Breaking the Cycle: Solutions to End Puppy Farming
By Dave Evans, Founder of Act Sustainably, environmental management practitioner and animal welfare advocate with over 20 years of experience in sustainability.
Consumer awareness, targeted enforcement, and corporate responsibility hold the key to ending the €200 million puppy farming industry. This final article shares solutions to break the cycle of puppy farming, including the heartbreaking yet inspiring story of Myffa, a puppy farm survivor who found love in her final years.
Myffa's Story: The True Cost of Puppy Farming
The devastating impact of puppy farming extends far beyond statistics and regulatory challenges. At Act Sustainably, we've witnessed this reality through our rescue of Myffa, a magnificent Caucasian Shepherd, who was discarded from a puppy farm at the age of seven.
We adopted Myffa from Many Tears Animal Rescue in Wales, the same organisation from which we later rescued Môr, our Bernese Mountain Dog. When Myffa came to us, the physical and emotional scars of her previous life were immediately apparent. Having spent seven years as a breeding machine, her body bore the evidence of continuous litters.
When we took her to be spayed, our veterinarian discovered cancerous teats—a direct result of years of back-to-back pregnancies that kept her oestrogen levels abnormally high. The operation to remove the cancer was so complex that it couldn't be completed in one session; her blood pressure dropped dangerously during surgery, forcing the veterinarian to end the procedure prematurely. A second operation was required to remove the remaining cancerous tissue.
For two years, Myffa seemed to flourish in her new life. However, the cancer returned, necessitating a third operation. Despite the best veterinary care, the long-term damage from years of exploitation eventually caught up with her. Myffa passed away in February 2025, three years after her rescue.
What makes Myffa's story both heartbreaking and inspiring is how she embraced her freedom in those three precious years. Despite her traumatic past, she blossomed into a local legend in Tenby, winning hearts with her peaceful and cheerful demeanour. She seemed determined to make up for the seven years of deprivation she had endured at the puppy farm, greeting everyone with affection and enjoying every moment of her newfound liberty.
Myffa's story illustrates the hidden costs of puppy farming—not just in terms of veterinary bills and physical suffering, but in the years of joy and freedom stolen from these magnificent animals. Yet it also demonstrates the remarkable resilience of dogs and their capacity for forgiveness and love, even after experiencing the worst of human exploitation.
Consumer Responsibility: Breaking the Cycle
While legislation and enforcement are crucial components in combating puppy farming, the reality is that these operations exist because there is consumer demand. Educating potential puppy buyers about their role in either perpetuating or disrupting this cruel industry is essential to creating meaningful change.
Understanding the True Cost
When consumers purchase a puppy from a disreputable source, they are not just buying a pet—they are financially supporting an industry that causes immense suffering. The cute puppy in the window or online advertisement comes at the cost of:
Years of misery for breeding dogs like Myffa and Môr
Psychological damage to puppies separated from their mothers too early
Health issues in puppies resulting from poor breeding practices
The continued operation of an industry built on animal exploitation
Many puppy buyers are unaware of these connections or are misled by sellers who present themselves as responsible breeders. Bringing this hidden reality to light is essential in helping consumers make ethical choices.
Verifying the Source of Your Puppy
For those determined to purchase rather than adopt a puppy, several steps can be taken to ensure they are not inadvertently supporting puppy farms:
Always visit the breeding location - Never agree to meet in public places or have the puppy delivered. Responsible breeders will welcome visitors to their homes or facilities.
See the puppy with its mother - This is crucial. The absence of the mother is a major red flag, as puppy farmers often separate puppies from their mothers at a very young age.
Check for proper documentation, which includes breed club registration, health certificates for both parents, and microchip registration.
Ask about socialisation - Responsible breeders will have begun socialising puppies with various people, sounds, and experiences.
Look for signs of a responsible breeder - These include limited numbers of breeds and litters, extensive knowledge about the breed, proactive health testing, and a willingness to stay in touch after the sale.
Be prepared to wait - Responsible breeders often maintain waiting lists and may not have puppies available immediately.
Research breed-specific health issues - Ensure the breeder has conducted appropriate health screening for conditions common in your chosen breed.
Act Sustainably's Model: Corporate Social Responsibility in Action
At Act Sustainably, we've built our business model around the principle that corporate success and doing good are not mutually exclusive—they can and should reinforce each other. Our company operates under the mantra "Work Hard, Help People, Save Animals," demonstrating how businesses can integrate animal welfare into their corporate social responsibility frameworks while maintaining professional excellence.
Our commitment extends well beyond typical corporate giving programs. We allocate at least 1% of revenue from our IEMA training courses to finance both direct animal rescue operations and support established animal welfare organisations. As a proud member of 1% for the Planet, we've also planted over 12,000 trees through our partnership with One Tree Planted and maintain a Kiva micro-loan portfolio supporting 147 social impact projects across 39 countries.
Our animal welfare work is particularly focused on combating cruel practices globally:
Fighting Puppy Farming: We support organisations working to end puppy farming in the UK and Ireland, including Dogs Trust, Battersea Dogs Home, and Many Tears Animal Rescue—the Welsh organisation from which we adopted both Myffa and Môr.
