June 2023
Welcome to the June blog. This month we are featuring a little known term called ‘Co-ownership’ and how this is exploited by illegal breeders & dealers to continue their trade through online selling sites, and on social media. Puppy farms continue to thrive in the UK and it is a multi-million pound industry. Often linked to organised crime, it has become uncontrollable in the absence of effective regulation. Co-ownership of a dog or puppy is most often seen in the dog show world, or ‘co-own’ arrangements are set up due to divorce, relationship breakdown or for financial reasons. However it is staggering to learn that co-ownership is often used by puppy farmers and illegal breeders who house many young dogs and puppies through a network of what is called ‘co-owns’. Co-ownership will be covered more in depth and we will touch upon some cases brought to justice, as well as raising awareness of the links to puppy smuggling
What is Co-ownership?
Co-ownership means the same as ‘joint ownership’ and ‘shared ownership’. Legitimately you can co-own a dog for a breeder. For example, KC registered dogs can be recorded in joint ownership, providing the new owners agree to the terms and conditions and code of ethics. This by far can protect the dogs under the new ownership through the registration contract. In the world of dog shows, the new owner may need a mentor so they co-own together whilst being taught the ropes.
Many people due to financial reasons or a relationship breakdown consider co-owning with a friend or ex-partner. This arrangement would ensure that the dog would be kept within the family.
Co-ownership and Puppy Farms
Concerning illegal breeding, co-owners are breeders and dealers who put their dogs and puppies in other peoples’ homes by advertising them online or on social media for free. A breeder or dealer can have a huge network of dogs and puppies which they continue to own and profit from. That person looking after the dog then gets a percentage from the sale of the puppies. For the puppy, as soon as they reach sexual maturity which is around 7 months of age (depending on the breed), the owner collects them to mate with another dog. However, during that time of looking after the dog or puppy, they remain the breeder’s property, unless they become ill or unable to breed. The breeder will then be long gone leaving the carer of the dog to pick up the pieces. So in essence, if you see a free puppy advertised and then take it in, you are co-owning for a breeder. That is how co-ownership weeds its way into the illicit puppy trade in this ‘modern day puppy farming’.
What are the consequences?
The breeders are allowed to breed as many litters as they want, thus keeping the costs down and avoiding paying taxes. The HM Revenue & Customs have uncovered many cases to tackle illegal breeders, however it is only the tip of the iceberg. Local authorities and licensing departments find it impossible to track them down as they do not have the information on each breeder such as how many litters they produce. More worryingly is that this activity allows breeders to breed who have already been banned from keeping animals due to animal welfare concerns. Isn’t it concerning that already these poor puppies are being thought of as what they can produce and the profit that can be made? Can you imagine a puppy that you have raised and loved is suddenly carted off away from life to be used solely for breeding and nothing else! It is heart breaking to say the least.
Licensing Laws
The Government says that you must have a license if you do either of the following:-
Breed three or more litters in any one 12 month period
Businesses need a license to breed regardless of the amount of litters produced
Breeding dogs & advertising a business of selling dogs – as defined under the business test.
A good breeder ensures a good start in life for the puppy. In addition, the breeder maintains contact with the new owners and are prepared to take the dog or puppy back if the owner cannot care for them anymore. This isn’t guaranteed with an unlicensed breeder.
Exposing illegal breeders
In January 2023, Leicester’s RSPCA Woodside centre raised awareness to try to stop people being tricked into caring for puppies, as following the BBC documentary – ‘Inside The World of Organised Crime and Extreme Dog Breeding’ (BBC iPlayer – UK only), the RSPCA received calls about people concerned over free puppies they had seen advertised online and given homes to.
In a court case in 2020, one couple made eye-watering profits, evading the authorities by using ‘co-ownership’ contracts where they paid others to officially ‘own’ or house the dogs using adverts on a well-known website and social media. Freely operating their trade without a licence over many years, they broke animal welfare laws by forcing the breeding females to deliver more than one litter a year. One dog delivered six litters within a four-year period! Over the course of six years, they bred 67 litters. The owner simply said in court that he ‘only co-owns’ them thus trying to avoid any responsibility!
Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA)
Let us not forget some of the thousands of trafficked puppies used as ‘co-owns’ from the EU and Ireland and into the UK through the ferry ports. This shows that current Border Enforcement is totally inadequate and there are calls for agencies to have more powers to stop this. Many pet transporters are used for smuggling dogs and puppies, often crammed into small crates without food and water over long journeys. Recently there has been some high profile cases where the company owners have been prosecuted - again it is just the tip of the iceberg. Online advertising is the easy route for these breeders and dealers.
According to research by the USPCA based in Northern Ireland, on one single day – yes one single day in August 2021, there were more than 300 active adverts selling puppies on a well-known selling site in the UK that were linked to Northern Ireland based sellers and puppy farmers. Under Lucy’s law (2020), it means that it is illegal to sell puppies or kittens if you haven’t bred them yourselves. This is advertised on many well-known selling platforms but to this day, it is clearly not enforced judging by the evidence we see.
The lengths they go to purely for profit is truly shocking. We learned that many of the dogs were kept in squalid conditions including wheelie bins used as makeshift kennels, derelict outbuildings with no roofing and damp overcrowded sheds soaked in urine & faeces. Of course, we are not going to see this when looking for a puppy online are we? These poor breeding dogs usually have no light and suffer from muscle wastage and severe skin and dental disease. Then on top of this, there is also breeding to meet public demand, blamed on celebrities and their next designer dog such as extreme breeding which is currently ‘on trend’. This can cause many issues with interbreeding, overbreeding and cross-breeding to name but a few. Many are ‘co-owns’ and are advertised on social media and the selling platforms.
Recent Instagram post seen by the Justice for Reggie team
Reggie’s Law
We know that the websites need to do more. So given how many dogs and puppies are sold online, we will keep pushing and pushing the Government to introduce regulation of all the selling websites. They need to act on their pledge to protect animal welfare. It is positive to see a minority of the selling platforms taking the lead to introduce new technology, but we want all the major selling sites to follow suit, as there is a long way to go!
Advice
If you see an advert for a free puppy – please do not take it on, as you will be entering a contract for co-ownership. Instead, report it to the local authorities. Also, please report any adverts you are concerned about either on a selling site or on social media.
For anyone who loves dogs out there, please understand that using an unlicensed breeder to buy a puppy is supporting an illegal business without considering the welfare of the dogs. It is as simple as that!
Let us all take a stand for the animals!
