Wales Cracks Down on Unlicensed Dog Breeders

Thu, 08 Jul 2010

The Welsh Assembly government is to pass the Breeding of Dogs Act in an attempt to improve animal welfare in ‘puppy farms’. The legislation will tighten breeding controls, requiring at least one human supervisor per 20 dogs being bred. It is hoped that more than 1,000 unlicensed breeders will come under scrutiny for the first time with the passage of the legislation, which will also require breeders to microchip their dogs. Breeders will now be required to register for a license if they have three breeding bitches, down from the period threshold of five.

Animal welfare groups have welcomed the legislation, following several high profile cases which exposed the poor conditions many breeders were keeping puppies in before selling them as pets . In one instance, police found 64 diseased dogs on the premises of a single breeder, who had been forced to live with insufficient space and alongside other animals and the carcasses or rats and sheep.

RSPCA external affairs manager, Claire Lawson, voiced her pleasure at the announcement, voicing her hope that the new powers would help the government and the police to tackle problems in the dog breeding industry.

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