From puppy farming to puppy smuggling to canine fertility clinics, greed breeding is an issue that affects thousands of dogs across the UK. The methods change but the heart of the issue remains the same – that dogs are bred for profit despite health and welfare problems.
Cutting costs to make money
Breeding dogs can appear to be a lucrative, and easy, way of making money.
But it’s not quite that simple. Breeding pups from start to finish incurs costs from stud fees, health tests, additional food and equipment, and high veterinary bills. Obvious veterinary bills include vaccinations and microchips for the puppies. They can also include emergency intervention for the mum in the form of out-of-hours visits, treatment for birthing difficulties and, in the worst case, a caesarean section, which can take months for mum to recover from. For someone breeding for welfare, the profit margin is likely to be small, which is why greed breeders cut corners to cut costs.
More puppies, more profit!
To make breeding a more profitable endeavour, greed breeders avoid getting puppies their necessary health checks and vaccinations, leading to them being sold with avoidable health conditions and a large subsequent vet bill for the new owner. Greed breeders use dogs as breeding machines, forced to churn out multiple litters in a single year.
Greed breeders also cash in on popular designer dog breed trends, something we often see in our campaigning work. Designer breeds are popular because of how they look, and unusual and extreme features fetch higher prices. However, the true cost of these exaggerated features is shouldered by the dogs themselves who can’t live happy, healthy lives.
Unethical dog breeding can lead to serious health issues
Dogs with extreme features, such as bulldogs, usually can’t breed or give birth naturally, so canine fertility clinics have been set up to sell techniques like artificial insemination to overcome this inconvenience. This is wholly unethical, goes against responsible breeding advice and leads to puppies being born who are even more prone to health issues.
Whether it’s the avoidance of paying for preventative treatment, breeding pups on a large scale, or breeding from dogs who cannot physically reproduce without human help, it’s all greed breeding and it’s all wrong.
We need your help
Take part in our campaign and email the Animal Welfare Minister, Lord Benyon, today to help us to #StopGreedBreeding – and remember, use our reporting form to report breeders who you suspect are breaking the law. (Please note this campaign has now closed.)
