Friday 26 August 2011

Huge Puppy Farm Carmarthenshire Wales-Update

Peaceful protest planned as dog lovers stand united against 196 dog Puppy Farm:

 
Carmarthenshire Council planning committee met on the 18th August 2011 to discuss a retrospective planning application for Beili Bewd Farm in Carmarthenshire Wales.
Planning is sought for a converted agricultural shed to kennel 96 dogs used for breeding, bringing the total number of breeding dogs to 196 on site. Planning application w/24449 was sadly ‘recommended for approval’ you can read the details on the council web site here.
A council site visit (to the breeding kennels) is now scheduled for 30th August, after this, the council are expected on the same day to conclude the application.
The council have stated they received 739 representations; objections were submitted in writing and covered many issues including that of animal welfare, coming from across the country, we submitted our own objection and received a written reply from the council.
Protesters gathered outside Carmarthen County Hall at the last planning meeting to peacefully protest against this puppy farm, you can have your say here ‘Protest over puppyfarm in Carmarthenshire’
The elimination of all factory farming of dogs is needed, if this application succeeds this one premises will be the largest in Wales.  
Whilst thousands of dogs are dying in flooded council pounds and stray dog kennels across the country due to their over-breeding, puppy farms are licensed to churn out huge numbers of puppies from parents kept confined within concrete pens to be used solely for breeding.
There is also a petition set up ‘Say No to Carmarthenshire puppy farm, currently supported by 2,285 people, please sign the petition and pass it on to your contacts and friends.
On 30 August there is a peaceful protest organised for 11am outside Carmarthen County Hall, all are welcome-just turn up, the press are expected to attend, 196 dogs need your voice and your support, please don’t forget them.



Thursday 25 August 2011

Notting Hill Carnival 2011

Sunday 28th – Monday 29th August 2011


Held each August Bank Holiday, the Notting Hill Carnival is now the second largest street festival in the world. With thousands of people attending the two-day event, the advice is to leave your dog at home if you are attending.

West London and the surrounding areas will all be affected as the crowds of people arrive ready to enjoy themselves, this huge celebration is no place generally for pets; with large crowds, loud music, traffic and litter - why put your dog in that situation?

Please keep your dog safely at home and away from the Carnival.

The advice is that ALL dogs avoid the Carnival – we believe this is not a suitable environment for a pet dog.

For further Information see also:

Notting Hill Carnival - Metropolitan Police Information

Carnival 2011 - Event Information

Notting Hill Carnival - the route 2011

Exempted Dogs - Important News for Owners:

Important changes for the owners of ‘exempted dogs’:

There have been two major changes in 2011 which affect dog owners of ‘pit bull types’ in England, Wales & Scotland.
  • Firstly for those who are in the process of having their dog(s) registered onto the Index of Exempted Dogs (IED) via court order following a legal hearing under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, as amended.
  • And secondly for those who already have a dog registered on the IED

The Index of Exempted Dogs:

From the 8th August 2011 the Index of Exempted Dogs is no longer run by Sabrefame Ltd who are based in Saffron Walden, Essex and have held the contract for some time – the daily operation of the Index will now be down to Defra who you will be in direct contact with during the process of registering your dog.

We discussed this recently with Defra and they confirmed that the original Index PO Box address (Saffron Walden) remains for now.

The new contacts for the IED are now:

Tel: 020 7238 1506
Email: dogsindex@defra.gsi.gov.uk

These contacts will take you through to the Defra animal welfare department in London which is now where the IED operates from.

The reason given to us for the change is that the treasury dept. of Defra has decided to bring the contract ‘in-house’.

Compulsory 3rd party liability insurance cover:

If you are in the process of registering your dog you will need the insurance cover to complete exemption (legalise your dog) this was, for many years, provided by PetPlan for £42 per year.

Exempted dog owners must also renew their dog’s insurance cover each year to keep it in force and their dog within the law.

