Buying puppies from unknown sources ‘devastating’ to welfare, Kennel Club says

Many dog owners in the survey did not see the puppy with its mother or the environment it was raised in. Photograph: Guerilla/Getty Images

Would-be dog owners are buying puppies with little thought, effort or research, the UK’s leading dog breeding organisation has said, warning that convenience culture is having a “devastating” effect on puppy welfare.

According to research by the Kennel Club, almost a third (29%) of dog owners in the UK spent less than a day researching their decision and the breeder.