Animal welfare campaigners are calling on the Welsh Government to close a loophole that allows puppy farms to slaughter breeding dogs when they are no longer wanted.

Whistleblowers have told the campaign group Cariad that puppy breeders in Wales are killing unwanted dogs with bolt guns.

In one recent incident, as many as 80 breeding dogs from two licensed establishments are said to have been shot.

Yet as the law stands there is nothing to stop this happening, so long as the animals are not killed “cruelly”.

In practice, it is difficult to obtain evidence about the circumstances in which they are killed, because they tend to be kept in remote locations and there is no system to track individual dogs.

Now Cariad wants the Welsh Government to consider changing the law as part of a review into existing regulations covering puppy farms.

An urgent review was launched by Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths earlier this month after revelations in a BBC Wales programme about appalling conditions at puppy farms in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

(Image: Richard Williams)

Linda Goodman, the founder of Cariad, said: “In the recent incident the dogs were shot on Crown-owned common land. They were not shot by the breeders themselves, but handed over to another farmer, who we believe is also a licensed dog breeder in the vicinity.”

Although the Animal Welfare Act 2006 stipulates that the killing of one’s own dog is permitted providing it is done in a humane way that does not cause the animal to suffer, there is no requirement for impartial observers to be present to ensure dogs are killed humanely.

Ms Goodman said: “These are not livestock, but companion animals that were no longer required for breeding. The reason they were no longer required could be that the licence-holder is wilfully breeding more dogs than is allowed on their licence and wished to get rid of this evidence prior to an inspection.

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“Regardless of whether it is one dog or, as in the recent incident, 80 dogs, there is no excuse for the termination of their lives in this manner when the perpetrators are aware that they could have handed these dogs over to any number of rescues for rehoming.

“Given the quantity of dogs that we understand were killed, it shouldn’t be hard for anyone concerned with animal welfare to imagine the distress and terror these dogs will have experienced, hearing other dogs being shot, one by one. This is the most basic principle of animal welfare in a humane society.”

Video: This puppy is the newest member of staff at a Welsh high school

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Under puppy farm regulations introduced by the Welsh Government in 2014, local authorities “should consider the licence holder’s strategy for dealing with retired dogs, including means of disposal and/or methods of re-homing that ensures the welfare of the dog as far as possible.”

In England, comparable regulations relating to retired dogs are stronger, stating: “Unless the licence holder keeps the dog as a pet, the licence holder must make arrangements for any dog no longer required for breeding to be appropriately re-homed.”

Ms Goodman said: “What we are calling for in Wales as part of the minister’s urgent review of the regulations is that current guidance is revised and becomes a mandatory part of licensing conditions.

“There should only be three options for retirement: handing the dogs to a recognised rehoming organisation, if sold on to the public they should be microchipped, or if it is deemed by a vet as beyond veterinary help it should be humanely euthanised.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The Animal Welfare Breeding of Dogs (Wales) Regulations 2014 came into force in April 2015 and, as is the normal procedure, regulations are regularly reviewed. The minister has asked the Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group for a review to consider if the regulations are fit for purpose.”