Dogsey

Yesterday, on Mothering Sunday, TV vet Marc Abraham launched 'Where's Mum?' - a new campaign aimed at educating potential owners about the puppy farming industry in the UK and help them choose a 'healthy happy puppy'. Yesterday's campaign launch, which will lead to PupAid in September, an annual event which raises awareness of the puppy trade, was supported by some well-known people, including designer Meg Matthews and her daughter Anais.

Marc Abraham wants everyone thinking of buying a puppy to ask: “Where's Mum?”. He said: “Puppies depend heavily on their mums in the early weeks of life, not just for milk but also for developing their socialisation skills which help set them up for life. I want everyone buying a puppy to ask one simple question - "Where's Mum?".

“If the breeder or puppy's seller can't or won't show you the puppy with its mother, then you should suspect the puppy was born on a puppy farm and go elsewhere such as a responsible breeder or rescue shelter.”

Ms Matthews and Anais wanted to highlight the 'Where's Mum?' campaign after the distressing experience they had when they got their own dog. Speaking to a national newspaper, Ms Matthews explained that her dog Oscar, a Boston Terrier who will be three in April, may have been bred by a puppy farmer and suffered from many problem in the first few months of his life. Sourced online, she and Anais drove to Grimsby to be shown a litter that was “a right mixture, all different shapes and sizes.” They chose Oscar because he was “the cute little runt”.

Ms Matthews went on to say that Oscar had a cleft palate, and became so ill that he needed many visits to the vet in the first few weeks. His problems came to a head when she ended up driving him to a 24 hour vet one night. Recalling how thin Oscar was - “he was all skin and bones” - Ms Matthews said Oscar finally had to have extensive surgery when it was found that his stomach wasn't connected to his organs properly. He recovered and now has a companion, a pug called Pugalicious, who helps him socialise.

Ms Matthews said she didn't know about puppy farming or that she should have asked to see the mother when she got Oscar and wants to raise awareness and stop the demand for puppies from puppy farms. “We're supposed to be a nation of animal lovers yet this is happening right under our noses, even more so now with designer dogs becoming such a status symbol, making the demand even higher,” she said, adding, “We have to make sure that anyone thinking of buying a dog does it the right way so we can put these 'farms' - which unbelievably are legal - out of business once and for all.”

For information on 'Where's Mum' go to www.pupaid.org

Marc Abraham gives the following dos and don'ts when buying a puppy:

Only buy a puppy if:
* You can see the puppy interacting with its mum
* It's a breeder recommended by the Kennel Club (preferably Assured Breeder)
* It's a rescue centre that's a registered charity

Be suspicious of a farmed pet if:
* Mum's not there (she's most likely to be miles away on a cruel puppy farm)
* You're told mum's at the vet, been run over, sick, basically anywhere else
* The price is either very cheap (£100 - £350) or very expensive (£2000 - £7000)
* Pup is being sold in a pet shop or garden centre
* Pup is sold from a website, Friday Ad, motorway service station, pub
* You're offered free delivery