From 1st June 2011 PetPlan no longer provide renewals or new applications, insurance is now provided by a different company called Brooks Braithwaite (Sussex) Ltd, this company is based in Haywards Heath, west Sussex.

The cost of the insurance cover with Brooks Braithwate is currently £75.00 per dog per year.

If you are having a problem with the exemption process or need help with the insurance, please contact us for assistance.

Email: mail@endangereddogs.co.uk or office@endangereddogs.com
EDDR Tel. Helplines: 0844 856 3303 or 07020 934072

Tuesday 23 August 2011

The No Voice No Choice Event

On Saturday the 6th of August we attended the No Voice No Choice family day out and dog show held at the Company of Animals (COA) on Ruxbury Farm in Surrey.

The event was a celebration of responsible dog ownership which was organised by campaign group DDA Watch in association with the COA which also provided a great venue.




Around fifty stalls were booked, ourselves included, there was also a fun dog show with celebrity judges, canine agility, obedience, displays, talks, demonstrations, k9 hurdles, free health checks, free micro chipping and free entry and car parking, bouncy castles, face painting, refreshments, beer tent, even super clean mobile toilets, in fact everything you could want for a great day out was laid on!

We arrived extra early to set up, thanks to Paula Kelly we managed to get sorted on time and then helped out as volunteers on the day, leaving late, the whole day was busy, busy with all hands on deck pulling together to produce a well-run event which was enjoyed by everyone who attended, human and canine!

EDDR hadn’t run a stall recently, so we decided to start from scratch. We purchased a cream gazebo, two folding tables from the army surplus shop which we strengthened and an all-important copy of MS Office 2010 to polish up or renew the literature.

We wrote some new information sheets, updated what we had and got printing, after replacing several ink cartridges we eventually produced a good range of literature covering responsible dog ownership, dog law, canine welfare issues and campaigns.

As August marks twenty years of the draconian Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA), we took along plenty of template letters for people to send off to their MP and a separate one for Defra, both calling for total repeal of failed breed specific legislation, around eighty were taken home by people to send in. There was a poster up for Lennox & dog owners were shocked, many vowed to go home & sign the online petition.

We spoke to a family who had attended court the day before under section 4b of the DDA and were now waiting for their pet to be exempted as ordered by the court, this had been nothing short of a nightmare for them, we spoke to a lady we helped out a couple of months ago, this rescue dog pictured here had been accused of being ‘type’ was due to be destroyed and not rehomed because of it, then was breed identified as ‘not type’ and now allowed to live, he was walking round the show all day and spent a long time quietly sat outside the vet world tent whilst his carer worked inside it. Crazy law springs to mind constantly as you speak to these folks and meet their dogs!

With help from Tony, we set up a display board, designed to stand up in an open field! Luckily it did stand well and was handy to cover our posters with, quite a few people were shocked to learn more about the issues including the over-breeding of the bull breeds in particular the awful situation now faced as thousands die unwanted in this country, several people asked for copies of the info to be sent to them, posters included, helping to spread the word. During the course of the day, we were pretty much run off our feet, as was everyone, talking and giving out literature and advice.

It was great to meet so many good people and put actual human faces to names and emails, the stalls covered a wide range of issues including dog and animal rescue, welfare, campaign groups as well as interesting trade stands.

We brought along an extra table for the ‘bargain basement’ stall, pictured here with a collection of, well of anything we could try and sell really! All proceeds going to the care of the eight dogs who are in kennels and in need of much support to give them a chance of a real future having been held for over a year under BSL and later released, maybe you could make a donation or offer a permanent or foster home? Please see the DDA Watch rehoming page for details on how you can help the 'extraordinary eight'.
EDDR had also purchased a large waterproof gazebo to cover the bargain stall and offer extra shade and a quiet area for a dog/human if needed, pictured here rescue dog Charlie having a pose, the heat wave missed us, thankfully, so did any rain and our new larger gazebo stood in as an emergency replacement for ‘vet world’ where all the free microchipping etc took place. Having to take this down was not a fun part of the day, we’re just so glad that we had help to get the thing up in one piece!

