The Kennel Club has said that internet sales are leading to a welfare crisis for dogs

A charity has warned that almost a third of puppies bought online die or fall ill within a year.

A study carried out by the Kennel Club has shown that 18% of people who bought a puppy online said it had suffered a serious illness before its first birthday, with the illness continuing throughout its life or resulting in its death.

A further 13% of those questioned said their animal had fallen ill during the first year, but had gone on to fully recover.

The poll of 2,176 dog owners also found that one in three people do less than two hours' research when buying a puppy, while 12% of people - equating to roughly a million dogs - pay for their puppy before they have even seen it.

Caroline Kisko, secretary of the Kennel Club, said: "The internet is making it easier than ever before to buy things instantly, and this is having an alarming impact on the way people expect to buy a puppy.

"A shocking number of people are spending less than two hours researching their puppy purchase and this is leading to a serious welfare crisis.

"Rogue dog breeders selling directly to puppy buyers can be masking terrible conditions and the yawning gap in puppy buyer awareness about how to identify a good breeder leaves people - and dogs - very vulnerable."

A bill to end puppy farming in Scotland is being considered by the Scottish Parliament, and the UK Government is introducing a ban on selling dogs and cats aged less than eight weeks old at the start of next month.