Why Would An MP Inquiring Into Puppy Farming Not Want To Know Facts?

It’s been an interesting year for me when it comes to finding people are not what they seem. Specifically when it comes to talking and campaigning against puppy farming and the endemic cruelties in the modern puppy industry. I could have written many blogs on this, but frankly, what’s the point of publicly airing rubbish?  It bores all but the navel-gazers, and I’ve got more interesting things to do. And my main reason for not doing so, is that it strengthens the real enemies – ie puppy farmers, dealers, bad breeders – as they see disunity and continue plying their ugly trade. But yesterday was a frankly gobsmacking, revelatory day for me, a rare one which deserves a public airing.

First thing in the morning I saw a tweet from Dr Paul Monaghan MP, a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, EFRA Select Committee Special Sub-Committee on Greyhound Welfare and the EFRA Select Committee Special Sub-Committee on Animal Welfare. The latter has been holding a series of hearings during recent months and I’ve followed it all, hoping the final report will make the right recommendations to the government, namely those that will help dogs in the breeding industry. So I’m interested and watchful. Dr Monaghan gives the clear impression he cares about improving things for animals and wants puppy farming outlawed, here he is in May this year…

He has seemed to me to be one who wants to know the facts, and seeing this tweet yesterday I had no reason to think different:

Currently on an inquiry into animal welfare and distressing to learn of dogs in puppy farms having their eyes removed to ensure compliance.

— Dr Paul Monaghan MP (@_PaulMonaghan) 8 September 2016

I tweeted a response:

@_PaulMonaghan horrific I hope the govt listens to those who see 1st hand the truth @RSPCA_official @puppylovecamp have years of evidence ☹️

— Janetta Harvey (@SusieBSchnauzer) 9 September 2016

And Puppy Love Campaigns shared their original images, obtained by them of dogs in puppy farms. Puppy Love Campaigns (PLC) are the only group in the UK who have this first-hand evidence obtained by their volunteers over many years. Many images that circulate are theirs, being used by individuals and groups, including by me (with their permission). It’s extremely hard to get this evidence and on occasion PLC have put themselves in danger over the years to gain it. They’re a group to be listened to, certainly by an MP inquiring into puppy farms. Certainly Dr Monaghan seemed shocked as he retweeted one of their images:

This is totally unacceptable. #wheresmum https://t.co/lrQn0lZcAO

— Dr Paul Monaghan MP (@_PaulMonaghan) 9 September 2016

I spent a bit of time tweeting with one of Dr Monaghan’s followers, an interesting discussion on the limitations of the ‘wheresmum’ message now dealers are way ahead of that one. All polite, informative and the usual twitter fare. Later in the day, Dr Monaghan posted up a congratulatory message to the Kennel Club.

Well done @KCLovesDogs (The Kennel Club) for banning registered dogs being sold through dealers or shops. #wheresmum pic.twitter.com/PT0NYm2QPG

— Dr Paul Monaghan MP (@_PaulMonaghan) 9 September 2016

This relates to an announcement a week or so back from the Kennel Club that:

BREEDERS will now be breaking a Kennel Club regulation if they sell registered dogs through a ‘commercial wholesaler, retail pet dealer or shop’. 

You can read more here but really there’s nothing much new in this announcement. It’s more of the same, bit of a tweak, the Kennel Club saying action might be taken as a regulation will be breached, rather than an ethical code. But, actions are what is needed, prompt ones. So, those of us who know the Kennel Club are slow to take action, preferring to talk about it, have reason to be cautious before we congratulate them on more words.

In fact, when I saw Dr Monaghan’s tweet, I looked at one example of a wholesaler/dealer/breeder in Sussex, who sells KC registered puppies that come from Wales. I’ve written about them before here and here and a year ago the Kennel Club told me they were investigating. A year. Yet, yesterday, it was business as usual for the dealer/breeder/wholesaler. No action appears to have been taken in that whole year that the Kennel Club have had to do so. A lot of dogs will have been bred, some will have died, plenty of puppies will have been sold in that year. As I said, business as usual.

