Animal lovers thinking of buying a puppy this Christmas are being urged to take caution given the rise in illegal puppy farms in Northern Ireland.
The Paws for Thought multi-agency campaign aims to raise awareness ahead of potentially increased demand for puppies coming up to the festive season.
In recent weeks, the PSNI seized 31 dogs and made two arrests during a search operation in the Mid Ulster area.
PSNI Inspector Joanne Gibson said: “Many people start their search for a new puppy online, and the campaign aims to raise awareness that buyers are more likely to buy an illegally bred puppy than they think.
"Now we want to raise awareness around what to look out for when buying a puppy. We know that irresponsible breeders, or sellers, can offer puppies for sale.
"These people may not have looked after the puppies properly, and may only be interested in making as much money as possible.
"This could mean that you end up buying a puppy that is very sick, or a puppy that has not been properly socialised. Buying puppies from illegal breeders can have devastating results.
"Often these puppies die a short time after purchase or end up with infectious diseases such as parvovirus which is expensive to treat and often fatal.
"They can also suffer behavioural issues relating to fear and anxiety due to poor or no socialisation.
"It can be tempting to buy a puppy in these circumstances and often purchasers recognise things are not quite right.
" It is normal to want to ‘rescue’ a puppy in these circumstances but people must remember they are fuelling and supporting what is a particularly lucrative criminal industry."
For more of today's top stories in Belfast and beyond, click here.
Keep up-to-date with all the very latest news, what's on, sport and everything else in Belfast and beyond with the Belfast Live app.
Only select news that interests you by picking the topics you want to display on the app's homepage. Plus, our enhanced user experience includes live blogs, video, interactive maps and slick picture galleries. Download it now and get involved .
Click here to get it from the App Store or here for Google Play .
