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Both can be puppy farmers  - and commercial breeders

These people buy the puppies from puppy farmers and commercial breeders, then sell them on to ...

Puppy farmers and commercial breeders are persons that breed from their dogs for financial   gain and sell their puppies to a third party and not directly to the purchaser. There is no legal definition for the term 'puppy farmer'  but it is generally used to describe and represent various types of mass breeding establishments, where puppies are produced and sold in an indiscriminate manner for profit. Very little, if any regard is given to the quality of the puppies bred - before or after whelping!  No thought is given to whether the bitch's or the stud dogs are suitable to be used in a mass breeding programme.  What is certain is  that any hereditary faults that the dogs or bitch's have, stand a very high chance of being passed down to their  puppies.  None of the puppies born in these puppy farming 'factories'  are ever socialised or given health checks.  The only attention that they may receive is a vaccination by the puppy farmer  - to try to stop the puppies catching parvo  and wiping out his entire stock!  This is not done out of concern for the puppies - merely to safeguard the puppy farmer's business. This vaccination is usually obtained and used illegally.

The puppies  are taken off the bitch at about 4 weeks old (which is far too young) they are then transported to where they will eventually be sold from.  Although the Breeding and Sale of Dogs Welfare Act states that puppies should be 8 weeks old, and wearing a collar stating their date of birth - before they can be sold.  We at hope-uk do not think this is a safe enough method to be able to guarantee that this is in fact what happens. The whole system is so weak and inadequately monitored that puppies will still be being sold at 4 weeks of age.  These small puppies  could travel hundreds of miles and be passed around several times before they finally reach their selling point! They have had almost no human contact apart from being rounded up and placed into crates and boxes for the journey.   This is NOT the correct start in life for  any puppy! The odds are that pain and suffering  will be just around the corner for both puppy and new owner - if the puppy lives long enough to be sold, that is.  Death is common and is an acceptable loss in the 'trade'!  You might well pay £350 upwards for your chosen puppy from one of these outlets .  That same puppy has, since the day of its birth, cost no more than £100 perhaps even less!  Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of these puppies are bred and sold in this Country and many more exported every year.       

All of this is like a time bomb just waiting to go off!!

Make sure you are not one of it's victims - stay away from commercial outlets
Although this may sound like cruel advice - it is the only way to stop these businesses from flourishing - and save the dogs, bitches and puppies years more misery and suffering.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

hope-uk@tiscali.co.uk