recommends Puppy Killing
4. Expose Puppy Farming, Become a Criminal
5. Help Beat Sick Puppy Farmers - RSPCA Campaign Aims to Educate Puppy Buyers