To please ask before you buy a puppy…..

[StarDolphins]

Please, please do your research. I’ve just cried for 20 mins at the state of this shitty country & the way we treat/use animals.

A rescue I follow & support takes in puppy mill dogs & they’re so broken. Some just walk round in small circles because they’ve lived in a 1m shed for 5 years churning out puppies, some run, hide & shake on sight of a human, often wetting themselves in fear. They’re so shut down.

Please look beyond the cute puppy & find out how it’s parents have been treated.

Sorry to post & I’m not meaning to preach but it upsets me so much.

I can’t have a rescue dog as I can’t put 6ft fences up in my rear garden so if I want a dog I would have to go to a breeder but like you, I would walk away easily i sensed things weren’t right. I wish I could convince a rescue that I’ve kept my dog safe for a decade but I understand why they insist.

When/if the time comes (after my dog is long gone as this will be my worse bereavement) I will be extremely cautious.

Thank you for the helpful info.

Thankfully there are still animal lovers like you giving these poor dogs a lovely home. Lovely to hear he’s spoilt now!

Everyone getting a puppy should go to Many Tears Rescue to see the damage these horrible puppy mills cause. I wish so much they could all be shut down. Along with all the ones that have them locked in sheds in their back garden that go under the radar.

This is the thing I struggle with. I love all animals & my childhood was filled with many animal lovers. Real ones where they had empathy & treated the animals like family.

i don’t want to be without a pet(a dog especially) my dog is treated like royalty, he is loved hugely & he’s ranked before me but I don’t want to have a dog at the expense of another suffering.

kellys kennels is still trading - its a puppy farm. People buy from them without seeing the mum - it still happens

rspca are useless

@StarDolphins my first puppy came from a much loved girl who had only the one litter and lived a long and happy life with her family. My most recent came from a girl I had known since she was herself a puppy. She was very very much loved. A really special girl. Both breeders have become good friends. They care very much where their pups end up and take a close interest in them for their whole lives.

They are sadly & there’s another 1 that always pops up on Facebook both loads of breeds, professional looking website too😕 Kelly’s Kennels have been reported so many times, no one cares, council or customers included.

This is lovely!what I would want but hard to come by! But I would rather have no dog (but would be so sad) than have one where the Mum/Dad suffered.

What breed do you have if you don’t mind me asking?

I have always had rescue animals but as I wanted a certain breed (and had cats and kids) that wasn’t an option. So I figure I must at least make sure I’m not handing over money to someone profiting from their dogs’ suffering.

Same. I only want one particular breed. I was also on the breed rescue waiting list but none came up

Many tears?

they never rehome to anyone without an existing dog for a reason. The poor dogs need someone to teach them to “dog”. I also saw a case where they’d bred “teacup” yorkies so small the pups nearly all died from hypoglycaemia, and they were having to monitor/feed round the clock to keep them alive.

thing with Kelly’s kennels and the like is they aren’t doing anything illegal or abusive. They have the correct council licenses for that many dogs, and as long as they all have adequate food, water, shelter etc there are no restrictions on breeding in bulk for profit in this way.

the fashion for poodle crosses is driving puppy farms as well. On poodle sire, 20+ bitches of all different breeds, and lots of highly desirable puppies as a result.

same with cats. Mine is a “kitten farm” queen because she turned out litters of a desirable colour. Pisses me off when I see people posting ads for kittens wanted, preferably colour.

Awful isn’t it, I see it on rescue websites where they haven’t even got a photo up yet - what colour, my kid would love it etc.

MTR makes me so sad, My dog would be so good at teaching them what to do & giving them confidence but although my 7 year old DD is animal savvy & v respectful of animals, she isn’t best placed with a shut down dog. They need so much space & unconditional patience that our home currently isn’t right for them.

This rescue makes me 100% certain to avoid puppy mills/back yard breeders at all costs.

There is an argument that MTR are indirectly contributing to these puppy farms by taking in the unsold pups and burned out bitches. If they didn’t they’d have to find someone to euthanise, and that doesn’t really fit with their cosy happy cute puppy image.

I think there are lots of good breeders out there but it’s a case of finding one. Faddy or fashionable breeds encourage backyard breeding as they cash in on the latest trend. I think you have to be willing to put time and energy into finding the right dog.

You should really be able to meet the breeder, both parents, see how the dogs live, get a good idea of temperament before you put your name on a waiting list for a puppy. It is often a long and expensive process to be fair. As you meet some challenging people along the way, you should also expect to be vetted as the breeder wants to understand who you are, where you live and what you want the dog for.

I know people who breed collies for example and one lady has some well exercised but pampered collies who sleep in front of the Aga and their puppies are destined to be pets albeit to rural households who understand the breed and it’s need for exercise and stimulation. I know someone else who breeds collies but they come from working stock and he’ll only sell to shepherds/ farmers.

