Scottish SPCA

One of the main priorities of the Scottish SPCA is to put an end to the multimillion pound puppy industry. Over the past year you may have seen that they have been raising awareness of the barbaric puppy trade in Scotland through their #SayNoToPuppyDealers campaign. They have been very vocal about this trade and have received great cross party support. 

There is a very high demand for puppies in Scotland. Unfortunately, there is a lack of legal puppy breeders which means that the gap is being filled by unscrupulous puppy dealers.

In 2017 the Scottish SPCA frontline team responded to 89,522 incidents as a result of calls from concerned members of the public to their dedicated animal helpline, compared to 85,346 the previous year. Last year nearly half of all seized animals, following cases submitted to the Crown Office, were rescued from puppy farms. Check out the SSPCA's #SayNoToPuppyDealers campaign on Twitter.

Furthermore, they prevented an additional 75 puppies involved in the illegal puppy trade entering Scotland via Cairnryan Port from Ireland. Working closely with sister organisation the ISPCA, they ensure that the pups receive the highest possible care and are happily rehomed in Ireland.

Before being sold on to unsuspecting members of the public, the dogs and puppies on these farms are exposed to unsanitary living conditions. As a result of the breeding regimen and the conditions the pups are kept in, a large number of these pups suffer from diseases and infections such as giardia and parvo virus. Farmed puppies are more likely to exhibit significantly higher rates of undesirable behaviours particularly relating to fear, anxiety and aggression. This industry is often linked with serious and organised criminals and is fuelled entirely by greed and profit with little to no consideration for the welfare of the dogs sold.

Along with their partners, the Scottish SPCA have a relentless commitment to disrupting the trade at source. The Special Investigations Unit spearhead a muti-agency taskforce who work tirelessly to bring puppy traders to justice through Operation Delphin which includes support from Dumfries and Galloway Council, ISPCA, USPCA, DSPCA, RSPCA, HMRC Trading Standards, Stenaline, Police Scotland Port unit and APHA.

In order to stem the huge demand for puppies they are committed to highlighting this issue and educating the public on the potentially life threatening consequences for dogs and the heart-breaking emotional and financial cost for families. Many people who knowingly buy from puppy dealers think they are rescuing these animals, and although it is very hard to walk away, this produces demand in the industry and creates a bigger problem. People of Perthshire can get involved to raise awareness for the work SSPCA do.

The Scottish SPCA firmly believe that the consequences for breeding and dealing puppies are not tough enough and were delighted to see that their calls for an increase in the maximum penalty for the most serious animal cruelty offences be increased to five years imprisonment were addressed with the Scottish Government’s ambition to amend the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. This will provide sheriffs with more options when passing sentencing with the aim of acting as a stronger deterrent with regards to animal cruelty offences. 

The charity also stand ready to support a modern system of registration and licensing of animal sanctuaries and would welcome a national database which would list those who have been banned from owning animals.

In an ideal world there would be no need for the Scottish SPCA but sadly, animals are still being abused and abandoned throughout Scotland. In 2017 the equivalent of one person per week was banned in Scotland as a result of animal abuse. Prevention through education is key to making real change in attitudes towards animal cruelty for future generations.

GALLERY

The charity is celebrating all things furry, scaled or feathered in their upcoming Scottish Animal Week and would love for the people of Perthshire to get involved to raise awareness of the work that they do. They have opportunities to fundraise which is a great way of meeting new people or for adding experience to your CV. It’s a fun way of being able to give back to the community and helps them to continue rescuing injured and orphaned animals. Anyone looking to get involved should visit the website here  or call the fundraising team on 03000 999 999 (opt 4).

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