OneKind has said urgent action is needed to ensure dogs are bred in safe conditions

A charity has set out an action plan to clamp down on puppy profiteers.

OneKind has uncovered the poor conditions that dogs across the country are being bred in, and has said urgent action is needed to protect puppies in Scotland.

Investigations by the group of a sample of legal breeders have found dogs kept in small pens in cold outhouses, animals living in squalid conditions, and dogs being bred more frequently than they should be, resulting in puppies being rejected early by their mother.

OneKind policy advisor Libby Anderson said: “It’s time to face up to the suffering caused by the toxic combination of enormous demand for pedigree puppies and weak regulation of the trade. These conditions mean that profit is being put ahead of welfare, resulting in illegal trafficking and dealing, as well as poor conditions in some legal breeding establishments across Scotland.

“The Scottish Government has recently pledged to educate the public about sensible purchasing. Whilst this is welcome, it must be accompanied with new protections for both the puppies and breeding bitches caught up in this trade. OneKind has today put forward a suite of ideas to achieve this, including a ban on third-party dealing and requiring all sales to be licensed.”

As part of the report, Scotland’s Puppy Profiteers, OneKind has laid out an eight-point plan to protect puppies in Scotland. It includes a ban on third-party sales of dogs, mandatory standards for internet sales, a recommendation that every commercial sale should be subject to licence or registration, and a formal puppy warranty.