From Click and Collect to Canine Crisis: How the UK Puppy Trade Is Failing Dogs, Vets, and the Planet

Nearly ten years ago, a DEFRA consultation openly acknowledged what many veterinary professionals already knew. The legislation governing the UK puppy trade was outdated, inflexible, and poorly aligned with modern welfare standards. Fast forward to today and the problem has not only persisted, it has scaled. A recent scoping review lays bare how systemic under-regulation has allowed the UK puppy trade to evolve into a high-volume, high-profit, and low-risk industry with profound consequences for canine welfare, public health, and the environment.