To ask people to please stop contributing to the overbreeding of dogs in lockdown?

[Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady]

I've posted this in "doghouse" too but maybe it will be of benefit to put it on here too.

I looked on gumtree. I shouldnt have but i did and now I'm pissed off!

I mean what the hell is this?! £2500 for a mix of random breeds, so blatantly an attempt to cash in on lockdown by breeding family dogs. No care will have been taken over health testing etc

Its not just this advert either.

FRUGS! I mean, never mind that it's a stupid f-ing name, but it's pug crossed with a French bulldog. Wonderful idea! Let's take 2 breeds who can't breath and make shit loads of money from them.

SHUGS! I'm guessing here as the advert wasn't specific but I'm assuming a shitzu crossed with a pug?

DACHOUND - If you're going to sell it you should be able to spell it!

More cockerpoos thank you can shake a stick at.

Puppies around 4 months old being sold for £2000 (obviously a lockdown purchase and they're trying to get their money back/make a bit more)

Even normal breeds which would have been fairly cheap pre lockdown (labrador, border collie etc) going for thousands of pounds.

What is wrong with people?! And when will this end?

Please please don't be someone who adds to this problem. Its not just gumtree, even some supposedly "reputable" breeders are now charging double or triple the price for puppies than they were before lockdown.

If people keep buying at this price it will encourage more and more irresponsible breeders who are just looking to make money.

Dog theft is a real problem (in my area) at the moment and it all stems from the same thing.

Once "work from home if you can" finishes so so many young dogs will be chucked into rescue centres or just onto the side of a road.

Time to introduce a maximum price of say, £200 for dog sales. Allow people to recover their costs and not make any profit.

And in our area the police have issued a statement saying that dog thefts have increased @Blockedoff, and are asking dog owners to be more vigilant.

Apologies because I don't know anything about dogs but what age should a puppy leave it's mum? I've noticed loads of new puppies around here, as I'm sure most people have and some of them look so tiny and are shivering with the cold, it makes me really sad. Someone on Facebook was showing pictures of their new puppy (a mongrel with extravagant title) and she must have got it at 5 weeks old! Surely that's too young?!

The breed I’ve been connected with for 25 years had a drop in the number of puppies registered last year, 2 to 3 litters down. The reputable breeders have tried to keep the price of puppies down so people don’t start breeding them for income.

@ParadiseLaundry 8-12 weeks depending on the breed.

The minimum is 8 weeks I think. 5 weeks is awful. My puppy was nearly 10 weeks and I'm sure it's helped her socialisation.

I suppose dogs get board too😂

@ParadiseLaundry

Apologies because I don't know anything about dogs but what age should a puppy leave it's mum? I've noticed loads of new puppies around here, as I'm sure most people have and some of them look so tiny and are shivering with the cold, it makes me really sad. Someone on Facebook was showing pictures of their new puppy (a mongrel with extravagant title) and she must have got it at 5 weeks old! Surely that's too young?!

Eight weeks is the legal minimum age. The law changed not so long ago. Puppies must also be microchipped before going to their new homes.

Thank you both. That makes me so sad. It says a lot about the people who want to take them so young, they obviously just want something cute and toy-like and are probably the people most likely to get rid of them when they get bigger

DD is desperate for a dog. She has been around them all her life, and we will get one, maybe 2, in due course.

But I refuse to contribute to this madness, I've told her it'll be at least a year until we get a dog. And as for these stupid made up names. "So he's a crossbreed?" usually goes down like a bucket of sick as a response.

The dog napping is terrifying and I'm worried about my parents dog getting stolen. Their needs to be stricter penalties for anyone who steels a family pet, the thought of it makes me feel sick.

Regarding the sale of puppies, whilst it's definitely not ideal people are struggling financially and I can imagine they think breeding from their dog is easy money, there is no regulation, which is wrong. Obviously it's going to cause an issue but I do think charities need to rethink their rehoming strategy, so many people struggle to adopt from a charity so they buy a puppy. It's definitely a complex issue.

Damn autocorrect
*there needs

@ParadiseLaundry

Thank you both. That makes me so sad. It says a lot about the people who want to take them so young, they obviously just want something cute and toy-like and are probably the people most likely to get rid of them when they get bigger

Sadly, puppies that are rehomed at such a young age are also more likely to have behavioural problems as well.

Especially around things like bite inhibition which they would have learnt from their mum and siblings.

@devildeepbluesea

DD is desperate for a dog. She has been around them all her life, and we will get one, maybe 2, in due course.

But I refuse to contribute to this madness, I've told her it'll be at least a year until we get a dog. And as for these stupid made up names. "So he's a crossbreed?" usually goes down like a bucket of sick as a response.

