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 The Pet Care Trust, the pet care education charity, welcomes the publication of the report by Professor Sir Patrick Bateson FRS on dog breeding and the wide range of actions he is proposing. They particularly welcome certain aspects of the report and in a statement say they welcome the following:
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• We will wholeheartedly engage in the proposed public awareness and education campaign to change public behaviour when buying a dog. The Trust is ideally placed to channel communication to the public through pet specialists.
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• Robust Accredited Breeder schemes: these are a must. Our own Puppyindex Accredited Breeder scheme is well established, with breeders appreciating the accountability they sign up to. Our responsible retailers participating in the scheme also appreciate being able to signpost potential puppy owners through to responsible breeders. Nowadays, 98% pet shops do not sell puppies, as it is time consuming and difficult to do well. Puppyindex is an excellent means of assisting potential puppy owners and giving them vital support in finding a suitable dog that they know they will be able to care for.
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• We welcome improvements in inspections of licensed breeding premises. Local authorities issue only 1.3 breeding licences a year. Public confidence in licensed breeders can only be achieved with proper independent inspections.
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‘UKAS accreditation will mean independent audit of the Accredited Breeder Scheme, which will be enormously reassuring to the British dog owning public,’ said Janet Nunn, Chief Executive of the Pet Care Trust. ‘We have every confidence that the Kennel Club has the will and the wherewithal to achieve this and we hold ourselves available to help and support them in whatever way we can.’
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• Microchipping of puppies: this service is now widely available through pet specialists – 30% of groomers are trained to offer a microchipping service at around just £15.
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