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A coalition of anti-puppy farming groups will be staging a protest over the sale of puppies at world-famous store, Harrods on Saturday 4th December 2010. A petition will be given to Harrods during the protest.
Mandy Dumont, a spokesperson for the campaign said: “Harrods are a high profile store and should set an example by stopping the sale of puppies immediately. The vast majority of pet shop puppies are from puppy farms who only breed for money with no thought to the welfare and health of the puppy, its parents or the buyers. Puppy farms often have appalling conditions And lack of welfare, no checks for hereditary diseases and no socialisation. Parents suffer for years and are then discarded once they can no longer breed.”
TV vet and anti puppy farming supporter Joe Inglis says “Puppy farming is an abuse of our loyal canine companions who deserve to be brought up in healthy and loving environments, and I wholeheartedly support Puppy Love's campaign aim to bring an end to the suffering puppy farms cause.”
Matty Mitford, a supporter of the protest says: “Rescues are overflowing and thousands of dogs are being put down every year due to lack of homes. Anyone considering themselves a dog lover should look to an established rescue centre for a dog. Otherwise they should go to a reputable breeder who will have performed all the relevant health checks for their breed and where they can see the mother with the puppies. The breeder should ask a lot questions and offer lifetime back up for all the dogs that they breed. If not, walk away. Dogs bought from shops can never have this level of support and care and it is deeply unfair to the defenceless animals who depend on us for their welfare for them to be sold in this way ”
Anyone interested in joining the protest should contact Mandy Dumont at puppyprotest@yahoo.co.uk
Mandy Dumont, a spokesperson for the campaign said: “Harrods are a high profile store and should set an example by stopping the sale of puppies immediately. The vast majority of pet shop puppies are from puppy farms who only breed for money with no thought to the welfare and health of the puppy, its parents or the buyers. Puppy farms often have appalling conditions And lack of welfare, no checks for hereditary diseases and no socialisation. Parents suffer for years and are then discarded once they can no longer breed.”
TV vet and anti puppy farming supporter Joe Inglis says “Puppy farming is an abuse of our loyal canine companions who deserve to be brought up in healthy and loving environments, and I wholeheartedly support Puppy Love's campaign aim to bring an end to the suffering puppy farms cause.”
Matty Mitford, a supporter of the protest says: “Rescues are overflowing and thousands of dogs are being put down every year due to lack of homes. Anyone considering themselves a dog lover should look to an established rescue centre for a dog. Otherwise they should go to a reputable breeder who will have performed all the relevant health checks for their breed and where they can see the mother with the puppies. The breeder should ask a lot questions and offer lifetime back up for all the dogs that they breed. If not, walk away. Dogs bought from shops can never have this level of support and care and it is deeply unfair to the defenceless animals who depend on us for their welfare for them to be sold in this way ”
Anyone interested in joining the protest should contact Mandy Dumont at puppyprotest@yahoo.co.uk
Comments
Harrods has been in contact with Ms Dumont in order to explain our policy in very clear terms. We strongly object to any insinuation that we use "puppy farms" referred to in Ms Dumont’s statement.
We would like to take this opportunity to reassure you of the high standards of care and attention that are maintained via a strict policy regarding the sale of pets from the Pet Shop at Harrods. We have detailed these as much as possible here, but please do contact customer care at +44 (0) 20 7730 1234 should you require any further details.
The Pet Kingdom at Harrods is a much loved destination within the store which attracts thousands of loyal visitors everyday. Harrods works closely with the Kennel Club and numerous animal welfare charities to ensure that we sell livestock in the most responsible way that we can.
You can not walk into the Pet Shop and purchase a dog or cat on a whim. We want our animals to go to only the most responsible and loving homes, so in order to purchase an animal from Pet Kingdom a customer has to undergo an interview carried out by one of our trained livestock handlers. They must also have a veterinary reference or a professional reference and a copy of a tenant’s agreement if appropriate. We will also invite the potential customer to bring all of their family to the interview (this may include pets) so that we can assess how they all interact.
At Pet Kingdom we have the highest quality of animals and we are very meticulous in researching their background. All of our breeders are reputable and breed their animals in a home environment.
Full background checks are undertaken, breeding records are reviewed to ensure there is no under/inter breeding, kennel registration is verified and home visits are arranged to ensure that they are maintaining impeccable standards and breeding animals which are healthy, happy, socialised and suitable for Harrods customers.
Each puppy and kitten will have
• Pedigree registration ( with at least 3 generations of pedigree)
• Vaccination certificate
• Micro-chip
• Two veterinary certificates of health from both the breeders and Harrods veterinary surgeon
• Details of flea and worm treatments
• Breeders contact details
If for some reason the animal does not fit well into the home environment then we will accept the animal back.
At Harrods we strive to achieve outstanding standards for all of our animals. We currently have 3 full time highly qualified livestock handlers and a qualified veterinary nurse and their sole job is to care for all of our animals at all times.
It is very important that all of our animals follow a daily routine and this is carefully organised to prevent any stress.
A routine is devised to ensure that all animals have enough sleep, food, socialising, stimulation and TLC.
Each one of our animals in Pet Kingdom has been placed in an enclosure which has been specifically designed for their breed requirements. All enclosures are thoroughly and carefully cleaned in the morning and evening and maintained throughout the day to the highest standards.
During the day the livestock handlers take care of the animals and during the night the animals are checked every 30 minutes by Harrods security officers.
The friendly livestock handlers exercise, play, handle and groom all of our animals on an hourly basis. This will develop the animals social and behavioural skills ready for adult hood, as at this stage in a young animals life it is critical to obtain these skills.
We also have a private exercise area for our animals to give them time to relax away from the public.
Harrods supports more than 35 animal welfare charities including The Retired Greyhound Trust, Hearing dogs for deaf people, Friends of Animals League and has help to raise thousands of pounds in the past year.
Kindest Regards,
Harrods
Harrods are a very high profile store and if they really care about animal welfare they should set an example and stop the sale of puppies.