It's fine. I call my crossbreed a mongrel. Everyone asks about her because she's so friendly and gorgeous. I get really bored with dog snobbery so would probably roll my eyes at you to be fair.

I met a woman in the park not that long ago. Her dog was a cross of 3/4 popular breeds. She’d paid £1500 pre lockdown. Madness. She called it poochoncav or some such nonsense. I think it was also part shitzu but can’t remember.

The media need to stop referring to these dogs by such names. Just call them bichon/poodle cross etc. May make them less popular & put prices down.

We had mongrels growing up. One was a poodle cross & was gorgeous. Don’t blame people for wanting them but it’s time to have proper regulation.

Your confusing different issues to justify your rant.

Breeding cross breeds is one thing and I'm with you, but don't then draw generalisation of people reasoning for getting a dog in lockdown.

We got ours last April. It wasn't an impulse buy at all. We'd planned it for a few years. OH works FT, I work PT but my SIL had agreed to look after him on my working days. She too wanted a dog for company during the day but didn't want the responsibilities that come with owning a dog.

All we needed was time for puppy to settle with us. The lockdown and working from home was of course the trigger. We still didn't just jump on the first dog available, we waited for the right one.

As it is, as for many, my WFH is to be permanent. Doggy still go SIL 1 or 2 days a week, more for her benefit. That dog has the most fantastic life, adored by all and incredibly well looked after.

I'm not an exception. Of course there are and always will be bad dog owners, but getting a puppy/dog during lockdown doesn't in itself make you one.

The fault lies just as much with the people buying these dogs as it does with the people breeding them.

If there was no market then there would be no puppies. Every time someone pays £2500 for a dog they are giving the green light to these unscrupulous individuals who are out to make a fortune.

Make selling animals for profit illegal, put a cap on puppy prices, and you shut down the puppy farming industry overnight.

But this thread title should just as equally read “AIBU to ask people to stop spending ££££ on puppies because you are contributing to the puppy farming industry...”?

I think it’s a good thing in some respects, dogs are expensive and unfortunately you need a certain amount of income to pay their bills/insurance, vet trips etc.

For a decent breeder, the costs of raising puppies will always be higher as they put a lot of time into care and training, the food is better, they have nice play toys etc.

I've no real issue with prices increasing if it deters people from buying on a whim. I seriously detest dog snobbery and find it odd that people are so sneering about cross breeds, which often have been selected to promote the best genes from each breed.

I agree that a licensing system has to be the way forward. However, when our local authorities continue to give actual puppy farms the green light to operate (as for one very near me which has since changed name, and the council report stated they found no issues even though there are a plethora of complaints and a Facebook group of thousands who've shared the same experience), the chances of a robust licencing system are slim.

I've literally just bought a puppy. I'm already a dog owner and we've been thinking about having another for some time. However, we didn't want to bring a puppy home in the midst of lockdown as we felt it would then be difficult training it to be alone for periods of time when we were both back to work (we're out for 3-4hrs a day).

I just wanted to add something from the other side, we did get a puppy last year having wanted a dog for a long time and yes the lockdown was the final contributing factor but we thought it out and planned so when life goes back to normal the dog will not be left and become an "inconveniance". We have found a very reputable dog sitter 2 days a week and the other days either I or DH will be at home. He is very loved and very much a part of our family and we know a 15 year commitment. We did pay over the odds for him but I know we had the best intentions to care for him. I get so upset when people ask how old he is and immediately assume he was a impulse buy, he was not and Is very loved and wanted.

I know someone with a Shitzu and a friend of hers with a french bull dog suggested breeding them. Shitzu owner said “so they’d be bullshitz then? That’s about right.” Her friend took the huff. 😏
I’m on a breed group on fb, and the number of new members looking for pups recently has skyrocketed. Most dodgy as with brand new fb accounts.Some chancing it with different breeds. All directed to the group admin.

The ethics and of it all horrifies me. How many puppies is one dog meant to produce? Even with the most reputable breeder?

It’s basically humans wanting animals for their own desires - not great for the planet and not great for many of the dogs

That advert has got to be a joke surely!
Less than 10 years ago mongrels were something to be embarrassed by but now people are paying silly money for!

My mongrels both cost me less than £100 - maybe I should try selling them for a few thousand and see if there’s any takers

I think if someone wants to breed they should apply for a license. I know way too many people who buy dogs just to breed from them and then get rid of them!

Absolutely couldn’t agree more. It’s so scary. Just STOP buying dogs atm. If people refused to pay these ridiculous prices for a few months then the price WILL come down.

And as for people paying 2.5k for a mongrel, on which a fucking cockapoo is btw (not aimed at you OP but at anyone who pays big money for a mongrel) it just proves these people shouldn’t have dogs as they clearly have no clue.

The person breeding a FRUG should be shot. The people buying them should also be shot.

Seriously, when will all this madness end?!