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TAKING
T AKING
THE LEAD
THE LEAD
Photo: Samantha Webster By Andrea Keepence-Keyte
Covid-19 still has its grasp on the country and it crisis, about buying puppies from the less ethical
has been very demoralising to see the constant breeder, and it is our responsibility to raise
updates where show committees have had awareness. It is sad that reputable breeders are
to make the difficult, but right, decision and only contacted once the unscrupulous breeder
cancelling their shows. The constant changing wont or cant support when there are problems
of rules with regards to social distancing and so the only place to turn is those in the know.
gathering in groups has made it extraordinarily I do wonder how we can change this attitude?
difficult for all involved in dogs shows and I know The problem often arises because people don’t
we are all missing our friends and events. want to wait, they want it now. Good breeders
often have waiting lists and if you want an
A truly sad effect of the Covid-19 crisis is the
sky rocketing of prices of puppies. In beagles ethically and responsibly bred puppy then you
might have to wait a while. Its then that people
we have seen adverts on a well-known, less
turn to the less desirable websites to source
desirable site being advertised for in the region
their puppy.
£3000-£5000, which is extortion at best. I
have seen an advert for beagle puppies for I sadly suspect that our rescue centres are
£10,000!!! I have seen posts on social media going to be filling up once the novelty has worn
which indicate that this is not a beagle problem, off and reality kicks in. I wonder how many
but a problem across the board, I know that our puppies are being prepared for being left during
responsible and reputable breeders of all breeds the day when people have to return to work. I
are rightly outraged at this, not only are these wonder how many reasons of surrendering a
puppies and parents often not KC registered, but dog will include “he destroys the house when
there is no evidence of health testing or ongoing left” or “our neighbours complain because of the
breeder support. There are people taking noise he makes when we leave”.
advantage of the situation to make a quick buck
Happily there are people who will have done the
and it will only be at the detriment of our breeds.
right thing and researched and sourced a puppy
I have had many enquires for puppies since properly. They will have a healthy and happy
the crisis began and my reply to these are that
puppy hopefully with years of breeder support.
they can contact our breed club secretaries for
We must encourage these buyers to tell of their
a list of litters available from reputable breeders.
experience to their friends and colleagues,
I also try to include some good advice about
spread the word so to speak. Hopefully happier
puppy buying, pointing them in the direction of stories rather than the sad ones can be used
the “find a puppy” section on the KC website. I
as examples which encourage people to fully
also indicate what the expected price range for
research before buying. Tales of joy rather than
a beagle puppy and that anything outside of this
tales of caution.
range should make the sceptical.
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our
I also try to include some general puppy buying lives whole.” – Roger Caras
guidance and reference “Lucy’s Law” which }
sadly, does not appear to be getting much press If anyone has any topics for discussion you can
since Crufts.
always reach out to me over social media or via
I have heard many tales of woe, post and pre email: andi.keyte@hotmail.co.uk
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / OCTOBER 2020
