Yes you can. Litters or individual puppies are frequently abandoned at or handed into shelters and rescues. Often these puppies have been bred without any forethought and end up unwanted; the litter is larger than was expected, no buyers were found or the breeder just cannot cope. Some of these puppies are already 'second hand' having been bought from unscrupulous puppy farmers as a specific breed or size but in a matter of weeks have grown into a variety of dog unwanted or unsuitable to the new owner.

If you were to see a puppy farmer’s premises you would probably find it quite easy to see that the conditions are not adequate or acceptable, particularly if you asked to see their kennelling conditions. However, most puppy farmers will transport their puppies across the country to dealers, who then sell them from the internet, pet shops, free newspapers or even motorway service stations and this makes it a lot more difficult to identify where the puppy originated from.

Prospective buyers who suspect they are meeting a puppy farmer or agent should never agree to purchase the puppy – this simply fuels the trade, causing even more puppies and breeding bitches to suffer.

Instead they should report the incident to their local authority or Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

If you suspect that a breeder is a puppy farmer, contact your local authority, who will be able to investigate.