The battle continues against backstreet breeding

Countless defenceless dogs are forced to repeatedly produce litters of puppies by unlicensed breeders. Profit is put before the welfare of the dogs, that are then callously abandoned once they have served their purpose.

At Battersea we want to tackle irresponsible ownership and the breeding of dogs for profit. It affects the poor dogs that are bred over and over again; it affects dog owners who pay the price for poorly bred dogs and it affects greater society including charities like Battersea who pick up the pieces for dogs suffering from this practice every day.

At the moment it's difficult to put an end to backstreet breeding as current legislation doesn't do enough to safeguard dogs and their new owners. The rules around the breeding of dogs are ambiguous. The law states that breeders require a licence for their fifth litter in a year, but Battersea believes this is easily ignored, and that it should be lowered to a licence for an owner's second litter in 1 year. Battersea is also calling for a closing of the loophole that allows dogs to be sold before they are 8 weeks old, so they can have the vital time they need with their mother.