Just want other's views on something which is really starting to p me off. Basically my MIL has been breeding dogs without a license, for the past 10 years or so. The litters have been between 3 and 6 a year and she sometimes takes in other dogs to help whelp for a fee. She has also started boarding dogs (again no license) for payment.

Anyway, my problem is that I detest this constant churning out of puppies (£600-£700 each)
I think it's morally wrong to keep breeding just to make easy money when there are so many dogs left in kennels needing a home At present she has two of her own bitches in pup and is also whelping another for someone else. That could be anything up to 20 or so pups to find homes for and that's without the rest she'll have this year. She knows how I feel about it all but just sees it as easy money on top of her pension and housing benefit.
I don't want to report her, I just wish she would stop breeding dogs!

Basically she's running a puppy farm. Report her, I would. She's running a business so is also probably committing benefit fraud as much as anything else.

Question I would ask is are they good dogs, because if they are then she must be doing something right. I would imagine breeding like that is not so much easy money as hard work too.

Has she got the welfare of her dogs right too, are they suffering ? all questions that make a huge difference to how I feel about the situation.

You can work and still get your pension that won't be fraud at all. HB is a means tested one though. TBH I see too many pensioners scared to use their heating to feel too angry about someone bucking the system these days.

She'll be having to heat the whelping kennels (or should) so I don't think that's a consideration in this case.

Just how many dogs does she have? If she's breeding 3/6 litters a year then if she's breeding at acceptable intervals from the bitches then she must at least 10.

Indeed and that is hard work if you do it well. Costs a bit too to keep so many dogs comfortable.

Up until a few years ago I would have called her an excellent breeder but she has started to let things slip a little. She has knowingly sold on several pups with health problems and all her bitches from one of her lines have suffered with diabetes, resulting in the owners ending up with costly vet bills, or in a couple of cases losing their dog at a young age. Yet she continues to breed from that line without informing the new owners of the future complications.

She only uses the one breed and all the dogs she whelps and boards are dogs she sold as pups. Nearly all the dogs are kept at the back of her garden in a large kennel and although they are fed and tended to, she never, ever takes them for a walk. There are a few other things she does/has done which don't sit right with me but I'm just sick of her breeding and breeding purely for financial gain.

She can have one or two bitches in pup at a time, she also whelps other bitches. She has an amazing turnover of dogs/ bitches. She has her own line, buys others in to breed from then sells them on, she always keeps a couple of pups from each litter, breeds from them, then sells them on. It's a never-ending merry-go-round of dogs,bitches and pups. It's her life.

The bitches are whelped indoors. Her outside kennels are not heated.

Then report her, that would seem the best way to go about stopping this.

If you're not willing to report her than it can't really be bothering you that much.

I'm angry for those dogs just reading this. Basically what she is running is a puppy farm.

I'd have reported my own mother for this never mind my my mother in law.

You don't need to give your details etc. she doesn't need to know it is you that's reported her.

You need to report her. She has to be licensed for the boarding too. I assume she won't have insurance if she's not licensed to board. Sounds like a recipe for disaster at some point.

Environmental health, trading standards, local animal welfare officer, Kennel Club and local breed clubs might be interested too.

And no doubt HMRC/DWP might have a few words to say about it.

It's unacceptable to breed that many, potentially sickly dogs, she will end up in real trouble sooner or later.

I do need to give my details, although they won't be used unless she is prosecuted.

This is really the only thing to do. You say you've tried talking to her and that doesn't work so what advice do you expect? Report her.

Then give false details.

Tell them outright that you're not prepared to give any type of evidence because of the situation and that you've given a false name. Or simply say 'I'm not prepared to give you my details'

Don't just stand by and do nothing.

I'm not sure what you expected people to say. Pat you on the back for being annoyed about it and tell you what a horrible person she is?

It sounds harsh. But not as harsh as being a dog stuck in a puppy farm whilst your mother in law rakes the cash in.

A pat on the back on DS? You're 'aving a laugh surely!
Anyway, I'm seeing her Monday and I will tell her for the final time, that if she does not
get herself a license for both the boarding and breeding and does not adhere to the strict breeding rules,than I will have no moral dilemma in reporting her to the powers that be. I'm not happy about it and I don't want to cause her harm but I hate what she's doing and feel that I really have no choice..

Good.

I wouldn't give a flying toss personally what consequences she faced if reported. Mother in law or not.

These animals can't talk for themselves. If people turn a blind eye because they don't want to create family conflict etc then abuse continues.

I would tell her I was reporting her either. That gives her time to put up a lovely front for any inspections that my occur and go back to her usual shoddy practice after wards.

I really don't like breeders of dogs (and other animals) really. It all seems a bit creepy to me; forcing these animals to breed for profit. Plus, it's not as if there's a shortage of dogs out there.

That is exactly how I feel about it. Even if she was doing everything 'right' I would still be 100% against it.

I am not quite so draconian about it these days, if people want to have a litter to keep a pup and have homes for the rest I very much think keep my nose out, that's the sort of breeder we got our last 2 pups from, ad every nice dogs they are. Very much bred to be pets, they love their dogs.

I agree, Mollie. Nowadays we only adopt older dogs who're in need but 20 - 25 years ago, we bred a couple of litters of chocolate labradors - from our own bitches - one litter from each bitch with a 4 year gap. They were lovely looking dogs, good temperaments, hip-scored etc, and we chose the sire very carefully - working dog, exceptionally laid back nature, nice size and shape and also hip-scored. Checked the pedigrees, etc. Mothers had all the right worming regimes and diet pre-whelping, pups had all the right worming regimes and diets too. Doing all this costs money so some breeders don't bother.

The pups were born and grew up in our kitchen / utility room so they were used to a busy, noisy house with pans rattling in the kitchen, tv on, etc. We encouraged people to come and visit and play with them, particularly children - I know some breeders don't like that because of disease risks (or they don't want people to see the conditions the pups are brought up in) but we thought the socialisation aspects were worth the small risk of them catching something.

Around the arrival of our first litter, a local, well-established breeder also had a litter of chocolates so we were looking for homes at the same time. She was, apparently, very dismissive of our pups (not that she'd seen them) but two prospective owners who saw hers actually bought from us because they said our pups looked nicer - better developed, shinier coats - and were much more out-going, friendly and nosy. However, she was running a business whereas after all the effort we put into our mum and pups, we broke even. Our profit would have been the final two pups (so about £500 total) but we kept the profit and loved them dearly.

If home breeders do their homework and the pups grow up in the home, I don't think you can do better for a family pet. And we told all our owners that if they ever encountered problems which meant they could not keep the dog in its lifetime, we would take him / her back and find a home rather than the dog go to the RSPCA or similar.

But the OPs mil doesn't seem to have the animals' best interests at heart - otherwise she'd be far more careful about the breeding (known diabetes in the pedigree is a total no-no) - and they sound like they are just a crop for her to harvest. That is so wrong - especially with the number of dogs in rescues and refuges - so personally I'd have no hesitation in reporting her and as... Lyceum? said... I wouldn't warn her either.

But I have to add that contrary to several remarks upthread, no one forces animals to breed... if the hormones are right, they really don't need any persuading.