'Puppy Farm'

[Changename11]

Im not sure if anybody can help with this but here goes...

We bought a puppy last year from a local farm (we would have rescued but unfortunately with children being 6 and 8 they were deemed too young for most potential dogs out there, plus we have a cat which also posed a problem when looking into rehoming). There were 2 litters available, 2 left from a younger litter (about 11 weeks) and 1 left from the litter ours was from (17 weeks old). Not unusual for farms so didn't think much of it.

They were all advertised on the same advert, stating their different ages, but pictures showed only one set of parents (1 dad, 1 mum). Didn't think it too odd as they said they were from separate litters.

When we went to pick puppy up we saw dad but not mum, there were no females around, just the puppy and other 2 from younger litter. Owner said the mum was around somewhere but with it being a working farm they could be anywhere, which isn't unlikely I guess with acres of land.

My concern now is that they have advertised at least 4 litters in the space of 12 months using the same 2 dogs in pictures stating they are mum and dad and another advertisment is on there currently. (I will not include link because it is outing and I don't want to be potentially recognized).
Now correct me if I am wrong but this is physically impossible for a female to have 4 litters in the space of a year? Advertising the same 2 dogs as mother and father is false advertising? And Im questioning where the other female dog is in all of this, why not include her photos when advertising the litters?

Is this potentially a 'puppy farm' situation and they are using photos of the same mum and dad to cover up how the real mother looks? If so would it be worth reporting, and to who??

Thanks to anybody who can help and sorry if i have jumped the gun a bit, but it just seems a little suspicious and wanted some advise before going guns blazing.

You should always be able to see the puppies with their mother.

Yup it sounds like a classic puppy farm. Sorry OP. Always insist on seeing mum and they really should be having a litter a year not 4! And not using the same photos.

Yes it is biologically impossible for a bitch to have four litters in a year. The pups will have been brought in from elsewhere (and the mothers are likely in awful conditions).

Yes it is a puppy farm.

It’s a bit late to start caring now.

@CaptainMyCaptain @Motorina @Pickles78 thank you for the quick replies. Would the rspca be the best place to report?

Local council.. They would need a licence and checks..

@Queucumber not really, little harsh. I only found out because a friend mentioned it earlier and asked if it was the same ones. So did some digging and found out the information. Better to try and stop it now than let it continue.

@Santaiswashinghissleigh perfect thank you.

I'd go to trading standards at the local council to ask about the photos. Also check with the council to see if they have a licence.

And on a farm, the dogs are usually hanging around near the people, or in the house/office, or kennelled. Working dogs on farms are too valued to risk them having a fight with some farm machinery, and the pets are pets: some of them spend their lives in the cab of the tractor/ truck/combine, others hang around the house and buildings.

We met Mum and Dad twice before buying.

My puppy was born on a farm, registered approved breeder and saw mum and dad. Mum was watching is closely with her puppies, I would be surprised if mum in your case had disappointed off somewhere

We got our JRT from a huge country estate close to us . We were genuinely tricked by the fact it was from a reputable estate and it was only in hindsight that we worked out our puppy hadn’t been born there.
I called at the farm on her first birthday with her . Completely different people living in the lodge house and they genuinely new nothing about the puppies because they had been overseas for 6 months and the couple that sold us the pup had been temporary lodgers!
Mum apparently had been run over by a tractor which at the time we didn’t question m just felt sad . Obviously we took puppy home and she was an absolute joy an died in 2019.

Knowing what you knew, why on earth did you go to buy a puppy from them? You say that multiple litters is common for a puppy farm, so you knew it was a puppy farm? Wth

Ok sorry, I understand now you thought it was just an ordinary farm not a puppy farm. You can definitely report to the council, and just hope there are dogs hidden away somewhere on site where they can be found 🤞🏻

They have likely got a license, I’m not sure what you are reporting , aside from using misleading photos . If you go anywhere that has 2 litters ready to go at similar ages then it’s obviously a puppy farm .

@Lollypopland no it was a working farm (cows sheeps etc). No idea it may have been a puppy farm at the time. It is not uncommon for a farm that lets their dogs roam to have more than one litter at a time.

People with much more patience than me have spent years educating the general public about puppy farms. There are dozens of online sources that list red flags to look out for when buying a puppy.

https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/puppies-dogs/could-you-spot-a-puppy-farm

There are huge red flags in your post about picking up your puppy.

This dog will hopefully be a part of your family for 10+ years. You couldn’t have taken 5 minutes to google before you started looking?

Let me get this right. You thought there was nothing odd about the same parents having two litters within 6 weeks? And you are only now wondering about it? And you took a pup accepting that there was no sign of the mother around?

Did you do even the slightest bit of research about puppies before you went off and bought one?

@Neriah
No we were told separate mothers. Same father.

@Lovemykidywinks Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm glad your dog had a good life with you ☺️

You know nothing about farms or working dogs. It's bloody TOTALLY usual to allow random mating. These dogs are their livelihood and their blood lines are critical. No farmer of repute would be permitting random breeding.

You went to a puppy farm. Every single possible earning sign was there. And you ignored them all so that you could have what you wanted. Don't plead ignorance. You are a much a part of the problem as the people doing this. It's a bit late to get a conscience.

You said... They were all advertised on the same advert, stating their different ages, but pictures showed only one set of parents (1 dad, 1 mum). Didn't think it too odd as they said they were from separate litters.

If they were seperate litters there would be at least two bitches. The first hint was right there ....

@Neriah oh stop it. One only learns by learning. No one is born with the knowledge of puppy farms.

@Neriah please stop. I already feel awful about the situation and you have made your point.
At the time no I didn't think anything too out of the ordinary, other than in hindsight insisting on seeing mum. That was my mistake and I hold my hands up to that.
My concern now is stopping it in its tracks. I was getting nowhere with Google as information was conflicting so came on here to see if anybody could give me some help and advice.
My dog is loved to bits and will have a long and happy life.

To everybody else who has helped, thank you I will get on it first thing in the morning