How to avoid paying a fortune to organised crime for a puppy – Helen Martin

Hundreds of thousands of dogs are being looked after by rehoming charities, so why pay hundreds of pounds for one, asks Helen Martin.

Puppies can command high prices from dealers (Picture: David Jones/PA Wire)

ONE business has boomed during lockdown, and that’s the sale of puppies – something that, as a dog lover, I don’t understand.

Each year at least hundreds of thousands of dogs turn up in rehoming charities. If anyone wants a dog, that’s where to find one.

So, I wasn’t happy when two of our related families bought puppies, but I couldn’t moan or object (and the puppies were lovely and now have nice homes). Yet the national Kennel Club revealed that while they normally received two enquiries a month, this April they had four or five a day from lockdown families wanting a dog to walk and to ease their boredom. And breeders reported their waiting list of customers rose from 100 to 400.

The Dogs Trust have had people wanting to return dogs because their lockdown is over and they’re going back to work. But when it comes to puppies the Trust is concerned about farming and smuggling because buyers couldn’t be supplied by registered breeders.

Criminal gangs were involved getting pregnant dogs imported to the UK to sell the pups, and a vast number were brought in commercial transport from Romania.

One guy admitted he’s paid £1000 for a puppy but was charged an extra £800 because of short supply!

We have a greyhound because the Greyhound Trust is nearby. If I went to the Dog and Cat Home, I’d probably take the first one I met if he or she wanted to come.

Personally, I cannot understand why anyone wants a special breed and colour of a dog, let alone a puppy when there are dogs of every age, type and shade longing for a life out of kennels.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Joy Yates

Editorial Director