The palgrave international handbook of a 31

Breeding and Selling of Companion Animals

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legislation (for example, Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales)
Regulations 2014 sets a limit of 20 dogs per full-time member of staff or
10 per part-time), as there remains commercial incentives to avoid the legal
requirements which could have welfare consequences.
An additional concern is that the ‘victims’ of this abuse may continue to
suffer long-term harms and re-victimisation. For example, dogs that develop
behavioural problems may be abandoned or neglected. Figures from a
RSPCA study suggest that around one in five puppy buyers no longer have
their pet two years later (University of Bristol 2011). Dogs showing defensive
aggression may be relinquished for rehoming, but can be difficult or impossible for charities to rehome safely.

Trade
The puppies are then under the breeder’s management until they are passed
to transporters or dealers, or sold directly to consumers. This can involve
transportation, in many cases across international borders, and their vending
to consumers.

Transportation and Importation
As the largescale commercial breeders are not situated near the markets for
puppies, the trade may often go through middlemen and dealers. Trade
routes are uncertain, but it is clear puppies are being bred in West Wales,
East Anglia, Lincolnshire and Northern Ireland, and imported from the
Republic of Ireland and the European continent to the rest of the UK.
Prior to 2012 Ireland was seen as the main exporting country for puppies
to the UK. Trade patterns have changed markedly in the past five years, since
the quarantine system was relaxed in 2012, with an apparent increase in
movement from mainland Europe, specifically some parts of Eastern Europe,

to the UK (RSPCA 2015a).
Moving young animals increases health risks to the puppy as they may
have insufficient immune systems to deal with infections. In particular,
young puppies may be too young to vaccinate against disease such as
parvovirus or rabies. They also need regular food and fluids, which may be
disrupted or stopped completely if they are transported without their
mother. This may cause suffering during the period of transportation and
also lead to ongoing welfare problems, for example, from diseases contracted
and incubated during transportation. For example, of 39 puppies seized by