From 1st - 7th September, we will be holding Puppy Awareness Week (PAW) 2015 - providing potential puppy owners with vital information about the most responsible ways to find and buy a puppy. We need your help to spread the word, as our recent survey has shown that we have a puppy welfare crisis on our hands.

As a Kennel Club Assured Breeder, you adhere to a code of conduct that ensures the health and welfare of your puppies comes first. Unfortunately, there are many breeders who do not breed as responsibly as you, which often lead to puppies being bred on puppy farms. These circumstances are often hidden away from new puppy owners. The main focus of Puppy Awareness Week is to educate all potential puppy owners on how to buy responsibly, and the benefits of choosing a Kennel Club Assured Breeder.

The Kennel Club has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to certify breeders against the requirements of its Assured Breeder Scheme. This is an important step, giving puppy buyers the confidence that the Kennel Club is recognised at the highest level of being a competent, impartial and robust assessor of members on the scheme. As a member of this accredited scheme, you will receive further recognition and promotion; enhancing your reputation as a responsible breeder.

The PAW survey, conducted by the Kennel Club showed a shocking number of people still buying puppies from disreputable sources: One in three revealed their puppies were sourced on internet sites such as Gumtree or Epupz, through social media, in pet shops and newspapers advertisements – all sources popularly used by puppy farmers. The survey also found that one third of puppy buyers had not seen their puppy with its mother, and half had not seen its breeding environment. This statistic rose to 70% and 65% amongst those who bought their puppies in pet shops and online, and a further 69% had not seen the relevant health test certificates for the puppies’ parents.

During Puppy Awareness Week, we would like your support in helping us educate puppy buyers about the consequences of buying a puppy from a puppy farm, and to promote our Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme.

Here are just a few ways you can get involved:

• If you have a website, then request a small, medium or large PAW web banner to feature on your site. Email your size requirements to dina.ahmad@thekennelclub.org.uk.
• Request a PAW pack to show your support - this will be sent out to you. Or alternatively, download and print the poster and flyer here. A PAW pack will include a PAW poster, flyers, window sticker and small stickers.
• Send us pictures of your puppies and become part of our large Assured Breeder puppy collage. This will be showcased on our Facebook page and at Pup Aid 2013. Just email your photos to dina.ahmad@thekennelclub.org.uk by 01-09-2013.
• Watch this video on the do's and don’ts of buying a puppy and make sure you share it with all your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. Alternatively, you may upload it onto your website, to help spread the important message.
• During Puppy Awareness Week, change your Facebook and Twitter profile pictures to the PAW logo. From 7th September, just right click the Kennel Club Facebook profile picture or Twitter profile picture, download the logo, save the image to your desktop, and upload it!
  
• If you live in the London area, please come along to Pup Aid - a fun day out that also helps raise awareness about the UK’s cruel puppy farming trade.
• ‘Like’ the KC Facebook page to keep up-to-date with all the Puppy Awareness Week news!

Thanks for your support,

The Kennel Club