Lethcoe-Harman's operation is only a symptom of the unregulated dog breeding disease. Puppies have become lifestyle accessories for many people, and it's a lucky dog indeed that isn't traded in on a new model when the fashion changes from Dalmatian to Jack Russell to Pug. As long as there is a demand for a product, there will be a supply. The Puppy Traffickers Database, started eight months ago, has over 4000 litters of puppies and kittens in it. That's 4000 litters above and beyond those animals that have been sold in pet stores in the same period. The database covers all of BC, but most traffickers advertise in the Lower Mainland.

At a median price of $400 per puppy, that's a lot of untaxed income for a puppy trafficker. The province loses PST, the feds lose GST, and neither get the tax on the trafficker's undeclared income. What about the environment the breed stock live in? Unless conditions are so bad that the media intervene, it's unlikely that the business will ever be inspected.

For the good of the animals, this unregulated industry must be brought into the light of day. Breeders must be licensed, their premises and animals subject to inspection. Traffickers must be licensed, made to include their license number in each advertisement. Animals must be traceable, from breeder to trafficker to buyer, microchip technology makes this achievable. There is plenty of money in the pet selling industry to pay for inspection and enforcement ... it just needs to be collected from those profiting at the expense of the animals.