Campaigning for change
If people don’t know about illegal pet breeders, they can’t make informed choices to ensure the best start for their best friend.
Even with the combined efforts of welfare organisations, law enforcement agencies and policy-makers, public awareness about the scale of illegal pet breeding and selling is still really low.
If people don’t know about it, they can’t make informed choices. They can’t ensure the very best start for their puppy, kitten or rabbit. Nor can they spot the signs of an unethical breeding set-up and help bring it to an end.
That’s why we’re using targeted campaigns to raise awareness in local communities, to lobby the UK’s governments to improve animal welfare law, and to investigate low-welfare and illegal breeding so that we can stay a step ahead of illegal breeders and sellers, and ultimately bring them to justice.
Explore this section
Our Stop Greed Breeding campaign
We’re determined to end the illegal breeding and selling of dogs, cats and rabbits in the UK. Illegal breeders have been able to get away with exploiting pets for profit for far too long.
As part of our #StopGreedBreeding campaign, we’ve been calling on policy-makers across the UK to:
1. Regulate cat breeding
2. Protect all dogs used for breeding
3. End cruel and exploitative dog breeding practices
We also want retailers to stop selling rabbits and other small animals in shops, and for local councils to properly enforce licensing laws.
Get involved in our campaign and download our Stop Greed Breeding Action pack today.
You can also help raise awareness of our investigations hotline in your local community with one of our noticeboard posters – perfect for libraries, community centres, your local supermarket and more. Request one today by emailing info@naturewatch.org
Canine fertility clinics campaign
There’s been an explosion in ‘canine fertility clinics’ since 2019 and there’s now at least several hundred all across the UK. Most of them don’t involve vets at all and they exist to help people breed designer dogs who cannot mate or give birth themselves – usually because they’re the victims of poor health caused by overbreeding.
We’ve been campaigning and investigating behind the scenes to stop backstreet breeding clinics exploiting dogs since 2021.
In 2022, we continued to provide officials with the latest insights about this concerning new sector. We hosted a workshop for vets, animal welfare personnel and enforcement bodies. We also co-hosted an event in Parliament with the All Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG) and released our Breeding Beyond Dogs’ Limits report.
In 2023, we engaged closely with the EFRA Select Committee’s Pet Welfare and Abuse Inquiry, which scrutinises the risks canine fertility clinics pose to dog welfare. We gave evidence in the Houses of Parliament and made detailed written submissions as part of this inquiry. We’ve also engaged with the Scottish Government about its plans to regulate canine fertility clinics. We were pleased to see our campaigning pay off when the RCVS strengthened its stance on canine artificial insemination and improved its guidance about reporting illegal veterinary surgery. We’ve also given evidence to the Animal Welfare Committee and DAERA’s Northern Ireland Dog Breeding Review Panel.
There’s still more to do and we await the outcome of our lobbying efforts. In the meantime, you can find out more about canine fertility clinics here.
If you have a tip-off about illegal activity by a canine fertility clinic, report it here.
Our Vets4Puppies campaign
We’ve been raising awareness about puppy farms in veterinary practices throughout England and Wales via our #Vets4Puppies campaign.
Our free packs for practices contain posters, leaflets and more to help vets raise awareness about illicit puppy breeding with clients. So far, we’ve sent packs to veterinary surgeries in the South West, Wales and the North West.
If you’re a vet, vet nurse or other member of practice staff and would like to request a FREE pack, simply email vets4puppies@naturewatch.org
How you can help
There are lots of ways to help with our work, from making a donation through to holding fundraising events or even getting involved as a volunteer. Below, you can explore the different ways to help us continue raising standards for animals.
Share your story and photos to help us celebrate the powerful bond between people and their animals.
This simple step would reduce harm to wildlife. Help us deliver this message directly to retailers who can make a real difference.
Millions of animals bred for research are never used and their fate goes unrecorded.
Urge your MP to stand up for these forgotten victims.
UK wildlife is under threat, yet crimes against it are treated as minor offences. Urgent legal reform is needed.
Join us in telling your local MP why a change in law is vital to protect our wildlife.
Join us in asking the UK Government to finally end animal testing for all everyday household products.
Unethical extreme designer pet trends are pushing cats and kittens to the limit.
Join us in calling for extreme cat breeding to be banned across the UK.
Your support helps us protect wildlife and tackle cruelty. Every donation makes a real impact.
Take part in a way that works for you, whether volunteering, fundraising or donating items, and help create a kinder future for animals.
