Dogs Trust has spent €61,000 on veterinary fees alone for 161 victims of puppy farms over the last two years and now the charity is urging the public to sign their petition asking for harsher punishment for puppy farmers.
Dogs Trust Ireland has launched their emotive ‘Puppy Farms are a Life Sentence’ campaign to highlight the often-lenient penalties imposed on those responsible for the horrific misery endured on puppy farms.
Part of the campaign sees Dogs Trust launching a thought-provoking new video demonstrating that puppy farming is a life sentence, especially for the mum left behind. By buying that ‘cute’ puppy advertised online, you may be unwittingly fuelling the trade that sentences the parent dogs to a life of misery.
Speaking about the campaign, Head of Communications, Dogs Trust Ireland, Ciara Murran says: “We are particularly shocked at the small fines imposed on puppy farmers, compared to what it costs the charity. The numbers just don’t add up, especially when you consider what these unscrupulous individuals are charging unsuspecting members of the public for the puppies they are selling.”
Two of the victims the charity cared for are Mollie, a six-year-old Poodle and Rudi, a four-year-old Cavalier King Charles. Both dogs arrived into Dogs Trust suffering from appalling matting of their fur, severely overgrown nails, dental disease and ear infections. They were described by the Veterinary and Behaviour teams as ‘absolutely terrified’ and tried to hide and avoid human contact whenever possible. Despite being adopted to a loving home, it took four months until their adopters could touch them.
Pam King, Adopter of Mollie & Rudi explains: “We are so proud of these two fabulous dogs for the courage they have shown in adapting to our home after the horrors they’ve experienced. I have had dogs all my life, including 14 rescue dogs from a wide variety of backgrounds but I have never witnessed the fear that they demonstrated when we first adopted them.”
Veterinary and Welfare Manager, Dogs Trust Ireland, Niamh Curran Kelly continues: Puppy farming is a life sentence; even if you are lucky enough to get a puppy free from behavioural and health issues, please think of the mum left behind and what she must endure on a daily basis.”
Dogs Trust is urging the public to sign their petition via DogsTrust.ie/LifeSentence calling for tougher punishment for puppy farmers. You can find Dogs Trust on Facebook, and Instagram or follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #LifeSentence