Combating the Dog Meat Trade: We partner with Four Paws and Humane Society International in their mission to end the dog meat trade across Southeast Asia.
Supporting Romanian Dog Rescue: We provide financial support to ROLDA (Romanian League in Defence of Animals), addressing another geographical hotspot of canine welfare issues.
Our office environment, where our pack of rescue dogs serves as a daily reminder of the impact of compassion and collaboration, personally reinforces our commitment to animal welfare. These dogs, each with their own rescue story, represent the tangible outcomes of our dedication to animal welfare causes.
Call to Action: What You Can Do to Help
The fight against puppy farming requires a multi-faceted approach involving individuals, organisations, businesses, and governments. Here are concrete steps you can take to help end this cruel practice:
For Individuals
Adopt, don't shop - Consider giving a rescue dog a home. Many dogs from puppy farms end up in shelters and rescue organisations.
Research thoroughly if buying - If adoption isn't an option, use the guidelines provided earlier to ensure you're buying from a reputable, ethical breeder.
Report suspicious activity - If you encounter what you believe to be an illegal puppy farm or notice suspicious online advertisements, report them to your local animal welfare organisation, trading standards office, or police.
Spread awareness - Share information about puppy farming with friends and family, particularly those considering getting a dog.
Support organisations - Donate to or volunteer with organisations working to combat puppy farming, such as Dogs Trust, RSPCA, or Many Tears Animal Rescue.
For Professionals
Veterinarians: Implement protocols to identify and report suspected victims of puppy farms, educate clients about responsible puppy acquisition, and consider offering discounted services to rescue organisations.
Lawyers: Offer pro bono services to animal welfare organisations, assist in drafting or reviewing legislation, or help prosecute illegal breeders.
Technology professionals: Develop tools to detect fraudulent online sellers or help rescue organisations streamline their operations.
Media professionals: Investigate and expose puppy farming operations to raise public awareness.
Business leaders: Implement corporate social responsibility policies that support animal welfare causes, following the example of Act Sustainably.
For Communities
Organise awareness events - Host community talks or information sessions about puppy farming and responsible dog acquisition.
Support local shelters - Organise fundraisers or supply drives for local animal rescue organisations.
Engage with local authorities - Attend council meetings to advocate for better enforcement of breeding regulations in your area.
The Legacy of Puppy Farm Survivors
Dogs like Myffa and Môr leave behind powerful legacies that extend far beyond their individual stories. Their journeys from exploitation to freedom serve as powerful reminders of both the cruelty of puppy farming and the remarkable resilience of dogs.
Myffa's transformation from a discarded breeding dog to a beloved local legend in Tenby demonstrates how, given the chance, these dogs can overcome their traumatic pasts and embrace life with joy and love. Though her time with us was tragically shortened by the physical toll of her years in a puppy farm, the impact she made on everyone who met her continues to inspire our work at Act Sustainably.
Similarly, Môr's wonder at experiencing the beach for the first time or just sitting peacefully in a garden listening to birdsong, simple pleasures denied to her for years, highlights the everyday joys that breeding dogs miss while confined in puppy farms. These moments of discovery and happiness drive our commitment to ending this cruel industry.
By sharing their stories, we hope to put faces and personalities to the statistics, helping people understand that behind every puppy in a pet shop window or online advertisement, there's a mother like Myffa or Môr, waiting for her chance at freedom and happiness.
Conclusion: A Future Without Puppy Farms
The path to ending puppy farming will require sustained effort across multiple fronts: strengthening legislation, improving enforcement, increasing public awareness, and changing consumer behaviour. It's a challenging road, but the stories of dogs like Myffa and Môr remind us why it's a journey worth taking.
Act Sustainably remains committed to this cause, both through our direct support of rescue organisations and our advocacy for stronger protections for breeding dogs. We believe that by working together—businesses, individuals, communities, and governments—we can create a future where all dogs are treated with the respect and care they deserve.
The illegal puppy trade thrives in the shadows. By bringing it into the light through awareness, advocacy, and action, we can collectively work toward a future where dogs are bred humanely and responsibly, where animal welfare takes precedence over profit, and where the cruel practice of puppy farming becomes a thing of the past.
Join us in this mission. The lives of countless dogs like Myffa and Môr depend on it.
References
www.Gov.UK. Tough new legal crackdown on puppy smuggling moves a step closer. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tough-new-legal-crackdown-on-puppy-smuggling-moves-a-step-closer.
European illegal puppy trade and organised crime. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354101727_European_illegal_puppy_trade_and_organised_crime
University of South Wales: The Role of Organised Crime in the Illegal Puppy Trade. https://criminology.research.southwales.ac.uk/news/2023/the-role-of-organised-crime-in-the-illegal-puppy-trade
Research Briefing. Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8612/
Dogs Trust. "Our work to end puppy smuggling” https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/our-views/puppy-smuggling
A Review of Brexit: getting the best Brexit deal for animals. June 2023. . "Cross-Border Cooperation in Combating Illegal Puppy Trade." Annual Report. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.alaw.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/BDFA-Brexit-Review-June-2023.pdf
Many Tears Animal Rescue blog. https://www.manytearsrescue.org/news-and-articles/
Humane Society International. Puppy Mills. https://www.humaneworld.org/en/issue/stopping-puppy-mills