An animal welfare charity has issued a warning about the dangers of buying a puppy this Christmas with an "over-production" of dogs being sold at much lower prices this year.
The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) said high demand during the pandemic has lead to a "huge over-production this Christmas with puppies being sold online for as little as €100 compared to €800-€2,000 during Covid".
Gillian Bird from the DSPCA said: "This year we are getting a lot of reports of puppies being sold for much lower prices and without proper vaccinations.
"This is leading to outbreaks of killer viruses such as parvo which the DSPCA is seeing an increase of in recent months and can leave families devastated by the death of a newly purchased puppy.
"The DSPCA’s concerns is that these lower asking prices may lead to shortcuts in the care of the puppies and their parents as well as missed steps in their vaccination and worming schedules before they are sold."
The DSPCA said its "Adopt Don't Shop" message is particularly important this Christmas.
Ms Bird added: "Shelters such as the DSPCA are full of puppies and young dogs looking for homes who have received full vet check-ups and proper vaccinations.
"If you do decide to buy a puppy the best advice we can give is to get it checked out by your vet within 12/24 hours after purchase.
"Ask your vet to check the puppy’s vaccination records - if you were given them - and to do a parvovirus test if possible."
The DSPCA has also urged dog breeders who are having problems with homing puppies or the dogs health to contact them for help.
