The pandemic puppy boom, we've all heard about it but the real cost of it is only becoming apparent 1-2 years after the market was flooded with new puppies. Everyone was staying at home or working from home so it seemed like the perfect time to get a puppy. For a lot of people, it was the best decision they had ever made. Welcoming a new member to the family is always a special occasion especially when it is a cute cuddly puppy.

But the reality of it is that many of these puppies have come from opportunistic breeders who were out to make some fast cash. Truly responsible breeders take great pride in what they do, they heavily research each litter, ensuring that all health tests available have been done and base future litters not only on health scores, but also temperament and breeding coefficient to name a few.

Whilst the Kennel Club is a great resource and can help you find a good quality dog to bring into your home, the actual requirements of having a KC registered puppy is just not enough. 

We need the system to change so that we can stop so many of these poorly bred puppies coming onto the market. It should be a requirement that the following needs to be adhered to:

Fully tested DNA to current KC requirements

Hip & Elbow scores required for both sire & dam (0 score for elbow)

Regular eye testing with clear results using the BVA eye scheme

Without these requirements being followed to, so many puppies have since developed severe health issues such as hip or elbow dysplasia. This puts a huge burden on the owners who have to pay for expensive vets bills and also a lifetime of rehabilitation and pain for the dogs who have these incurable diseases. This could all be drastically reduced through improved breeding and registration standards with the Kennel Club.