Blaenau Gwent Council is warning people to please be cautious and do their research into sellers before buying a puppy this Christmas, or at any other time of year.
Animal Welfare Officers working for the Council are experiencing increased level of complaints about the sales of unhealthy and misdescribed dogs from alleged unlicensed breeders and are seeing excessive prices being charged for puppies.
Councillor Joanna Wilkins, the Council’s Executive Member for Environment services including Trading Standards and Animal Welfare, says:
“We’re working with partners such as the RSPCA and police forces in Wales to identify who is behind these sales and we will investigate these matters in partnership with other enforcement agencies. If you have any suspicions regarding the person selling the puppies, please walk away. You can report breeders/sellers to the Council if you believe that they are a puppy farm or illegal breeder. If an advert is misleading this can also be reported to Trading Standards.
If you have any welfare concerns regarding the health of the mum and/or puppies, then please phone the RSPCA as we have to be the voice of the voiceless and stop this cruelty happening.”
If you have any concerns in relation to the sale of puppies, please contact the Council on 01495 311556.
The Council is giving the following advice to anyone looking to buy a puppy or kitten:
Before visiting:
• Do your Research
Have a look at the seller’s profile and search their name online. If they are advertising many litters from different breeds, then this is a red flag
• Check Contact Details
Copy and paste the phone number into a search engine. If the number is being used on lots of different adverts, sites and dates then this is likely a deceitful seller
• Check the Animal’s Age
Puppies and kittens should never be sold under 8 weeks old – do not buy from anyone advertising a puppy or kitten younger than 8 weeks
• Check the Animal’s Health Records
Make sure the seller shares all records of vaccinations, flea and worm treatment and microchipping with you before sale
When visiting:
• Make sure the mum is present - if mum is not available to meet, it’s unlikely the puppy or kitten was bred there. Beware of the seller making excuses as to why mum is not there e.g. she’s at the vet’s, asleep, or out for a walk
• Check there isn’t a ‘fake’ mum – most fake mums don’t interact with the puppies as they fear the real mum returning
• Watch out for puppies or kittens labelled as ‘rescue’ but with much higher than expected price tags
• If you feel rushed or pressurised into parting with cash, this is a red flag!
• Health problems observed at purchase are not normal and don’t be convinced otherwise
• Beware of offers to meet somewhere convenient e.g. car park or motorway services, or ‘shop front’ premises, common with rented properties just to make sales, or ‘sales rooms’ kept separate from nearby or onsite puppy farm
Collecting your puppy:
• Don't meet in laybys/supermarket carparks/service stations to pick your puppy up, make sure you visit the place where your puppy was born and see it with its mum
For further advice about buying a puppy visit the RSPCA website at https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/puppy/choosing