Ms Nanci Creedon:

There is the Dog Breeding Establishments Act. To be fair, it is being implemented where it can be. It has been wonderful to see cases emerge and sentencing happen. As a nation of dog lovers, if people truly opened their eyes to see where their puppies come from and what is going on, they would not be able to cope.

On the other hand, there are responsible dog breeders as well under that dog breeding legislation, so the question is whether there should be a database of a certain level of approved dog breeders. Should there be a vetting process for gold-star breeders? Should there be one central, Government-funded website where we can be confident that the dog breeders listed are checked regularly and have been approved for X, Y and Z?

People think that because a breeder is registered, it must be following the law and it must be all well and good. Dog owners have no idea where to go to get the right puppy, and finding one is, as I said, like finding a unicorn. Perhaps there should be a State-run website that would list different tiers of breeders, for example. People will continue to want to buy pedigree dogs and that is okay too. There is no shame in buying dogs. It is about ensuring people are not putting their well-earned money into the pockets of someone who is abusing animals.