We've always had rescue animals. Cats and rabbits mainly but I've had reptiles and fish too.
When our last rabbit died we decided the time was finally right for a dog. No rescue in our area will rehome to a family with cats unless it's a dog where they 100% know it has successfully lived with cats before- hens teeth we were told.

So many friends have got cross breeds that have very dubious beginnings. One is definitely a farmed puppy with the issues that go with that, they know that but 'couldn't leave a dog in that place'.

One paid an absolute fortune for a 'pure' bred but they don't have any of the KC details when they said the area they purchased it from I was a red flag for me.

We've been very lucky with our puppy and the people we purchased from. She didn't have a waiting list which was a concern until I understood why.

We found them through the KC, I specifically looked for health tests and lineage. Inbred coefficients etc. I wasn't particularly set on any breed but wanted one with very few health complaints, that was a good family dog.

Our lady wasn't a breeder but shows her dogs and only has puppies when she wants another show dog. She had Nan and mum and all the details for dad. We spoke on the phone for an hour where we both grilled the other. She sent lots of photo's and videos. We went to see them and it was a doggy house, puppies were very much part of the family, Nan and mum were pottering in and out teaching puppies manners when they overstepped, puppies were relax and playful, toileting everywhere while the guy followed around with a well used mop. She had pictures of the grandkids with the dogs and puppies etc etc. the puppy was also a lot less money than we were expecting as 'they didn't have a litter for the money'.

She started a WhatsApp group for the new owners and added me on Facebook. I've seen videos of mum, Nan and sister all enjoying life together and she comments on our updates as well. She also sent lots of picture from crufts.

If you are looking on the KC website then you need to know what to look for. There are different types of registration and membership.

There really needs to be more regulation

She also pup conditions on our KC registration- we had to sign a contract and agree not to breed from him, show him or have him neutered before he was 12 month without agreement from them first.

Our lady wasn't a breeder but shows her dogs and only has puppies when she wants another show dog. She had Nan and mum and all the details for dad. We spoke on the phone for an hour where we both grilled the other. She sent lots of photo's and videos. We went to see them and it was a doggy house, puppies were very much part of the family, Nan and mum were pottering in and out teaching puppies manners when they overstepped, puppies were relax and playful, toileting everywhere while the guy followed around with a well used mop

same here. Showed dogs, and only had litters when she had space for another pup to show. Rest of the litter usually went to other show people. I’d contacted her because she used the same lines as my childhood pet, who was a superstar. Intending to go on a wait list. Mine was 5 months old and she agreed to sell him to me, as a pet home, as he didn’t quite meet the height requirement for showing. His sister went on to be very successful in puppy classes.

so I actually did the thing where I went and viewed and brought the pup home same day. But I’d sent her a very long email showing I’d researched her pedigrees and knew the history of them, having owned three dogs before from breeders showing up in her pedigrees. She knew both breeders well, one long since retired.

she told me about this dog she couldn’t show and his behaviour, which sounded spot on for what i was looking for. Went to see him, and yes, exactly the personality I’d hoped. Deal done 😂

What a nasty post tealsofa. I can hardly stand watching or reading about how cruel people can be to animals, or I would cry too.
Why do people like you come onto boards to be vile?

YANBU. It really saddens me. I wish people put more thought into it more broadly. I know things happen but I see a lot of posts and things about rehoming and many cases (yes, I know not all cases) could be avoided if people did their research and gave it serious consideration - even dog-sat for friends while on holiday to realise they actually require a lot of work and time to give them a great life.

PS Also saddening to see how so many people apparently don't give a shit about animals and their welfare. No wonder I prefer dogs to a lot of people...

I’ve cried over dogs like that too OP….I don’t know why you’re getting a hard time over being moved by their circumstances.
I have a rescue dog who was kept as a breeding dog. She basically lived in a whelping box churning out puppies. The warden tried for a long time to take her, and they finally let him, probably as she was too old to keep breeding. She was in bits….skinny, riddled with infections, and terrified. It’s taken a lot of love, and money, but she’s a fantastic dog now, and I’d kill the man who mistreated her if I got my hands on him.

We went to the fair a couple of weeks ago. They had 2 Pomeranian puppies in a box by a stall. We were looking at them so the girl got them out and let us cuddle them. She said they were for sale, £800 each. Felt very dodgy to me! They also had 'win a fish' stall. We did get a fish which I consider to be rescued as it now has a proper tank etc
In hindsight and after reading this thread, we should have reported them but didn't think of it at the time and it's moved on.

Or shoot, starve or dump them which many do.

Oh poor dogs, that’s awful. I hate fish at fairs, thought this was banned years ago.

People don't care, they just want a cute accessory to take to the local Cafe