So, as I thought Dr Monaghan might like to know this fact, seeing as he’s inquring into the puppy trade, presumably the whole trade, not just the bits he wants to hear about, I tweeted this to him, politely of course. He’s one of the good MPs I thought who wants to hear the truth, the whole truth, not just from some quarters.

Later on, as I settled down for a Friday evening glass of wine, I took a look at twitter. This was member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee Special Sub-Committee on Animal Welfare, Dr Paul Monaghan MP’s response to me by the evening:

Yes, this apparently caring MP, who in May was imploring us all to “show respect to those we share our planet with”, who wants us to ask our MPs to “demand UKGov outlaw puppy farming”, has blocked me from viewing his tweets. For those not familiar with Twitter, this stops me engaging with him. Or, him seeing anything I put out, and just occasionally I might put something out that informs someone interested in puppy farming and animal welfare. Someone, just for example, who wants puppy farming outlawed and is on a committee inquiring into it.

And it wasn’t just me last night to find myself blocked by the EFRA Committee member. Puppy Love Campaigns have been treated to the same inexplicable response. They too are blocked. Remember they’re the ones who have the direct, first-hand evidence of what goes on in puppy farms around the country. No other group comes close to having the kind of experience they do. Yet, an MP purporting to care, and wanting to know, and being shocked at their images earlier in the day, decided to block them from further engaging with him on Twitter.

Now, some MPs do it to non-constituents, and even constituents, or those that they perceive as trolling them and I don’t blame them. But, I would like someone to identify anywhere on my Twitter timeline where this could be demonstrated to be a justified action from an MP in his position. Not just any run-of-the-mill MP, but one sitting on the Committee investigating puppy farming and animal welfare.

The support I’ve had both publicly and privately from people shows me that my gobsmacked response is justifiable.

The reaction by Dr Paul Monaghan to myself and Puppy Love Campaigns bemused academic and writer Dr Daniel Allen:

As an academic & animal welfare advocate, I’m bemused by @_PaulMonaghan blocking @puppylovecamp & @SusieBSchnauzer in #puppyfarm thread 😳

— Dr Daniel Allen (@Dr_Dan_1) 9 September 2016

What can this achieve, @GWTVAnimalNews? British MPs talking about Korean #dogmeattrade. UK MPs are blocking #puppyfarm lobbyists on Twitter

— Dr Daniel Allen (@Dr_Dan_1) 9 September 2016

 

Reaction has been international, after all this is an industry that affects dogs globally and many of us are aware of the same issues in different countries.

.@DebraTranter @Dr_Dan_1 If @_PaulMonaghan did care as opposed to pretending to, he wouldn’t block experts @puppylovecamp @SusieBSchnauzer

— Peter Wicks (@madwixxy) September 10, 2016

Don’t understand @_PaulMonaghan Why did you block @SusieBSchnauzer Janetta is a campaigner for making puppy mills illegal – Disgraceful!

— Gizmo (@WoofTasticbooks) September 10, 2016

@SusieBSchnauzer @Dr_Dan_1 we in Australia know about your work and that of @puppylovecamp I’m sorry your own MP’s treat you with disrespect

— Debra (@DebraTranter) September 10, 2016

@_PaulMonaghan please unblock @SusieBSchnauzer she does so much to campaign against puppy farming in a calm & informed way #wheresmum

— Dex Doll Wilf Schnau (@DexterSchnauzer) September 9, 2016

@SusieBSchnauzer @CommonsEFRA @_PaulMonaghan I read the tweets,you say nothing abusive. As an snp member+voter I’d like to know why blocked

— JOjo (@JOjojosiejay) September 9, 2016

I don’t solely rely on social media to communicate and I’ll be asking Dr Monaghan MP for his reasons for not wishing to engage with me, or Puppy Love Campaigns. It could of course all be a big misunderstanding, he might believe we have some weird agendas at work, after all campaigns of many colours are rife with those.

But, I take heart from knowing that truth and honesty do always win out in the end, and I’m as focussed as ever, on doing what’s correct for the dogs. They are my sole agenda. And I thank those who’ve sent me messages saying you know this. You’re the ones that matter, along with the dogs.