How to avoid a puppy farm

Here at Young Veterinary Partnership we are passionate about pets but we also want to raise awareness of the pitfalls for prospective pet owners. Buying a puppy is a very exciting time but if you are not careful you could be buying from a puppy farm. Often at puppy farms they are kept in dirty, cramp conditions and often have no access to sunlight or even fresh water. Having this awful start to life can lead to many problems including health and behaviour issues that can often affect a puppy for the rest of its life.

Here’s our top tips on how to avoid buying from a puppy farm . . .

• • #seethemsuckling This online campaign is helping to educate the unsuspecting buyers making sure that you visit a puppy with its mother whilst it is still young enough to be suckling.
  • See/stroke/cuddle the puppies mum – this will help to ensure mum is healthy and hopefully passing this on to her puppies along with a good temperament.
  • Ask lots of questions, a good breeder will answer them all and never make you feel silly for asking
    – Were the puppies bred here?
    – How many puppies are there?
    – Have they had flea/worm/vaccinations yet?
    – Don’t forget all puppies must be microchipped by the time they are 8 weeks’ old.
  • Ask if the breeder will give you a 48 hour guarantee to allow you time to take the puppy to a vet yourself for a full health check.
  • Puppies should stay with their mother until they are at least 8 weeks’ old, if taken earlier than this it can have a huge effect on their development and behaviour, some of these skills are something only a mum can teach!
  • Research your breeder – social media can be very helpful in times like this. Along with word of mouth, a good breeder should be happy for you to speak to previous customers and visit as many times as you would like.
  • Find a breed that will suit your lifestyle, different breeds require different levels of exercise. Do you research as a bored dog can be a destructive one!
  •  Don’t ever buy a puppy because you feel sorry for it, if you have concerns about the puppy, it’s environment or the breeder contact the RSPCA.
  • Don’t forget there are lots of lovely puppies in rehoming centres across the country looking for loving homes, most of them will already have been vaccinated, had flea and worming treatment and if old enough already been neutered.

We hope you find your new family member soon and if you need any help or have any questions in the meantime please contact our friendly team for advice and don’t forget to book your puppy in for it’s puppy pack if it is not already vaccinated.