In the run up to Christmas, charities are urging people not to buy pets as presents.

TV presenter calls for harsher punishments to tackle the trade

Animal lover and much loved presenter of For the Love of Dogs, Paul O'Grady, has spoken out about the puppy farming trade. He has called for harsher penalties to crack down on puppy farmers.

"The puppy farms that exist both in this country and abroad are just shocking. They are harrowing and dreadful," he said, speaking at the RSPCA's Animal Hero Awards.

"Through my work I see the good side of people as well as the bad side and believe you me there are things we wouldn't dare show on TV because it is just too harrowing. It is just dreadful."

ITV's For the Love of Dogs attracts millions of viewers and gives an insight into the work of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Paul added: "We have got a responsibility to animals and we are here to care for them, not to abuse them. Until the judicial system changes and starts giving out stiffer penalties, puppy farmers and the like will get away with murder and we have to stop it."

So far this year, the RSPCA has already had 30 per cent more calls about puppy farms and the puppy trade than in the whole of 2013.

A recent undercover investigation by the Dogs Trust revealed widespread abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme to import puppies for sale in the UK. Criminal breeders make more than £100,000 a year and the charity has warned that the trade is "spiralling out of control".

In the run up to Christmas, many charities have launched campaigns to discourage people from impulse buying pets as presents. The RSPCA is launching a #NotAPresent campaign this week, while the Dogs Trust is putting up 12 pieces of artwork in UK cities publicising the most shocking reasons dogs have been given up.

Image courtesy of the RSPCA