The manner in which many pups are born in Ireland is "absolutely horrific", according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore, who is calling for further regulation of puppy farms.
A bill seeking to add more restrictions to dog breeding in Ireland will be debated in the Dáil today.
Ms Whitmore, who behind the bill, said that animal charities and rescue centres are being left to pick up the pieces in the absence of proper dog breeding regulations.
She has described Ireland as the "puppy farm capital of Europe", with 30,000 dogs exported annually into illegal markets in the UK, Europe and Asia.
"For many of those pups, the way they're brought into the world is absolutely horrific," Ms Whitmore told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme.
"This bill regulates dog breeding establishments, what we would know as puppy farms."
She explained that in puppy farms, there can be six or more breeding females on the site without any regulation over the number of carers assigned to those dogs.
She said that there could be 300 females on the site giving birth to thousands of pups while mother dogs are often found lying in their own excrement in tiny cages or concrete units without enough food, water or access to exercise or care.
"The pups that are produced from that often have health issues, behavioural issues. There's huge animal welfare concerns about this.
"It's not good for the mother dogs, not good for the pups, and it's also not good for the people who buy these pups, who then ultimately have to deal with the behavioural issues or potential health issues that they have. They need to be much more highly regulated."
The measures in the bill include capping the number of breeding females at 30 per site, introducing a 16-month minimum age for breeding and eight-year maximum age, and a maximum of one litter per year per breeding female.
It also proposes a maximum of four litters per breeding female during her lifetime, a minimum age of ten weeks for pup separation and mandating 10:1 staff-to-animal ratios for care.
"Currently, a four-month-old, who is still a pup themselves, could actually be made to breed, which is just horrendous.
"We would have a 10-week separation period for pups so it’s essentially just controlling how they operate and what kind of welfare they are provided with."
Ms Whitmore described current regulations as weak, adding that there is huge public support for the bill.
"I've spent an awful lot of time talking to the rescues, and some of the stories are just horrendous.
"Pup deformities, mortality rates that are very high, behavioural issues, and then the when they're finally rescued from these establishments, they may never have seen more than one person in their entire life.
"To think that you can produce a pup in that environment, and then for them to go into someone's house is incredible.
"Dogs need socialisation. These animals need to be around people. They need to be handled, to be cared for, and it's no wonder, really, that we have so many problems with animal behaviour because of this."