We also had printed two new posters with our logo on and a large banner with the web site address on, this arrived in time and we made a last minute pick-up, one of many pick-ups or drop-offs, this transport run thanks to heavy traffic took over half a day!

Also we ordered new collection boxes with printed logo/sticky labels and a collection bucket for DDA Watch to  help raise much needed funds to care for their dogs.

Our behavioural advisor Colin Goff ran a competent handler test, this was good to see, muzzled dogs were welcomed as Colin designed his own course to allow this, it was slow to begin with-no one wanting to be first in the ring, but soon got busy with handlers & dogs receiving certificates, Amanda and Ozzie passed gold with a young helper, read about on Amanda's blog here.

It was nice to meet new people all associated with canine rescue, welfare, training & behaviour as well as friends including legal advisor solicitor Tina Hay, barrister Pamela Rose who we have worked with for years and renowed animal behaviourist Dr. Roger Mugford who was there also early till late working away pictured here with EDDR founder Amanda Dunckley. There were also several campaign groups present, all busy spreading the word to educate and protecting our canine pals.

Maria Daines, took round her new CD ‘Faith, Hope & Sanctuary’ and donated some to every stall to sell to raise funds, such a wonderful donation, the 16 track CD is a collection of songs for dogs. Claire Matthews donated some canine items for us to sell on our stall-many thanks to you both!

The dog show went very well, pictured here is the last class for registered dogs.  With an exempted dog taking best in show at the very end but always the best dog is the one you take home with you, it was a lot of fun for the dogs, as was the hurdles which so many people said they really enjoyed having seen nothing like it before.

 We spoke to the owners of a beautiful black shepherd, passing a comment that he would steal the show, only to find out this dog now four years old had spent the first two years of his life shut inside a garden shed, found filthy, stinking and a shivering wreck, a rescue had taken him in and here he was two years later, what a transformation, just one dog of many who had been given a second chance.

The DDAWatch grand raffle was drawn on the big day.

A crowd gathered at the end of the event, tickets had been sold in the weeks prior to the show and on the actual day itself,  the first prize was a one night stay at the beautiful Powder Mills Hotel, we provided several of the smaller raffle prizes and there was a fantastic range of prizes won on the day bringing more smiles to more faces.

Well now we have a stall organised, we hope to improve on what we have and get round to some more shows. If you can recommend a good event to attend, or have a space for our display stand please let us know.

Thursday 18 August 2011

Puppy Farming - the facts


What is a Puppy Farm?
You may have already heard of the phrase ‘Puppy Farming’ but are probably unaware of just how big an issue this is in the UK.
Puppy Farms/commercial dog breeding establishments exists all over the UK (and in Eire) with higher concentrations in specific areas such as Wales and Northern Ireland.
A 'puppy farm' can involve a small to a large number of dogs breeding and producing puppies; the reason for existence being that of financial gain which takes priority.
Pictured here is 'Blondie' who was sold from a Pet Shop as a puppy just in time for Christmas. Originally bred on a licensed breeding premises in Wales, Blondie was sold and later returned as he was sick and seemed to have deformed legs. He then waited in the pet shop for another buyer, offered at a 'reduced price' as he was thin and described as neurotic & labelled as the 'runt' which had been returned. He was sold on to someone who felt sorry for him and later ended up in rescue with EDDR arriving with behavioural problems all stemming from his puppy experiences as well as digestive issues.
Puppy Farms exist to make profit with little regard to welfare standards and that critical component for an well adjusted puppy – correct socialisation.

Running/operating costs are reduced wherever possible, to maximize profits, what this can mean is that dogs (the breeding bitches and stud dogs) and puppies are kept in appalling conditions with puppies produced dying before reaching the buyer or sold off with heredity diseases along with physical and psychological problems-resulting in further suffering, heartache and veterinary bills for their new families.

