Unlicensed breeders hide operations

Heart-wrenching: The dogs rescued by Low from behind a landscaping nursery in Sungai Buloh. — WANI MUTHIAH/The Star

KLANG: It is very difficult to seek out unlicensed pet breeders because they tend to camouflage their operations well and are very elusive.

"These puppy mills and backyard breeders are usually under the radar," said animal activist Joanne Low, who has been helping animals in distress for over 30 years.

"So, how do I nab them or find out if they are legit or not?" said Low, who recalled how she had come across a woman seeking help to rescue some dogs she stumbled upon when visiting a plant nursery in 2019.

"I contacted her and when I arrived at the location, it was at a very decent-looking landscaping business.

"When I walked to the back, I was horrified to see the plight of the dogs that were kept there for breeding,’’ recalled Low.

She said there were only a couple of workers at the landscaping side, but no one at the filthy and smelly kennel area.

"I removed all the dogs without saying much and there were about nine poodles and a husky.

"The dogs had bad skin conditions and matted hair, and you could tell they were indiscriminately used for breeding,’’ she said.

According to Low, all the rescued dogs were very timid and frightened of people and would yelp and cry when touched.

"The breeders must also have been trashing the dogs,’’ she said, adding it took a long time and much patience to get around the rescued dogs, which have all since been rehomed.

Many backyard breeders and puppy mills are not only supplying pets to unscrupulous stores but are also conducting a thriving business online.

However, not all purchases have happy endings.

Chriz Chen, 39, and Zach Chiang, 40, fell in love with a cute Pomeranian that was put up for sale on Facebook.

They contacted the seller and bought the two-month-old puppy for RM2,500 from the seller on May 18.

"The puppy was sick and listless the following day itself, and when we contacted the seller, she told us to feed it the supplements that she had sold us together with homemade dog food for the puppy,’’ said Chen.

When the puppy did not show any improvement, the couple took it to several vets, but it died less than two weeks after they bought it.

"The vet said the puppy showed all the signs of being infected with (canine) parvovirus,’’ said Chen, who had since lodged a police report.