How can I tell if a puppy comes from a puppy farm?

Buying your perfect puppy is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make, and what better time or place to help you get that decision spot-on than at next month's DFS Crufts!

So before making your first moves to find your puppy, there’s plenty of homework that needs to be done to fully understand these health and welfare needs as different dogs have different requirements and temperaments, depending on their age, breed, health, sex, and past experiences.

So how do you know what breed is best for you?

This depends on your and your family’s circumstances. Visit the Discover Dogs area (Hall 3). You can meet every breed and ask all your questions directly to individual breed-experts.

They’ll be happy to share their experience and opinions, and give you the best possible advice. If you’ve decided which breed suits you best then be prepared to be put on a list - a healthy and happy well-bred puppy is worth waiting for.

Spotting a puppy farmed pup

Puppy farms, located in parts of rural Britain and Ireland, mass-produce puppies purely for profit, and at the expense of the puppies and their parents’ health, welfare and happiness.

Puppies bred in these cruel establishments are poorly socialized and carry numerous diseases from deadly viral infections e.g. parvovirus, pneumonia, and kennel cough, parasites e.g. fleas, worms, ticks, mange to hereditary problems, e.g. hip dysplasia and congenital heat disease.

Tragically an increasing number of puppies are produced this way, so we must be aware and avoid contributing to this multi-million pound disgraceful and barbaric industry.

Most puppy-farmed puppies are sold onto dealers around the country who then sell them to pet shops, internet sites, or from free newspaper ads. So these would be the first places to avoid.

Remember, if the puppy’s mother is not present at time of purchase - assume that the pups have been born on a puppy farm and walk away, for it’s likely they’ve been transported hundreds of miles (by car, lorry, train or even plane) to a stressful cage in a pet shop, leading to behavioural problems that they’ll most likely eventually be abandoned for.

These dealers usually advertize many different breeds at once, especially the most sought after ‘fashionable breeds’; when most responsible breeders will only offer one type.

They have no interest in the puppy’s aftercare and will usually pressure you into buying for a quick cash sale, and because the older the pup gets, the less it resembles the breed it was advertized to be.

Sadly this barbaric practice will continue until people stop buying these puppies. Never buy a suspected puppy-farmed pup purely because you feel sorry for it and think you’re ‘rescuing’ it, it’ll only be replaced by another. Remember its mother is still trapped in a cold dark barn, miles away, being cruelly abused as a breeding machine.

Make sure your puppy appears alert, responsive to sounds, and that he or she is interested in you. If you’re concerned for the pup’s health contact your vet immediately.

So how do I find a responsible breeder?

For the most responsible breeders please contact the Kennel Club directly, and ask for their list of Accredited Breeders - the crème-de-la-crème of the British dog breeding world - where parents of pups are given relevant health-tests and the breeders themselves have agreed to be spot-checked.

Responsible breeders will probably ask you more questions than you ask them! They’ll assess whether you’re suitable – and most likely select the best pup for you. No breeder wants their pups falling into the wrong hands - they love their dogs and want the very best future for them.