04/04/2026
7 years ago Anya brought 5 healthy, beautiful puppies into our lives. It was honestly the best experience of my life. It put me on the path of learning more about canine behaviour and setting up Pop-in-pet play as I no longer wanted to be away from my dogs while I was working gruelling 12 hour shifts in a care home. I was encouraged to breed Anya by my vet due to her having a wonderful temperament and being so healthy. So I fulfilled a once in a lifetime dream of caring for a litter of puppies. I put my heart and soul into it, making sure the pups had the best start in life and choosing the best homes for them was crucial so that they would never end up in a rescue. Although, I had the best mentor in the sire’s guardian I joined breeding advice groups and forums and reached out to some good breeders. However, I discovered that the breeding world is full of awful practice and some breeders are purely doing it as a money making venture, cutting corners and separating pups from their mums way too early. This upset me and although I had my breeding restriction lifted by Anya’s breeder and showed the guardian of the sire that I would do everything properly it made me think that not anyone should be able to breed and that strict robust legislation should be put in place for those who do so to ensure puppies are reared properly and only go to suitable homes for that breed. A few pieces of legislation have passed since including ‘Lucy’s law’ and needing a licence if you breed 3 or more bi***es in a 12 month period but it hasn’t been anywhere near effective enough. Puppies are still being bought and disposed of when people realise how hard rearing a puppy is. We have such a long way to go to protect dogs and their puppies but I urge anyone who is considering bringing a puppy into their lives to research, research and research some more. Expect to be grilled by a good breeder, who will guarantee you a lifetime of support, look at the environment the pups are reared in, expect to sign a contract, expect regular updates when you have chosen your pup this shows that the breeder wants to build a connection with you, familiarise yourself with kind training methods, talk to good trainers who can support you from the start to avoid bad habits forming. Lastly, your dog will be fulfilling your needs, so ask yourself ‘can I fulfil their breed specific needs’?
Happy Birthday Sguiglets, hope you have the best day
❤️💖💕❤️💖❤️💖💕❤️💖💕