The term "Puppy Farmer" is a derogatory term used in the UK to describe commercial dog breeding facilities (kennels) that are operated with an emphasis upon profits above animal welfare & is found to be of substandard conditions with regard to the well-being of dogs in their care.

The best way to describe a puppy farm is to say that it is a place where puppies are bred, purely as a way to make money, with little or no regard for the health and welfare of the dogs involved.

A puppy farm can be hard to define, since it could be any size, any location & any number of dogs involved – it does not have to be on an actual farm although it's true to say that many are farms. The vast majority of puppy farms are located in Wales and other remote areas of the UK. A puppy farm can also have a license issued by the local council and sell puppies that are registered with the Kennel Club and come with ‘pedigree’ certificates.

Commercial puppy farms are often unregulated, even those that are regulated tend to find ways around the law.

Licensing requirements stipulate that for every 30 dogs there should be at least one member of staff; however, it is not unusual for premises with close on 200 dogs to have only one or two people employed to care for the dogs. How one person can adequately care for 30 dogs (to even a basic standard) is beyond comprehension. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to find that puppy farm dogs are living in squalor, they are deprived of even the most basic of stimulation/attention and there simply isn’t the time or inclination to attend to basic health care needs, socialisation or indeed note or attend to any potential ill health.

Image courtesy FIVE news
Puppy Farm Puppies (above)

This is how puppies should be cared for!

Since responsible breeding is actually an expensive activity, "puppy farmers" will cut as many costs as possible so that they can make the maximum profit – they don’t care about the mother or puppies, what they care about is making money!

Cost cutting includes; breeding from bitches too often and from too young an age, cramming dogs into unsuitable kennelling and feeding only enough for them to survive and breed, not giving proper vet care, worming treatments or vaccinations and sending pups for sale when they are too young to leave their mothers.

If you buy from one of these places, you could easily end up with a puppy with physical defects, severe parasite infections, hereditary diseases and/or behaviour problems. In the worse cases puppies can die within days from serious illnesses such as parvovirus, distemper or gastroenteritis, leaving you with nothing but an expensive vet’s bill.

By selecting a reputable breeder you can avoid the possibility of supporting a puppy farm or ending up with a puppy that will have difficulties for the rest of his or her life.

How can you tell if a puppy is from a puppy farm?

If you actually find yourself at a puppy farmers premises it’ll be pretty obvious from the condition of the premises; the dogs and the puppies that you are visiting a puppy farmer and not a reputable breeder. However, most puppy farmers will endeavour to keep buyers away from their premises, they usually either sell to dealers, who will sell the pups on or to pet shops.

Some puppy farmers do sell directly to the public and their adverts can usually be found in "free-ad" type newspapers. If you are responding to a newspaper advert, do not ask the advertiser directly about the puppy. A genuine breeder will only have one or two breeds and they will know what gender/colour the available puppies are. If you ask the advertiser about the puppy and you get a "which puppy", "what breed", "what colour" etc. type response then you should exercise caution.

The only way to ensure you are not buying a puppy farm bred puppy is to buy from a reputable breeder and not a pet shop or anyone advertising several breeds of dog or from a seller who does not have the mother of the pups.

You should be able to see the pups with their mother. Beware, some dubious "breeders" (who have bought pups in from puppy farms or other dealers) will show buyers the pups with another bitch who they claim to be the pup’s mother in an attempt to mislead. It is understood that the mother should also be the same breed as the pups (assuming you are buying a purebred dog)! The mother of the litter should also look as if she's recently had puppies i.e. have a tummy area which looks like it has recently nursed puppies!

Here is "You Tube" video showing the conditions puppy farmed dogs are kept in. It makes for uncomfortable viewing; the dogs look so lonely, miserable and sad. The video ends with two blue roan cockers literally going mad through under stimulation, all very sad for any breed of dog; however, it seems more poignant as cockers are so needy of human companionship and attention.

Remember:

• Puppy farms can be unlicensed or licensed (by the local authority). Don't assume that because a breeder has a licence that the local authority are vigilant about checking the premises/conditions of the dogs! Some local authorities are scrupulous in their inspections and expect very high standards; some only expect breeders to comply with the "Model Conditions" criteria on the day they are inspected!! Visits are not 'on the spot', therefore unscrupulous breeders do have opportunity to clean up & make things more presentable before the inspector visits!
• Puppies can be Kennel Club registered - KC registration is not an automatic guarantee of quality or a breeder's reputation, Most puppy farmers now register their pups with one of the 'alternative' registries. It is up to you to make checks on the breeding methods and conditions the mother and pups are kept in etc.
• If you want a pedigree puppy, ask for details of recommended breeders from the official breed club (for cockers this is The Cocker Spaniel Club or one of the regional cocker spaniel clubs).
• Always insist on seeing the puppies with their mother.  If a breeder offers to meet you with the puppy, perhaps in a car park or motorway service station, steer well clear, as this is a practice commonly used by puppy farmers/dealers.
• If you are not happy about the living conditions of the dogs/puppies or the condition of the animals, do not buy a puppy!  If you believe that the dogs are suffering physically because of cruelty or neglect, contact the RSPCA and let your local authority (council licensing department) know.
• Don't buy a puppy because you feel sorry for it or to 'save it'.  Hard as it may seem, if you buy the puppy you'll only be making room for more puppies to be bred.
• If it's too easy to buy a puppy, be very cautious.  A good breeder often has a waiting list and will also ask you many questions to make sure that you'll be a good owner for one of their puppies.

So what can you do to help stop puppy farmers?

The most effective thing is simply don't buy a puppy from a puppy farm or a pet shop. Hit them where it hurts – in their pockets!

Buying a puppy from a puppy farm or pet shop is often only slightly cheaper than buying from a responsible breeder - in fact, it will probably work out more expensive when potential vets bills and behaviour/training fees are taken into consideration. Moreover, of course, you can't put a price on all that suffering…

See this link for more information about puppy farms.