Some breeding premises are unlicensed and other are licensed by the Local Authority, these breeding sites exist to supply puppies to the public, as demand is high in our throw away society and the trade is tragically flourishing.
Puppies from puppy farms can have pedigrees and paperwork.

Dogs are kept in kennel premises for the sole purpose of the mass production of puppies, who are when a few weeks of age transported en masse across the country to be sold in pet shops and through dealers advertising through 3rd parties such as newspapers and on the Internet.
Puppy farming is in our opinion a sickening trade which continues right under our noses, in our own country, a country which is known as a ‘nation of dog lovers’.
But, it’s sadly all about the money, the money made by the puppy farmers, the dealers, the pet shop outlets, it’s big business to churn out litter after litter after litter of pups and the dogs used for breeding are no more than a commodity, to be exposed of once finished with.

You just have to stop and think – what kind of life do these breeding dogs have?
It is well known that many puppy farm dogs live miserable lives, crammed into dismal kennel pens in large numbers, desperate for human company  and affection, living in filthy stinking conditions where the highlight of the day is some dried food thrown in and the remainder of the day is spent pacing round in circles as the boredom breaks their spirits and the injuries and illness breaks their bodies.
Once born, many puppy farm pups will lose their fight for life due to sub-standard conditions before the surviving ones are packed into vehicles and transported out across the country all ready to look cute and cuddly for the public.
Sadly, it's the public who through their purchases of puppy farm dogs;

- keep commercial breeders in business
- keep puppies mum and dad and thousands like them confined solely for their next breeding
- keep dealers and 3rd party traders in business
you may not have realised that your money is what fuels and maintains this practice.

Where could that puppy be from?
Puppies don't just appear in a pet shop, or with a dealer, they have been bred somewhere, they have a sire and a dam-their parents somewhere, litter brother and sisters somewhere, they have lived the past few weeks, those critical weeks for puppy development, somewhere before you met them.
Pictured here is a Shih-Tzu puppy brought from a Pet Shop; he originally came from a commercial breeding site in Wales.
Think about the adverts you read all over the Internet, litters of puppies from multiple breeds of dogs, bred to demand, where and how do you really think they all have come about?
Council appointed kennels are full of unclaimed stray dogs and rescue dog shelters are bursting with unwanted dogs, yet the multi-breed dealers are full of puppies all "ready to go" once you've paid your money and taken your choice.
Please speak out for puppy farm dogs:

Please don’t turn away and leave it to someone else, everyone can do their bit to help puppy farms dogs, no matter how big or small your contribution is, every bit helps, you are their voice, please act and help.
Do you think it is acceptable for dogs to be:
Kept in the dark to save electricity
Left in faeces and urine soaked pens
Isolated from people and left in squalor
Wounded, lame, injured & not receive veterinary treatment
Desperate for a life, denied the right to express normal behaviour
Bred until their bodies collapse
Discarded when no longer of any use
Left in cold damp cages and pens
Thirsty, hungry, in despair, pacing in circles to try alleviate the boredom
Not ever experience a walk in the park, games in a garden, cuddles on a sofa
born and left dying on cold concrete floors
Bewildered, frightened, crammed and transported across the UK for sale
sold as puppies with heredity defects, mental & physical traumas
And all for what? To meet public demand.
How You Can Help:
  • Please don’t buy a puppy from a pet shop, a puppy farm, a dealer, puppy ‘superstores’ (multi- breeds all ready for sale). Be aware, do your research, find out the facts. Trading Standards receive many complaints from people who have brought puppies which have died or are ill.
Looking to share your life with a dog? Please consider adopting a rescue dog or puppy, there are thousands in need of good homes right now.
  • Tell your family and friends, spread the word wherever you can. Write to your local newspaper and highlight the issue.
  • Contact your Member of Parliament (MP) at the House of Commons, London SW1A OAA. To find out who your is visit: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/ Ask for an end to puppy farms, it is time for the Government to take action as this trade is flourishing and has been allowed to exist for years. Puppy Farms Must END.
For information on groups who specialise in campaigning against puppy farmers; please visit our links page.
Puppy Farms Must End:
Will YOU speak out and hear their cries or look the other way?

