What dog lovers can agree on

Lady Margaret Flack contacted me today to notify me of a petition she has started on the Downing Street website. You can find it at this link http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Puppy-Farming/

There is a lot of change going on in the British dog world at the moment, and for the most part people hold wildly differing and strongly voiced opinions. Surely the one thing that unites all dog lovers is wanting the best quality of life possible for dogs. One of the key things we need to do to achieve that goal is to stamp out puppy farming.

Something we need to establish firmly in every one's mind is that dogs are not a commodity to be bought and sold however we see fit. They are intelligent creatures, with feelings and (I believe) thoughts. They can build relationships; bond with whatever creatures - canine, human or other – that they find themselves living amongst.

If we can’t agree on anything else, we can agree that we don’t want dogs kept in cages with no exercise, no veterinary care, no stimulation, and basically no quality of life. We don’t want bitches bred from with no thought given to the health or temperament of the puppies, and bred from constantly until they are worn out and discarded. We certainly don’t want the public duped into thinking they are buying a bargain when they buy a cheap puppy farmed dog.

The only realistic way forward in the UK is for the Kennel Club to be given legal power to regulate the breeding of dogs, and to eradicate those businesses that exploit and abuse what is supposed to be man’s best friend. If you remain unconvinced about the suffering of dogs in puppy farms, take a listen to Margaret’s interview in episode 76 of DogCast Radio.

Take care,

Julie x