Yesterday, I attended the annual Pup Aid dog show and festival at Primrose Hill in London, and I had such a lovely day petting and cuddling all of the pooches that I wanted to share the photos on my blog with you all. I mean, what could be better than a blog post that is literally full of beautiful doggos?! Not much!
I've come to the decision that I would now like to pursue my dream job of becoming a dogographer, because what possible better career path could there be than photographing pups 9 - 5?
Although, a day of hanging out with hundreds upon hundreds of canine pals was pretty wonderful, there was still an important message behind the fun and the frolics that Pup Aid works tirelessly to spread and is something that I also feel very strongly about; the fight against cruel puppy farming. The day is run by a group of dog-loving volunteers who have built an annual celebration of all things dog-related to bring dog owners and lovers (and the dog broody, like me) alike together, but to also publicly spread awareness about the issue. Their main aim is educate as much of the British public as possible about the correct and most ethical way of bringing a new dog into their home, whether it be by rescuing or via a reputable breeder.
Rescue centres are literally overflowing with unwanted dogs who are patiently waiting on their forever homes, and I will always push people to consider rescuing a dog and giving them a second chance at life. We've fostered, rescued and rehomed dogs from our family home and it's utterly heartbreaking knowing that not all dogs out there have that same second chance.
Pup Aid have put together a few quick points on how to avoid buying from a puppy farm and what to look out for:
- Only buy a puppy if you can see it interacting with its mum: Puppy farms tend to separate the pups from their mums at a very young age as the mum is usually miles away on the puppy farm, whilst the pups are taken straight out to sell. Be wary if you're told the mum is sick, at the vet's or basically anywhere else as puppy farmers will come up with any excuse as to why the mum isn't by the pup's side.
- Only buy a puppy if it's a breeder recommended by the Kennel Club (preferably an 'Assured Breeder').
- Only rescue a puppy that's from a registered rescue centre or charity.
- Be suspicious if the price of the puppy is very cheap (£100 - £350) or very expensive (£2000+)
- Never buy puppies that are sold in pet shops or garden centres as these are usually from puppy farms.
If you are intending on welcoming a puppy into your home in the near future, then please do have a little look at the Pup Aid website, which is full of information on how to purchase a pup properly.
In the meantime please enjoy these photos of some of the gorgeous boys and girls we met at Pup Aid's Primrose Hill Dog Show. If you're not dog broody just yet, then you definitely will be after scrolling through these photos.
This has totally perked up my Thursday!
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