THE GROWING PROBLEM OF THE PRIVATE REGISTRY

This particular piece relates to my other article ‘Levelling the playing field’ which was published in my Dog World column ‘Crossing the headlines’

A number of us have recently become increasingly worried about the number of private registries mushrooming up that claim to cater for both pedigree and crossbreed.

In America a number of these entities have had relationships with the ‘puppy mill’ industry and it seems a similar thing could be quietly happening here.

LEVELLING THE PLAYING FIELD

We’re on the move once more! Up to our necks in plastic packing boxes and bubblewrap and the inevitable cull of items begins yet again; ‘do we really need that slow cooker/Qualcast push along mower/Jane Fonda ‘Trim, Tone and Flex DVD!’

And in between runs to the dump and attending car boot sales (a particularly soul-destroying experience) we have been making regular trips to our intended new home in sunny South Devon and it was on one of those trips that something very strange happened…a bizarre coincidence that gave me a lot to mull over.

We’d parked up in the multi-storey in Torquay and as we emerged from the gloom of the carpark I spotted a dog being walked by a couple and I couldn’t quite believe my eyes.