Puppy farms in Carmarthenshire are keeping dogs in cruel and dirty conditions, says Dr Myfanwy Davies, Plaid’s Llanelli Westminster candidate. Following a recent Channel 5 film on unacceptable conditions at puppy farms that had been visited and given licences by Carmarthenshire County Council, Myfanwy has joined forces with Helen Mary Jones Llanelli’s Plaid AM, to tighten up the Council’s control of puppy farming.
Myfanwy has written to Helen Mary asking her to raise the matter with Elin Jones the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Rural Affaris. In her letter Myfanwy explained:
“I am concerned that the Council’s inspection practices are inadequate and require scrutiny especially given Carmarthenshire’s history as a centre for licensed (and also unlicensed) puppy farming. In its response to the programme, the Council also indicates it would be willing to revise its license conditions if required to do so by Welsh Assembly Government Ministers”.
Speaking this week, Myfanwy added:
“ I am very pleased that a pet superstore that has been buying puppies from these farms has agreed to stop sourcing puppies from them. I am disappointed by the Council’s response. It is shocking that council inspectors visited and passed those puppy farms shown in the film and I hope that the response Helen Mary’s receives from Elin Jones will help clarify the standards of animal welfare that the council needs to ensure”.
Helen Mary Jones added:
“I have seen a recording of the Channel 5 news item since Myfanwy contacted me and it raises some very worrying issues about animal welfare standards in the County. I am pleased Myfanwy has raised this with me and I will be discussing the issue with Elin Jones within the next weeks to make sure that the standards followed are made clearer and if needed are changed protect dogs and puppies from the levels of neglect shown in the film.”
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At last someone based in Wales is speaking out against Carmarthenshire County Councils licensing standards for dog breeders as being unacceptable.
ReplyDeletePuppy Alert has been in communication with Carmarthenshire and the Welsh Assembly on this very issue for a long time. It is time that Carmarthenshire County Council admited that they have allowed standards to fall so low in dog breeding establishments that conditions are unacceptable.
The fact that they licence premises such as disused agriculture buildings, barns, previously used pig styes, cow sheds, calving pens, chicken sheds and even refrigerated lorry trailers is wrong and unacceptable. They are not kennels as one would expect for boarding dogs long term so they should not be considered suitable for dog breeding. Most of the afore mentioned structures are for accomodating livestock not social, domesticated animals such as breeding bitches, who are expected to live a lifetime of confinement within these walls. They have no exercise, no socialization, live in isolation or overcrowding. This is the cruel life of deprivation that is allowed to continue because the Council denies there is any wrongdoing in granting licenses to these premises and the conditions the dogs live in. Inspectors are ignoring breeders who do not comply with their licensing conditions on yearly inspections, instead of not renewing their licenses for the following year.
There are 3,364 breeding bitches in licensed premises in Carmarthenshire capable of producing a minimum of 16,820 puppies a year if breeders comply with licensing conditions. The figure can be doubled if not with some owners breeding from their bitches each 'heat season', with most of these puppies sold to dealers and pet shops in the UK.
Add Carmarthenshires figure to Ceredigion (1,095 breeding bitches and Pembrokeshire (675) together another combined 8,850 puppies to add to Carmarthens 16,820 = 25,670 puppies per annum, a figure that can easily be increased as the figures based on 5 puppies per litter.
Just three Counties flooding the pet market with a conveyor belt of puppies, many suffering from hereditary disease or fall ill due to mixing of litters by dealers enroute to pet shops in the UK or waiting sale.
This is a disreputable trade that should never be allowed to continue. Puppy Alert would like to see a situation where it was made illegal for puppies to sold to third parties such as dealers and pet shops throughout the UK and puppies only allowed to be sold from breeder to purchaser.
Why are Councils in Wales allowing such high numbers of breeding bitches on premises such as narly 150 on one over 100 on others without even ensuring with these or with lesser numbers of dogs they employ staff?
The whole situation regarding dog breeding in Wales is inadequately regulated, lacks efficency in animal welfare and the suffering of breeding bitches, stud dogs and their puppies is being disregarded. This effects not only Wales but the rest of the UK who are supplied puppies from these 'dog farms' and are purchased by unexpected purchasers who often have the heartache of purchasing a sickly puppy. The pet shop has to remedy the complaint if the puppy is sick or dies, as is often the case. The breeder in Wales has no responsibity in this transaction but they are the root cause of the problem by not health screening their dogs prior to breeding. Some owners even denying their dogs even the most basic animal husbandry such as worming, vaccination and veterinary care, even something as basic as a proper bed or whelping bed before the start of a breeding programe. Carmarthenshire County Councils response to this was 'some dogs prefer to whelp on concrete' Some have no choice as no whelping pen is not provided! Disgusted, yes I am.
Puppy Love would like to thank you for speaking out for the dogs incarcerated in Carmarthnenshire .
ReplyDeleteWe agree with everything Puppy Alert has said ,its a disgrace that this has been allowed to continue for years.
Puppy Love own the film you have seen and also the film shown on ITV Wales in Dec 2008, if you would like copies please ask. puppylove@dogs-r-us .
At every turn CCC denied the problem and said evidence was staged etc,even when dogs were showing terrible behavioral problems .
We also rescued 4 dogs from one farm we visited ,3 dogs had chronic ear infections 2 had eye infections and one mammary infection. One dog has a serious heart complaint and collapses often.One dog had to 18 teeth removed also . RSPCA have all information and are investigating. We can let you have vet reports if you wish to back up what you are saying as when the council went to check the farm after the film was shown we were told all dogs were fine and healthy ! We suggest every breeding establishment in Carmarthenshire would be in breach of license conditions and the Animal Welfare Act. Our operatives have been into many farms and seen dogs without a drop of water the basic requirement for life . We have lots of complaints of sick or dead pups that have been bred in Carms too, families that have been left heartbroken. Although the pet shop concerned says they will no longer use those breeders shown on the film we can tell you they are still using breeders in Carms who's conditions are no better than those seen on film. Please continue to speak up for justice, thank you .