9 in 10 UK puppies may be bred outside licensing

What the investigation found

On 21 September 2026 Naturewatch Foundation published research based on Freedom of Information requests to local authorities across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The charity estimates that just 10.5% to 14% of UK puppies come from licensed breeders. That suggests 86% to 89.5% of puppies could come from other sources, including breeders below the legal licensing threshold, illegal breeders and puppy smuggling operations. The figures are estimates drawn from council records rather than a census of every puppy sold, so they carry the usual caveats attached to FOI based research. Even so, the gap between the licensed share and the total market is wide enough to shape how the charity frames the problem. The charity said there is very little visibility of where most puppies come from, how they are bred or the conditions in which they and their parents are kept, which creates risks for dogs and for the public. For a household considering a puppy, the finding matters because it suggests the visible, licensed end of the market is a minority of supply. The rest is made up of smaller scale breeders who may sit under the licensing threshold, unlicensed operations and animals brought in from abroad. The research does not claim every unlicensed puppy is badly bred or unhealthy. It does claim that the system as it stands leaves most of the market outside routine council oversight, which limits what anyone can verify about a puppy's background before purchase.

What the investigation found

The FOI method is central to how the estimate should be read. Local authorities hold licensing records for breeding businesses in their area, so requests to councils can produce a picture of how many licensed breeders exist and how many litters they report. Comparing that licensed output with estimates of total puppy numbers sold in the UK produces the 10.5% to 14% range. The charity then treats the remainder, 86% to 89.5%, as puppies that could come from other sources. Those other sources are not a single category. They include breeders below the legal licensing threshold, illegal breeders and puppy smuggling operations. Each carries different welfare and consumer implications. A small breeder producing one or two litters a year may keep dogs in good conditions but sit outside the licensing system by design. An illegal breeder may deliberately avoid scrutiny. A smuggling operation moves animals across borders, often with falsified paperwork. The research does not separate these groups by size, so the 86% to 89.5% figure is best understood as a measure of how much of the market falls outside licensed oversight rather than a count of bad breeders. For buyers, the practical consequence is that a puppy's paperwork and the place it was seen may not connect to a council licence at all, and there may be no public record to check.

How dog breeding licensing works

In England, the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 require a council licence for anyone breeding three or more litters of puppies in a 12-month period. Licensing is run by councils, which means the rules are applied locally rather than by a single national body. A breeder who stays below three litters in a 12-month period does not need a licence under that threshold, even if they sell puppies to the public. That threshold is the dividing line the charity's estimate turns on. If most puppies come from breeders producing fewer than three litters a year, they can be bred and sold without a council licence, and without the inspections and conditions that a licence brings. The 2018 regulations also set expectations for licensed breeders on matters such as accommodation, exercise, feeding, health care and record keeping. Councils can inspect licensed premises and attach conditions to a licence. Unlicensed breeding below the threshold sits outside that framework. The charity's research suggests the licensed sector, as measured through council records, accounts for only a small share of puppies. That does not mean the threshold is the only reason. Illegal breeding and smuggling also fall outside licensing by definition. But the three litter rule is the legal boundary that determines which breeders appear in council data and which do not, so it shapes both the FOI results and the visibility problem the charity describes.

How dog breeding licensing works

Because licensing is administered by councils, the quality and completeness of records can vary between areas. Some councils may hold detailed information on licensed breeders and inspections. Others may hold less. FOI requests can only return what a council actually records, so the national picture is assembled from many local datasets of differing depth. The charity's estimate of 10.5% to 14% licensed therefore reflects the records councils hold, not a single central register of every puppy bred in the UK. There is no single national licensing database that a buyer can search to confirm whether a particular breeder is licensed. A buyer can ask a breeder for a licence number and check it with the relevant council, but that only works if the breeder is licensed in the first place. For breeders below the three litter threshold, there may be no licence number to ask for. The regulations apply in England, while the charity's research covered local authorities across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, so the legal threshold described here is the English one. The charity's wider point is that licensing, as currently structured and recorded, captures a minority of the puppies sold. That leaves most of the market outside a system designed to set and check standards, and it leaves buyers with limited official routes to verify where a puppy was bred.

What the charity wants from government

Naturewatch Foundation is urging the UK Government to deliver on its commitment to end puppy farming and to bring forward its promised public consultation on dog breeding. The charity's call has two parts. The first is delivery on an existing commitment, which the charity treats as unfinished business. The second is a public consultation on dog breeding, which would allow organisations and individuals to feed into any future changes to the rules. The charity has not framed its research as a reason for buyers to avoid puppies altogether. It has framed it as evidence that the current system leaves most puppies outside licensed oversight, and that government action is needed to close that gap. A public consultation could cover questions such as the licensing threshold, enforcement, record keeping and the visibility of breeding sources. The charity's statement focuses on the commitment and the consultation rather than setting out a detailed legislative proposal in the research itself. The timing matters because the research was published on 21 September 2026, and the charity is using the estimate to press for movement on a commitment it says the government has already made. For households, the consultation is the point at which rules that affect how puppies are bred and sold could change, though the outcome and timing are not settled by the research alone.

