A new best friend
As the summer approaches and the days get longer, you might be thinking about welcoming a new furry family member into your home. Someone to stroll with during the balmy evenings. A new playmate for the kids over the summer break. A pal to keep you company during days working from home. And who can blame you? Dogs are the best.
Dog ownership
But getting a dog is a big responsibility. And puppies in particular can be hard work. So we’ve put together a brand new mini-documentary all about getting a puppy. It’s a must see for any prospective dog owner and we hope it will help you to decide if getting a puppy or an adult dog is really right for you.
In the film, we meet Leesa and her dog, Oakie, a border terrier. Leesa brought Oakie home during lockdown and looking back, she strongly suspects she was duped by a puppy farmer. Thankfully Oakie is fine now, but as a puppy he suffered from a rare skin condition called puppy strangles, which left him with skin lesions over his body. Watch to learn more about Leesa’s experience and how you can avoid being caught out by unscrupulous breeders.
Next, we meet JT, an experienced companion animal vet and founder of the Mind Vet. JT tells us all about how the low welfare conditions seen on intensive puppy farms affect puppies and their parents. JT also explains that he’s seen a rise in referrals to his behavioural medicine practice of increasingly younger dogs who were purchased during the pandemic. Watch to find out more about the life-long effects of puppy farming.
Finally, we meet Lou, an advocate for rescue dogs. Lou shares her home with four lovely adult rescue dogs. She explains why giving a dog a second chance is so rewarding and encourages potential pet parents to explore this route first. Watch to discover whether getting an adult rescue dog could be the right choice for you.
We are incredibly grateful to Alex Collins and his friends from the University of Bristol who all kindly donated their time and expertise to create this mini-documentary. We also extend our thanks to Leesa, JT and Lou for sharing their experiences.
Reporting illegal puppy farms
If you suspect someone is breeding or selling puppies illegally, report them anonymously to us here and we will look into your leads
