VET’S VIEW: Animal welfare e-petition is biggest of all time in the UK

This means that, in addition to raising massive awareness about UK’s cruel puppy farming industry, just 15,000 more signatures means puppy farming will be discussed in the House of Commons – imagine that, Parliament sitting down and talking about the future of this country’s dogs. It’s even more significant with Christmas fast approaching, and many children begging parents to buy puppies.

Puppy farming is the commercial mass production of puppies in horrific conditions, often with no clean water, or quality food, medicine, or waste clearance.

Commonly, more than 200 breeding bitches and stud dogs are imprisoned in one of many large concrete, agricultural sheds (usually in rural Wales), all just kept alive to make more puppies for large profits.

Puppies are transported long distances and sold by third parties, including pet shops, websites, garden centres, puppy supermarkets, dealers, free newspaper listings, and so on – basically anywhere well away from pup’s mum and birthplace.

These battery-farmed dogs are often severely inbred and suffer serious internal problems, such as of the heart, eyes and joints, for example.

They are sold, often with infectious diseases, such as deadly parvovirus, and behavioural issues, meaning that if they survive their first week in their new home, they will suffer a future of ill health costing hundreds (sometimes thousands) of pounds to treat.

My campaign hopes to stop demand for poorly pups by educating the public the correct way to choose a dog – ask ‘where’s mum?’, insisting on seeing her interacting with her pups.

Help me end puppy farming, please sign and share the e-petition found at www.pupaid.org, follow @PupAid on Twitter, and Pup Aid on Facebook. Thanks, everyone.