The pandemic surge in demand for puppies is being exploited by some breeders prepared to break the law and risk dogs' health by artificially inseminating them, an investigation found.
Some forms of artificial insemination are legal but the Sunday Mirror discovered ads for a handful of clinics offering a procedure for about £350. It said analysis showed a 10-fold increase in dog fertility clinics in the past two years, some in back rooms of shops.
Only qualified vets can legally perform a transcervical insemination (TCI) under the Veterinary Surgeons Act only. The procedure, which needs specialist equipment, sees sperm deposited through the cervix into the uterus using a catheter.
