There is a serious overpopulation of dogs in the UK and it’s a situation that needs to be addressed immediately. 
The grim reality is that thousands of dogs being killed throughout the country because there is a chronic lack of space and resources to save them. Yet there continues to be more and more puppies born into a country that’s already at crisis point.

As it stands under the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 so long as you have no more than five litters in a year, you do not require a breeding licence. Just think of the numbers of unregulated litters that is allowing in a country already overpopulated with dogs.

It’s essential this law is amended and strictly enforced. so if you have even ONE litter, you can only do so if a dog breeding licence has been granted. Puppies should only be available from knowledgeable, ethical breeders who can provide for the welfare, training and vital socialisation needed to create a well-balanced and friendly dog. Furthermore by restricting the sale of puppies through licensed breeders, potential owners can be vetted for suitability to the specific breed of dog. Puppies will be microchipped, vaccinated and homed with a contract which prevents them being bred from anyone who isn't licenced. 
Ideally a breeder list should be accessible on a local authority website.

Breeding is so much more than just putting two dogs together yet for every good breeder, there are dozens of bad ones and it’s these so called breeders we need to stop. 
By allowing anyone to produce a litter, puppies are being used and simply sold on to anyone with no questions asked. Their parents are often overbred regardless of age, in poor conditions, without health tests and often from dogs of unsound temperaments. Puppies can inherit genetic predispositions to certain behaviour and characteristics, such as nervousness, fearfulness or aggression from their parents, which it is why it’s vital that only the best of each breed should produce a litter. 
Dog breeding and ownership should not be taken on lightly. It is a massive responsibility.

Rescue centres are inundated with dogs and are working tirelessly to rehabilitate and rehome pets that have been discarded by their owners or removed from the worst of situations. They secure the future of many dogs, but also face the heartache that others will be euthanized within days, through no fault of their own. It’s not just dogs with severe health or behaviour issues that are destroyed, many are healthy, friendly dogs that find themselves in the pound. But the sheer number of dogs in desperate need far outweighs the space and funds a rescue can offer them.
So as these dogs of all ages, from the sweetest puppy to the gentle old soul are led down the hallway of the pound, through the door where no dog returns, their fate served by a needle, another bad breeder having just mated his dogs has now secured a whole other litter of puppies to a fate unknown.

How can an abandoned dog find happiness in an adopted home, when there's numerous cute, but badly bred puppies on offer from anyone out to make some easy money through their dogs? That loving, loyal dog at the rescue centre, the one that could become the best companion anyone could wish for, just needing a second chance, is simply overlooked, not even considered. From the minute his previous owner tied him to a tree and walked away, he is just another unwanted dog in a throwaway society. Left for someone else to pick up the pieces. His future uncertain.

We need to step up, speak out and find a resolution now. It surely has to start by reducing numbers?

Please sign and share this petition with friends and family. Lets make a change.

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated. Mahatma Gandhi