Government must act to halt cruel puppy farm industry
Black market trade worth €1 million monthly to the UK alone must be stopped as animals, and the families that buy them, suffer
Stalled legislation designed to halt the horrific Irish puppy farm industry must be enacted immediately, according to Dog Training Ireland
“Ireland is called the puppy farm capital of Europe because of the volumes of dogs bred in disgusting conditions in battery-style cages and farm outbuildings,†said Lisa Whelan, DTI trainer and a long-time campaigner working to close down puppy farms.
This unmonitored, unregulated industry of shame sees a thousand puppies arrive every week by ferry into Wales alone, with further large numbers going into Scotland, according to a new campaign launched this month by the RSPCA in Britain.
The RSPCA, which says it has monitored puppy arrivals from Ireland or several years now, has long had to deal with the aftermath of Ireland’s bleak puppy industry, and specifically targets Irish puppy farmers in its campaign (see http://tinyurl.com/5tq6fp).
“A new survey shows that 73% of vets are concerned about the trade in puppies, or ‘puppy trafficking’, which sees about 1,000 puppies a week imported from Ireland into Wales, and then sold on further a field, via internet or newspaper advertising, or by pet shops,†according to the RSPCA.
On these estimates, such a trade would greatly exceed what the government here has accepted in the past and would signify a lucrative underground black market industry worth at least €1million every month to the UK alone, says DTI. Animal welfare campaigners in the US say they too see huge influxes of poorly bred Irish puppies flown in every week, giving legitimate Irish Kennel Club quality breeders a bad name abroad.
“Why is it being left to the UK to warn British people not to buy these poor quality puppies coming from Ireland, when the Irish Government has the legislative tools to close down this trade in the first place?†asked Whelan.
“This trade also sees thousands of sickly puppies sold to Irish families every year. Families often choose to buy a new puppy during the summer months, but we see a very high rate of illness, temperament and behaviour problems in Irish puppy farm bred puppies,†she says.
Sometimes the puppies must be euthanised or require costly ongoing vet care. Many end up dumped in pounds, and become a cost to Irish taxpayers. Some 15,000 Irish dogs were euthenised in pounds last year, many of the Irish puppy farm -bred dogs.
“We have draft legislation that has been waiting for three years, but our Government has left it on the shelf. Along with welfare campaigners everywhere, we ask that the government keep its promise to bring in this legislation now,†said Whelan.
ends
Contact: Lisa Whelan, Dog Training Ireland: 086 8148015
Dog Training Ireland, located in St Margarets, Co Dublin, is Ireland’s largest independent dog training centre whose board certified trainers using positive, rewards-based methods. DTI trainers appear regularly on radio and television and volunteer with several Irish dog rescue groups. For more information, see: www.dogtrainingireland.ie
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