Consumers urged to avoid buying puppies online

Buying puppies online could result in hefty vet bills for owners with dogs born at unscrupulous puppy farms, it has been warned.

With Ireland dubbed the puppy farm capital of Europe with nearly 100,000 puppies bred every year, concerns have been raised about puppies being sold on over a dozen websites.

As a nation of dog lovers, we buy 50,000 dogs every year, but Kathrina Bentley from Dog’s Trust Ireland said buyers need to look beyond endearing pictures and investigate where the dogs were born.