Illegal and barbaric use of veterinary medicine
To indulge buyers, the boss doesn’t hesitate in resorting to barbaric mutilations: docking puppies’ tails. Despite being legal, this practice is highly criticised and particularly well regulated: it absolutely must be carried out by a veterinarian. However, he told us without batting an eyelid that he does it himself, at the request of potential buyers. When we learnt of the deplorable hygiene conditions that the animals at the Arche were living in, there was good reason for us to be quaking in our boots... Incidentally, the manager is angry because potential clients were eventually retracting after he had carried out the procedure.
Shocking (and illegal) commercial practices!
Always pleasing buyers - Azzopardi is a ‘good’ trader! - he also doesn’t hesitate in selling the young animals before the legal age of 2 months. At the start of 2023, he explained to a client: “Normally, they have to be two months old, here they are six weeks“, therefore fully aware of the facts. However, he proposed that they come back to get the puppy the next week, without waiting for the minimum age required by law.
Sale prices that have nothing to do with non-profit rates
And not to mention the prices, comparable to those of purely commercial breeding farms: “Oh no no no, 500, 600 euros for all of the dogs that I breed, and the chihuahuas are 1000 euros.” For a so-called non-profit association, this is far from the usual fees, which are generally between the 200 and 300 euro mark, and realistically correspond to the cost of the veterinary care involved for microchipping and vaccinating the animal.
A post-investigation visit that confirmed our beliefs
After our infiltration investigation ended, we went back there again in May 2023 with a very specific goal: to document the adoption of a puppy in order to reveal new offences and to get them out of that hell. Barely a few minutes after we arrived, we had confirmation of what we already knew: the boss made reference to the puppies that were born at his place, once again showing that he did in fact resort to breeding animals, and that this organisation is not the rescue centre it pretends to be.
Puppies sold without ever having seen a veterinarian
It was only once we were sorting out the last administrative details and proceeding with payment that we learnt that the puppy had never seen a veterinarian. The small female was not microchipped or vaccinated. The manager then gave us a ‘vaccination voucher’, explaining to us that we would have to go back to his veterinarian who would carry out the basic care. This is therefore the only document that links us to the Arche. We were not given any sale or adoption contract to attest to where this puppy came from. If there are any problems (being sold a sick animal, for example), it is impossible to go back against the breeder.
In a few minutes, we therefore came across at least four legislation breaches:
- handing over an un-microchipped puppy;
- the lack of a sale certification;
- the lack of the necessary veterinarian certificate before handing over;
- the lack of a signed commitment and knowledge certificate.
In less than fifteen minutes, several infractions later, and with 200 euros more cash in the manger’s pocket - the card machine wasn’t working that day! - for a puppy that is not compliant with regulations and has not received any care, we therefore left with our little one in our arms, relieved to have got her out of there but with a heavy heart thinking about all the others that were still there.
We have filed a complaint for all of the law violations revealed during our investigation: the undeclared breeding, dirty conditions, trafficking of exotic animals, acts of cruelty towards rats and dogs, misleading commercial practices, and many more besides.
To find out more about Arche de Noël
- Arche de Noël: a factory-breeding farm camouflaged by deceptively being called a ‘rescue centre’
- Arche de Noël: a museum of horrors for ‘exotic’ birds
- Arche de Noël: children subjected to the spectacle of animal abuse
- Arche de Noël: puppies sacrificed so as to not spend money
- Arche de Noël: Aria killed because the boss didn't want to help her
Translated from the French by Joely Justice
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