Friday 12 August 2011

August 12th - 20 years since the DDA was introduced:

A Brighter Tomorrow:


Today is a dismal day as it marks twenty years since the introduction of breed specific legislation in the UK contained in section one of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 - please visit our web site for details.

We're running some posts through twitter during the day, in memory of those dogs and families which have suffered so much under this law over the past twenty years of mayhem.

It is terribly tragic that we currently have a law so outdated it is literally like something out of the dark ages - we actually measure a dog and score points based on these measurements to determine life or death! One dog can score less points to a litter mate and as a result of having a different shaped tail or longer leg bone be allowed to live whist its brother is put to death as a 'dangerous dog'.

It is staggering how after twenty years we are still stuck with it and yet what has it achieved - absolutely nothing positive.

Dogs; family companions, rescue dogs, those used & abused, injured, neglected, oldies, adults and puppies all continue to die via trial by tape measure. Responsible owners continue to be stigmatised and put through legal proceedings even though their dogs have never put a paw wrong.

The national animal charities and enforcement agencies continue to debate, bills come and go - indeed Scotland has made a major change in dog law but tragically it kept BSl and so on it goes.

They say that the wheels of change move slowly - well we're sure that for BSL those wheels fell off some time ago, just how bad does it need to get before this situation is a priority on the agenda?

Defra wants 'better enforcement' of bad stupid law; it's easy isn't it to sit in an office and order more death and destruction or make life even more difficult for responsible dog owners and carers who have been put in impossible positions they never wanted to be in whilst the real problem of dangerous owners and breeders surges past ignored.

Breed identification 'experts' appear to pop up everywhere-everyone is an expert, low-lifes continue to use and abuse dogs for their own illegal purposes, if the bull breeds aren't being bred to death in massive numbers across the country they're being measured up to be put to death. It's often a no win situation for man's best friend.

The number of people reported to have been bitten by a dog is reported to be rising but no one knows for sure as no national statistics are kept-the statistics we do have refer to being 'bitten or struck' by a dog and obviously being struck as in knocked over is a lot different to a bite.

'Devil dogs' become headline news following a serious or fatal dog attack, intense debate follows, increase the ban, add more breeds, jaw strength, dangerous dogs, it goes on but there is too little in the way of positive news or ideas to get to grips and actually try and work out what could be done to prevent dog attacks.

Education is always overlooked, yet explaining to people that there are too many dogs being bred, that the bull breeds are being churned out at an alarming rate by back yard breeders and killed daily as there are not enough homes, or how to prevent dog bites and keep children and dogs safe is not the priority for Government-this message is left down to the charities, national and smaller groups to tirelessly try and bang home as they go about picking up the pieces of failed BSL, irresponsible owners, breeders and a situation in dog world which has spiralled out of all control.

Other countries followed the UK BSL example and thousands of dogs have suffered and been put to death. We humans always look for a quick fix to a complex problem - a problem which is entirely down to us.
And so here we are in August 2011.

Well, we're keep spreading the message that BSL does not protect people or dogs and we'll keep answering the phone calls and the emails to advise and help those affected by it, now on a daily basis.

We have to continue, in memory of those dogs we lost and the ones we couldn't help, justice does indeed cry out from their unmarked graves.

We all have to continue to do what we can for those people and their dogs caught up in today's madness and to help bring about an end, once and for all, to the cruelty that is breed specific legislation.

We all have to stand united to spread the word, information and education to try and gain back control of an intolerable situation for many dogs, especially the bull breeds, they wouldn't abandon us is our hour of need and we have to keep going to defend them, it's the very least they deserve.






In Memory of all those who have suffered and died under twenty years of UK BSL - now at Rainbow Bridge.
With hopes for a Brighter Tomorrow.