This column is written for the Stray Ferret by Kimberley Metcalfe. Kimberley has an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Her company Pooches Galore is based in Harrogate and specialises in dog training and resolving canine behavioural problems.

I recently recorded a podcast with Marc Abraham, the TV vet and more importantly the animal welfare campaigner who worked tirelessly to introduce Lucy’s Law last year.

Lucy’s Law was a landmark law in many ways, it was brought in to protect the rights of the breeding bitches who have often been neglected and used purely to make money, ending the third-party sake of puppies to try and eradicate puppy farms.

Often in these situations, potential puppy buyers do not meet the pup’s biological mum and are sold through brokers. This ultimately results in poor welfare for the dogs, unsanitary conditions for raising dogs, diseases, poorly puppies, and potentially behavioural problems.

The law came into effect in April 2020, just after the country was plunged into a lockdown, meaning puppy owners could not go and see their pups in their home environment with their mum as should be the way. Instead, unscrupulous breeders were still able to find ways around Lucy’s Law, delivering puppies to owners, and sending videos of puppies in their home environment without prospective owners having any way of checking the validity of these videos.

Over the past year, when regulations should have been tighter around purchasing and collecting dogs, I have heard many horror stories, including of dogs being passed through windows of cars in service station car parks, and dogs being sold on the understanding that they are 8 weeks old when they have actually been 12 or even 16 weeks, as well as many others.

Read More: 

• Kim’s Canines: Social distancing is not just for humans
• Kim’s Canines: supporting our dogs out of lockdown

The demand for puppies over the last year has been extraordinary, with the price of puppies reflecting this. If you are looking to bring a puppy into your home there are a number of very important checks you need to do.

• Meet your puppy at their home. The puppies should be in the breeders home, getting used to the sounds and sights of the home environment – not in a garage or stable outside.
• Does it look like a dog lives there with a litter of puppies? There should be a whelping pen that the puppies have been living in.
• How is mum? Is she there? Is she friendly? What’s her personality like? Is she interested in the puppies? Is she still with the puppies? If not, when and why did she leave them?
• Are the other litter mates there? How many were in the litter? Have any of them left to their new homes?
• How old is the puppy? By law they have to be 8 weeks before they can come home with you.
• Has the puppy been weaned, and are they eating solid food and not reliant on their mum? Puppies should be weaned from between 3 weeks to 7 weeks of age, but certainly before they go home with you.
• How old is mum? She should be over 1 year old before she has her first litter.
• How many litters has the mum had? Really, we don’t want the mum to have had more than 4 litters and once she is about 5 she should be retired from breeding.
• What is the puppy eating? Is it a good quality food? Is the breeder going to give you some food to come home with feed the puppy when they get home? Are they fed on raw food, kibble or a home-made diet –and is this diet going to work for you?
• What are the conditions of the sale? Can you breed from this dog should you want to? Will they take the puppy back if you are unable to keep them? Have they put any other conditions on the sale of the dog?
• Is the breeder interrogating you? They should be asking questions to check your suitability – asking about your home, who lives there, your experience of owning dogs, why are you choosing this breed, is your garden secure, how much time do you have to dedicate to your new dog.

This is a big commitment you are making, so don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you want, making sure that this is the right dog for you to bring into your home for the next 10-15 years.

It can be difficult when we are caught up in the excitement of finding a new puppy, but always take a step back and look objectively at a situation.