Council Inspection reports - Dog breeders. What do they tell us?

Carmarthenshire yearly inspection reports make interesting reading.  Under FOI and data protection Councils now remove the names of the breeders and premises and the inspecting officer/s or vet if it is a new application. 

Well what do the inspection reports tell us?  It is possible to be made aware of how many dog breeders sell their puppies to dealers and pet shops, how many sell to both and how many sell privately.  Dog breeders were asked if a vet visits the premises.  How dog breeders remove waste created from running a dog breeding establishment. How many breeding bitches, stud dogs, other dogs and litters are seen on the day of inspection.  The basic conditions for the dogs offered by the dog breeder such as food, water supply, heating and cleanliness.  The type of construction of the units and numbers of units on the premises including isolation unit.  Fire extinguisher and main entrance notice and licence displayed.  Records of breeding bitches records of puppies and who sold. Identification of puppies if sold to dealer or pet shop. On the face of it reading the inspection reports the uninitiated may think, not too bad over all, boxes are ticked and on some the word good is written often.

But what are the facts behind the written word and what do they tell us?  Well, from the 84 dog breeders inspection reports from February 2010 until March 2011 it is clear that 35 dog breeders sell litters of puppies to dealers, 20 dog breeders sell to both dealers and private purchasers and only 25 sell only to private purchasers often using free ads and the Internet. So roughly three quarter of all breeders in Carmarthenshire are supplying dealers and pet shops with litters of puppies.

How many dogs live on licensed dog breeding establishments in Carmarthenshire?  At this count there were 2,418 breeding bitches, 476 stud dogs, 422 other dogs and 354 litters of puppies seen on the day of inspection.

It appeared that 41 dog breeders when asked could name a veterinary practice that they could use, it did not indicate they were registered with a local vet but some did say to check the puppies before sold and in some cases to vaccinate but only a few mentioned their breeding bitches or stud dogs.  What of the other 44 dog breeders are we to presume they just have not answered the question or the inspector failed to complete the form or in the worse scenario which is the most likely to use the services of a vet is highly unlikely.

With so many licensed dog breeders in one County (this does not count the unlicensed ones which is thought to equally as many again) owning and rearing so many litters of puppies, how do they dispose of the waste created by dog breeding?  From the information it appears they use varios methods, some are illegal due to the classification of some waste from dog breeding premises as hazardous.

Industrial/Trade Waste 4, Farm Waste, 16, Slurry Pit, 20, Farm Muck/Dung Heap 19 (one said ploughed into the land) Cess Pit 3, Septic Tank, Incinerator (some Defra Approved) 6, Burnt 5, Composted/recycled and some Inspectors left the question blank. 

 So who is advising the dog breeders of the correct methods to use and more to the point who is ensuring they do so before we have another environmental catastrophe.  Is the Environment Agency not active in ensuring this hazard does not reach the watercourses within Carmarthenshire?  Has Carmarthenshire Public Protection who are responsible for licensing dog breeders ever discussed this issue with the Environment Agency?  This is important as we wait the decision of Carmarthenshire Planning on the change of use from agriculture to dogs breeding on one licensed premises that has 196 dogs!  This dog breeders reply to the question of methods used for waste disposal was pit, taken to mean slurry pit?

I will continue with this later .......
       
   

Clay Hall Puppies

This week my attention was drawn to Clay Hill Puppies, a dog breeder granted a licence by S Norfolk Council for 21 breeding bitches.  Why, because of the very odd and obscure names they are calling their designer puppies, Beafies, Ba Shar, Jackahuahua, Jackapoo, Springador, Norfolk Mountain Dog!!!  For goodness sake, what is the matter with breeders that they must make up silly names for cross breeds, breeds that do not in my opinion always make a good mix.  Is the thinking behind the weird names to attract the buying public into thinking they are purchasing something really special over and above the normal pedigree dog?  The price  asked for a fashionable cross breed puppy is usually at a premium and people appear willing to pay the asking price for reasons that I fail to understand.  Especially if the breeder has not even bothered to health screen under (KC and BVA screening schemes) the dogs they intend using for breeding prior to mating for known hereditary conditions of each of the pedigree dogs used.  There really is no excuse for failing to do this. 

Having looked at the forum on the web site of the above breeding kennels it is clear that some purchasers have experienced problems with their puppies.  Entropion and skin problems are both known conditions in the shar pei one of the breeds used when crossing with another of their pedigree breeds.  Have to question why they continue knowing that the purchaser is likely to experience problems with their puppy resulting  in an operation and vets fees.  

Purchasers should not be fooled into purchasing puppies with fancy names however cute the name may sound, unless they have checked the natural characteristics of both breeds and the hereditary conditions they  are prone too before purchase. 

I am not against cross breeds, in fact have owned one myself a cross golden retriever/labrador retriever, both gun dog breeds of reputable parentage. But when breeders intentionally choose to breed from two incompatable pedigree dogs, to produce puppies that they can place a designer label on for monetory gain, without health screening is in my opinion detrimental to animal welfare.

If you are thinking of buying a puppy, please do all the necessary research before leaving home.  If you have been unfortunate enough to have purchased a puppy with a hereditary condition or in other words in the eyes of consumer law a 'faulty puppy' you are covered by the Sale of Goods Act 1979, details of what action you can take for redress against the seller can be found by googling Consumer Direct.