Meeting of the Parliament 09 May 2024
I add my congratulations to Christine Grahame on introducing the bill. I also congratulate her on resisting the temptation to burst into song during her speech—that was very well received.
I doubt that anyone in the chamber would disagree with the aim of the bill
“to improve the health and wellbeing of dogs throughout their lives”
or the need to encourage the public to have a more responsible and informed approach when choosing whether and from where to get a dog. Unfortunately, in too many cases, the failure of some members of the public to do the necessary checks allows the worst cases to happen and the worst perpetrators to continue to operate. They allow unscrupulous and cruel criminals to be involved in activities such as puppy farming and to make so much money—as others have said, the figure has been estimated at £13 million in Scotland alone—from the misery and suffering of dogs as a result of the illegal trade in animals.
I hate to use the term “puppy farming”, because that could not be any further from the idea of farming that I know. Yes, we all have to make a living in the agriculture sector, but the care and welfare of our animals is an important part of any farmer’s life and responsibilities, and for those places to be described as “puppy farms” is quite jarring.
When our last dog, Toby—sadly now long passed—was born, he was the runt of the litter. [Interruption.] I am really upsetting my colleagues with this heart-rending story. Toby was very small and weak, and we spent the first few days of his life uncertain about whether he would live. He took a lot of nurturing to survive, but he turned out to be a big, boisterous and brilliant dog—very much the definition of a good boy. However, that took time. I mention that because I cannot imagine the situation that he would have faced if he had been born in an illegal puppy farm. He would have been expendable—a lost asset at best, worth nothing more than his sale value.
Toby was, of course, lucky that he ended up with us—a family with generational experience of looking after dogs that would ensure that any illnesses or injuries were dealt with straight away, no matter the cost. Unfortunately, he was a sufferer of Addison’s disease, which meant a lifetime of expensive drugs. However, those were provided without hesitation.
That is not the fate of all dogs. Not all dogs have responsible or even caring owners. I am sure that the University of Edinburgh research that Maurice Golden highlighted, on low-welfare production often leading to serious behavioural issues and illnesses, would be supported by the experience of one of my family members who works in the canine behavioural sector. Dogs that already have issues find themselves with families that are really not able to provide the care that they desperately need.
As others have highlighted, using stark numbers, the illegal puppy trade has grown exponentially in the past few years. A new code of practice for the buying, selling and giving away of puppies as pets could help to address that.