Would-be dog owners are buying puppies with little thought, effort or research, the UK’s leading dog breeding organization has said, warning that convenience culture is having a “devastating” effect on puppy welfare.
According to research by the Kennel Club, almost a third (29 percent) of dog owners in the UK spent less than a day researching their decision and the breeder.
The survey further revealed 34 percent of buyers were unwilling to travel beyond their county for their puppy, while a quarter reported they would not travel for more than an hour.
Photo: AP
Of the latter, 48 percent said convenience was a factor, while 56 percent reported they did not see the dog interacting with its mother, 53 percent said they did not seen the environment in which it was raised, and more than three-quarters reported they were not quizzed on their suitability as dog owners — important factors, the Kennel Club said, when buying a puppy.
“This research paints an alarming picture of a nation of puppy buyers making quick and sometimes careless decisions when it comes to where and how to get a dog,” said Charlotte McNamara, the organization’s head of health.
“Though it may be unintentional, this behavior is enabling duplicitous rogue puppy sellers to flourish and operate with little scrutiny, and with devastating consequences for puppy welfare.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
The survey reveals almost one in five puppies fell sick or died before their first birthday, with the figure even higher — at almost one in three (31 percent) — for puppies bought by owners who said they did very little research before buying them.
As well as causing emotional turmoil for owners, the Kennel Club warned that the consequences could be expensive.
“This dangerous convenience culture has become a cancer for puppy welfare,” McNamara said.
Indeed, the survey found 26 percent of dog owners said they could not identify a rogue breeder or puppy-selling scam, while 28 percent said they might have unintentionally bought from a puppy farm, rising to 40 percent among those who said they spent less than a day researching their choice.
The survey involved 2,610 people who bought puppies in the past 10 years and was carried out in August by Censuswide as part of the Kennel Club’s Be Puppywise campaign. The organization notes that the key steps to take before buying a puppy, as well as advice and other information, are set out on the campaign’s web page.
Dan O’Neill,an associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College, said research on body shapes could help owners select healthier types of dogs.
“The critical first step for anyone wanting a dog without huge baked-in health risks is to avoid extreme canine body shapes such as severely flattened faces, deep skin folds, bulging eyes, dwarfed legs or lack of tail that may look cute to us but have all been linked to serious health issues and suffering for these dogs,” he said.
David Bowles, the head of public affairs at the RSPCA, recommended those looking to buy a puppy use the “puppy contract” — a free toolkit to help people buy and breed puppies responsibly — but urged people to consider adopting from a rescue center.
“And we’re calling on the UK government to bring forward proposals to tighten up controls on the importation of young puppies and pregnant bitches, in a bid to tackle the puppy trafficking problem which often fuels the illicit trade here,” he said.
Holly Conway, the head of public affairs at the Kennel Club, said that, while rescue dogs could be a good option for some, it would not be the right choice for all.
But she, too, noted low awareness of current legislation among the public, and very poor enforcement.
“So best thing we can do in real terms is to make people want to do the right thing themselves, and to know that there is a right thing to do as well,” she said. “You cannot just rely on others to do the right thing.”
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Last week the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the budget cuts voted for by the China-aligned parties in the legislature, are intended to force the DPP to hike electricity rates. The public would then blame it for the rate hike. It’s fairly clear that the first part of that is correct. Slashing the budget of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is a move intended to cause discontent with the DPP when electricity rates go up. Taipower’s debt, NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion), is one of the numerous permanent crises created by the nation’s construction-industrial state and the developmentalist mentality it
Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had