Following last week's report on puppy farms (Comment News, May 19) Ms Roberts said the public could help put an end to the "horrendous practice" by simply checking a few details.
"People can easily check if a breeder is registered by going to www.dogzon line.com.au which lists all the registered breeders or by visiting our governing body www.dogswest. com which promotes sound breeding," she said.
"We also show our dogs nearly every week on the corner of Ranford and Warton roads in Canning Vale and members of the public can come down and talk to us about breeding."
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READ NOWMs Roberts, who has bred three Australian Champion shar-peis, said there were many regulations when it came to the breeding and registration of puppies, including adhering to a code of ethics.
If a person purchases a puppy from someone who isn't a registered breeder, there is no way of knowing its history or what conditions it was brought up in, she said.
�You're not allowed to breed a dog more than twice in a row – I only breed my dogs four times in their lifetime.
�Though friends in WA and the Eastern States we help each other to ensure we do the best selective breeding we can to maintain the quality of the breed.
"A lot of time is spent reviewing pedigrees and assessing dogs before they are mated. It's not just a matter of putting two dogs together."
Ms Roberts said the in-breeding and crossbreeding of dogs could result in heath problems and deformities and the demand for "designer, cross breed dogs" was often carried out by backyard breeders. "They (backyard breeders) are just in it for the money, not the good of the dog or the breed," she said.
"The way they treat those dogs in puppy farms " if you treated a person the same way you�d go to prison for years.�
Ms Roberts said registered breeders did not sell their puppies to pet shops.