This is Elsa. She's a 5 month old Golden Retriever. The bf's sister bought her at Easter and she is much loved by all. Today we received news that she is poorly and the kindest course of action will be to put her to sleep in a couple of months.
She was bought from a company called 'dogs4us', based in Leeds. I wish we had done some research before buying from them. In the initial months she used to sleep a lot and we put that down to her simply being a puppy. But as she grew we noticed she didn't run much when out for walks. Since many of these walks corresponded with puppy training classes she had been attending, again, we put it down to general tiredness. Due to her level of inactivity, Elsa was taken to the vets, who ruled that she has very weak hips. The attending doctor proclaimed that this is the worst case he had seen in his many years of practice. She is in pain and will require multiple hip operations in the coming months. Due to the level of pain and her shortened life expectancey, coupled with crippling vet fees, she will be put to sleep in a few months.
As a pedigree she is prized. Her golden coloured fur is cause of people stopping and complementing her on days out. And with many other prize things, the dog trade business can sometimes be very dirty. Lots of irresponsible breeders and sellers, concerned only with earning fast money, neglect the wellbeing of these animals. To put cost into perspective, Elsa, as a 4 week old puppy, cost in the regions of ?1000. A crossbread or a mongrel costs much less.
BBC Rogue Traders aired an episode of dogs being supplied from puppy farms, many of which had been diseased and had to be put down soon after their dotting owners paid, what was sometimes, large amounts of money.
Dogs4us, from where Elsa was bought, is reputed to have links with Irish puppy farms. Referring to the animals they sell as 'stock' (even their trading names seems ill-fitting), they fail to provide adequate care and attention one should expect from responsible traders. The names and history of Elsa's parents and grandparents was not provided to us, a standard practice expected when selling pedigree dogs as it is their lineage that makes them prized. In addition to this, it was just too simple to buy Elsa. It was as easy as walking into a newsagents and buying a chocolate bar; no checks were done to ensure she was going to a loving home. It seems Dogs4Us only care about the money in your pocket.
Elsa's case is just one of hundreds. Up and down the country, puppy farms operate, irresponsibly breeding and selling pedigree dogs. It's cruel and should be curtailed. Aside the money involved, it is the total disregard for an animal's life which is utterly disgusting.
Topic: Puppy Farming