What the charity wants from government

The charity's language about visibility is central to its ask. It said there is very little visibility of where most puppies come from, how they are bred or the conditions in which they and their parents are kept, which creates risks for dogs and for the public. That statement links animal welfare to public interest. Risks to dogs include breeding conditions and the health of parents. Risks to the public can include the consequences of buying a puppy whose background is unknown, such as unexpected health problems or paperwork that does not match the animal. The charity's proposed route is government action rather than a consumer campaign alone. Ending puppy farming and consulting on dog breeding are both national level measures. The research does not claim that a consultation will by itself change the 86% to 89.5% estimate. It presents the estimate as the case for action. For anyone following the issue, the key dates are 21 September 2026 for the research and the government's commitment and promised consultation for the policy track. The charity's position is that the commitment should be delivered and the consultation brought forward. Until any changes take effect, the licensing threshold and council records remain as described, and the visibility gap the charity identifies remains part of the market as buyers encounter it.

What it means if you are buying a puppy

For a household buying a puppy, the research points to a practical problem: limited visibility of origin. If most puppies come from sources outside the licensed system, then a buyer may not be able to confirm through official records where a puppy was bred or how. There are checks a buyer can make. Seeing the puppy with its mother is one commonly cited step, because it gives some view of the mother's condition and the environment. Asking for the breeder's licence number is another, and it can be checked with the relevant council if the breeder holds one. Asking about the number of litters the breeder produces in a 12-month period can help a buyer understand whether the breeder is above or below the three litter threshold in England. Asking to see where the puppy and its mother are kept, and asking about health records and vaccinations, are further questions a buyer can put. None of these checks is a guarantee, and the research does not claim they are. They are ways to gather information in a market where official visibility is limited. The charity's finding does not say every unlicensed breeder is a bad breeder. It says most puppies come from outside the licensed system, so the usual signals of licensing and inspection may not be present.

What it means if you are buying a puppy

Origin can also matter for vet costs and insurance questions. A puppy with an unknown or poorly documented background may arrive with health issues that were not disclosed, and treating those issues can add to vet bills. Pet insurance policies can vary in how they treat pre-existing conditions, hereditary conditions and conditions that appear shortly after purchase. Insurers may ask about a puppy's history, and a lack of records can make some questions harder to answer. That does not mean an unlicensed origin automatically leads to a claim being refused, and policy terms differ. It does mean that a buyer who cannot establish where a puppy came from may have less information when comparing policies and when discussing cover with an insurer. The charity's research does not make claims about insurance outcomes. It establishes that most puppies come from sources outside the licensed system, and that there is very little visibility of where they come from, how they are bred or the conditions in which they and their parents are kept. For a household, that visibility gap is the link between the research and the practical questions of vet costs and insurance. A buyer who can see the puppy with its mother, ask for a licence number and ask about litter numbers is gathering the kind of information the research suggests is often missing. The charity's ask is aimed at government, not at individual buyers, and the research does not recommend any particular course of action for households.

Source: Naturewatch Foundation release.

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Frequently asked questions

What did the Naturewatch Foundation research find?

On 21 September 2026 Naturewatch Foundation published research based on Freedom of Information requests to local authorities across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It estimates that just 10.5% to 14% of UK puppies come from licensed breeders. That suggests 86% to 89.5% of puppies could come from other sources, including breeders below the legal licensing threshold, illegal breeders and puppy smuggling operations.

What does dog breeding licensing cover in England?

In England, the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 require a council licence for anyone breeding three or more litters of puppies in a 12-month period. Licensing is run by councils. Breeders below the three litter threshold in a 12-month period do not need a licence under that rule.

What is the charity asking the government to do?

Naturewatch Foundation is urging the UK Government to deliver on its commitment to end puppy farming and to bring forward its promised public consultation on dog breeding.

Why does the charity say visibility is a problem?

The charity said there is very little visibility of where most puppies come from, how they are bred or the conditions in which they and their parents are kept, which creates risks for dogs and for the public.

What checks can a buyer make?

Checks a buyer can make include seeing the puppy with its mother, asking for the breeder's licence number and checking it with the relevant council, asking how many litters the breeder produces in a 12-month period, asking to see where the puppy and its mother are kept, and asking about health records and vaccinations. The research does not present these checks as guarantees.