Benefits and dog breeding

gemma1979

Hi everyone

Just a query - I have a pug and I am thinking of giving her a litter next year. What happens regarding any payments I receive for a pup? I presume because I am on benefits I have to declare it? Or is there a level you can have before declaring it? Or should I give them free to good home and then have nothing to declare? I can't seem to find any information on this topic online

Curr946

you are legally allowed to work part time (IIRC) as long as you declare it.

As for pups... if you were doing it all the time them you would need to declare, a one off could be seen as an asset sale and doesnt need to be declared.

You might want to confirm this with your local cab office..

tommix

Claim DLA..Dog living allowance.:beer:

Pricivius

Aside from money received for the pups, I would be giving some thought to the costs of breeding your dog.

Presuming you will be using a pedigree stud dog, there is likely to be a stud fee. Then you will need to ensure your dog is health-checked for all the known health issues with pugs - luxating patellas are common in pugs, as are a variety of eye issues and breathing problems. You will need to be able to show prospective owners that your dog and the stud dog are free of any of these inherited issues. Such tests do not come cheap. You will also need to visit prospective owners for a homecheck so there will be time and travelling involved.

Then you also need to consider the extra costs of feeding a dog who is carrying pups as she will need supplements to her diet. You should also use a whelping box, although you can make one quite easily. Then there will be worming treatments for the puppies, as well as microchips and first vaccinations - probably £40 per dog. And all of this is presuming everything goes well! If your dog needs a caesarean, it will be hundreds of pounds and this is not insurable. Then there's also the risk that you may lose your dog in the process, as giving birth, particularly for small dogs, can be very difficult.

So, before you work out whether you need to declare puppy money, do the maths on how much this will cost you! Good breeders who do all of the above and much more (the above is bare minimum for a decent breeder), will rarely make money from breeding unless they have a champion dog. And if you're thinking of doing this as a "backyard breeder", pop down to your local dogs' home and think carefully about whether we really need more dogs to add to the 20 healthy dogs of all breeds who were put to sleep today and every day in the UK simply because there are too many.

pickpocketlocket

There are hundreds (thousands) of dogs already in need of loving homes - is there really a need to breed more?

~Chameleon~

What are your reasons for wanting to "give her a litter"?

tomtom256

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

What are your reasons for wanting to "give her a litter"?

Probably the £500 - £1000 per puppy that pugs go for. 4 - 10 pugs per litter on average you do the maths.

Seems like an easy earner to me all cash in hand! Go figure.

~Chameleon~

tomtom256 wrote: »

Probably the £500 - £1000 per puppy that pugs go for. 4 - 10 pugs per litter on average you do the maths.

Seems like an easy earner to me all cash in hand! Go figure.

I suspect this is probably the case, sadly, but cling to the tiniest hope she may actually read Pricivius's excellent post and take on board the enormity and expense breeding pups entails.

gemma1979

Hi everyone

Thanks for your replies.

I do not want to get into the ethics of dog breeding here, as everyone has different opinions and it is a controversial topic, I merely want to know whether any profit I make (after expenses) needs to be declared or not, or if there is a limit I can have before declaring, or if it is a one-off (as it will be) does it need to be declared.

My pug has already had health checks and is clear, my friend is a kc accredited breeder and is helping me with the stud (so there is no fee) also clear on health checks, with the paperwork, whelping etc I have already priced up in the event of a caesarean, and obviously will give first injections worming fleaing etc.

In my area pug puppies sell for around £1000 per pup good kc pedigree so despite the outlays there is bound to be some sort of profit and I also wish to keep one of the pups for myself.

The reason I am considering breeding is purely because I want to.

My friend has clients and a kennelname so homes would be found, she is a professional breeder and has many contacts. I have not decided 100% yet as you can see a lot of thought is going into it and I have done my research. I just wanted to know from the benefits point of view.

Thanks

PasturesNew

There are rules/regs too. Here's one randomly picked Council website about permissions, licenses and breeding dogs. http://www.maidstone.gov.uk/business/licences_and_street_trading/licence_-_dog_breeding.aspx

Do you own your own home? If not, the LL might kick you out anyway.

gemma1979

Pastures New: these rules only apply to professional breeders who breed over 5 litters a year they have to have a licence etc they do not apply to someone in my situation considering doing a one-off litter