'It's extremely worrying': Inside Britain's puppy boom

A new documentary, Britain's Puppy Boom: Counting the Cost, sheds light on the impact of Britain's fascination with puppies, including illegal activity on a canine fertility course in Manchester.

"Being a vet [and] someone who is supposed to be a guardian of animal welfare, we have to face the realities that people will breed their animals whether we like it or not."

Fabian Rivers is a vet based in Birmingham. In his day-to-day work, he says he's noticed a big increase in the number of people becoming dog owners since the pandemic.

And the price, external for certain popular dog breeds, including dachshunds and bulldogs, has gone up, too. These breeds have become so in-demand that some puppies go for as much as £30,000.

For Fabian, that's a problem.

"I think when you start equating such large sums to these animals… they become commodities. And it takes away that level of humanity that we apply to animals as family members."

Fabian - who's been practising as a vet for three years - says he's worried that this increased demand for dogs in the UK is encouraging dangerous and damaging breeding methods.

For BBC Three's documentary Britain's Puppy Boom: Counting the Cost, Fabian has looked into the increase in people both buying and breeding puppies and the issues that come with it, like the rise of unregulated canine fertility courses, the importing of animals and ear cropping - the altering or removal of a dog's ears.

In the documentary, undercover footage shows a course on canine fertility provided on behalf of a business in Manchester, called SmartBreeder.

Footage shows a trainer called Dave Holt, who is not a registered vet or veterinary nurse, teaching the course participants how to take blood from a dog - even though it's illegal for an unregistered non-professional to do so.

He also breaks good hygiene practices by holding the syringe in his mouth and advocates giving the dogs human contraceptive pills to maximise the chances of them having larger, successful litters.

"It's a real cause for concern," Fabian says. "It's extremely worrying for the future."

In the documentary, senior vet Mike Jessop reviews the undercover footage with Fabian.

"Taking blood samples is crossing the line," he says, adding that there's a risk of hitting a nerve and causing paralysis. "If he's not a veterinary surgeon, he's performing an illegal act.

"Here we have someone advocating the use of unlicensed products, human products for use on a dog when no-one knows what the long-term consequences of that would be.

"He shouldn't be playing around as though medicines and these potent drugs are some sort of sweeties that he can drop in and alter nature as he wants to."

Canine fertility courses don't have an official regulatory body, which Fabian believes is part of the problem. "That loophole, that grey area is allowing for these procedures," he says.

SmartBreeder disputed the evidence in the documentary but did not give a statement. They claim Dave Holt provides the canine fertility course through his own business. Dave Holt did not respond to a request for comment.

The evidence from the documentary is being reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Trading Standards and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for further investigation.

Fabian also investigates the importing of puppies to satisfy the demand in the UK.

He discovers that dogs will sometimes be transported long distances across Europe without any food, with very little water and with fake vaccination certificates.

"There's no limit to how far some of these breeders and importers will go to get these dogs in," says Fabian. "And that's just heart-breaking, really."

Another issue Fabian looks into is the increasing popularity of ear cropping, in part fuelled by trends on social media.

Images of American bullies with short cropped ears have become popular online, even though the practice of cutting off a dog's ears is illegal in the UK under the Animal Welfare Act and is also against the law across most of Europe.

"These are very strong breeds," Fabian says. "They're very big breeds and they're only being cropped for a certain look... which is aggressive and domineering.

"But actually, as a breed, they're very affable."

The RSCPA has seen complaints about cropping, external jump by more than 600% in the last six years.

Fabian says that not only is ear cropping often done without any type of pain relief but he warns that it can cause long-lasting psychological problems for animals.

"It's basic physiology and it's our job to protect their interests," he says.

"People need to be aware of what's happening and how we change that culture because it's not acceptable."

Fabian shares his home with an adopted 10-year-old Lakeland Terrier called Jackson, two bearded dragons and a red-footed tortoise.

"He's wonderful, he's a great dog," Fabian says about his adopted pet. "He's lovely."

And Fabian has advice for others who are considering getting a dog, including adopting an older animal.

He says it's important "to decide what type of dog best fits your position as a future caregiver. Not every dog needs to be a pup to be suited to you.

"Having a puppy is a lot of work. They need training and guidance."

But for people who are going to buy a puppy, Fabian recommends looking into the RSPCA and British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation's Puppy Contract, external, which includes advice on where to get a puppy, how to check its records and why you shouldn't buy a puppy on your first visit.

Britain's Puppy Boom: Counting the Cost is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

Originally published 20 July 2021.