Residents asked Torfaen Council’s licensing team to investigate 13 allegations of illegal dog breeding from October 2022 to March 2023.

The data is included in a report to the council’s licensing committee about the team’s work over the six-month period. When officers were able to get contact details they provided “suitable advice and guidance”.

The dog owners were told that if any breeding was found to come under the “licensable criteria” then enforcement action would be taken. The report explains that legislation is clear over when breeding would need a licence. It says that a person has to have “three or more breeding bitches” and:

• (a) Breeds on those premises 3 or more litters of puppies in any 12 month
  period;
• (b) Advertises for sale from those premises a puppy or puppies born from 3 or
  more litters of puppies for sale in any 12 month period;
• (c) Supplied form those premises a puppy or puppies born from 3 or more litters
  of puppies in any 12 month period; or
• (d) Advertises a business of breeding or selling puppies from those premises.

Complaints are sometimes made about breeding from residents who believe that a licence is needed to breed one litter.