AN animal charity has called for urgent action to tackle Scotland’s puppy profiteers.

The demand comes after an investigation exposed “shocking” conditions endured by dogs all over the country.

OneKind’s report sheds a light on puppy farming, trafficking and dealing practices, with the online trade estimated to rake in £13 million every year. A French bulldog sold for £387 in the Czech Republic can be worth £1586 if trafficked to the UK, while a dachshund bought for £96 in Romania can fetch more than £1000 in the UK.

In the wide-ranging investigation, the charity’s workers found that dogs were being kept in poor conditions even in some legal breeding establishments, with some being bred on an industrial scale.

OneKind has identified 97 licensed breeders in Scotland, ranging in size from four to more than 70 breeding bitches. The majority are in five local authority areas — Aberdeenshire, Angus, South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

Investigating legal breeders, the charity found dogs covered in faeces and kept in small pens in cold outhouses. They found bitches are being bred more frequently than they should be, resulting in puppies being rejected early by their mother.

Conditions in unlicensed puppy farms were often far worse.

“It’s time to face up to the suffering caused by the toxic combination of enormous demand for pedigree puppies and weak regulation of the trade,” said OneKind policy advisor Libby Anderson. “These conditions mean that profit is being put ahead of welfare, resulting in illegal trafficking and dealing, as well as poor conditions in some legal breeding establishments across Scotland.

“The Scottish Government has recently pledged to educate the public about sensible purchasing. Whilst this is welcome, it must be accompanied with new protections for both the puppies and breeding bitches caught up in this trade. OneKind has today put forward a suite of ideas to achieve this, including a ban on third-party dealing and requiring all sales to be licensed.”

In Scotland, those breeding five litters of puppies per year for sale must have a licence.

Anderson added: “I think people would be genuinely shocked to discover the true nature of Scotland’s legal breeding establishments, as shown in our investigations, where dogs can be kept in cold, cramped, and dirty conditions. If you are thinking of welcoming a new dog into your home, I strongly recommend starting with rescue centres.”

OneKind’s eight-point plan to protect puppies in Scotland includes a ban on third-party sales of dogs, mandatory standards for internet sales, a recommendation that every commercial sale should be subject to licence or registration, and a formal puppy warranty.

The charity’s report has been released as plans to improve the lives of abandoned pets have been unveiled.

The Scottish Government aims to introduce a modern system of registration and licensing for animal sanctuaries and rehoming activities.

The move comes months after a woman was jailed for animal abuse at a shelter in Ayrshire. Zara Brown was sentenced to seven months in prison after a number of dogs were found dead at her facility Ayrshire Ark.

Roseanna Cunningham, the Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for animal welfare, said: “Scotland’s animal rehoming centres and sanctuaries perform a vitally important job and standards of welfare are generally high. But we know that isolated problems persist and there is legitimate public concern about this important issue. It is also vital that those rehoming a pet can be confident they are adopting from a reputable rescue centre. That is why we plan to introduce a straightforward licensing system, which will deal effectively with cases where animal welfare is not being sufficiently protected, while not being overly burdensome for those already doing a good job.”

The Registration and Licensing of Animal Sanctuaries and Rehoming Activities in Scotland consultation runs for 12 weeks and closes on March 4.