1973 — Got my first dog: Chi-Chi the Bearded Collie
1983 — Began writing for Our Dogs, the world’s oldest weekly dog publication
1984 — Sub-Editor at rival publication Dog World
1985–1989 — Information Officer and Assistant Editor at The Kennel Club
1990–present — Launch Editor of Dogs Today magazine, a campaigning voice for dogs
2001 — Pet Passports introduced following a 10-year campaign against quarantine
2018–2021 — Part of Tailwise, a pet-tech start-up aiming to reform how puppies are bought
2020 — Supported the campaign for Lucy’s Law, which removed the puppy and kitten trade from pet shops
2024 — The Pet Abduction Act became law after a 15-year campaign against pet theft, which often sees stolen dogs exploited in puppy farming before being discarded. Pet theft — a crime that too often feeds the puppy-farming pipeline.

It is a short history — because this is a very new organisation.

I had been sensing for some time that small, ethical breeders were feeling increasingly lost and anxious about the future. Too often, those shaping new legislation seemed to lump all breeders together, talking about them rather than listening to them.

On Boxing Day 2025, I founded a Facebook group — not even sure whether the tribe I was looking for really existed.

Two days earlier, my beloved puppy-farm reject, Betty, had died. I wanted to do something positive in her memory. Time felt as though it was slipping away, and the dog world seemed to be getting more broken by the minute.

Someone needed to do something meaningful — to change public behaviour, to slow the growth of puppy farming and careless, profit-led breeding, and to help the small, good breeders who were increasingly being swept up and treated the same as the bad.

After decades reporting on the dog world, I knew we could not simply wait for a charity or political party to fix things for us. It was time for dog lovers themselves to start sorting out the mess. It was time for the Good Dog People to roll up their sleeves and get busy.

I have campaigned against puppy farming for as long as I can remember. Over many years I have been involved in campaigns — some of which did help change the law — yet the uncomfortable truth remains: dogs are still increasingly being bred by people who do not truly care about them, while the good people trying to do things properly are often the ones under greatest pressure.

My own journey with dogs began in childhood, when I first fell in love with Bearded Collies. We bred a few carefully planned litters, enjoyed modest success in the show ring, and I learned first-hand just how much work, responsibility and devotion ethical breeding requires. Done properly, it is not a hobby or a quick profit — it is a way of life. Mums are loved and treasured, and every life created carries a moral responsibility with no time limit.

In the years that followed, I became a dog journalist, worked at The Kennel Club, and later became launch editor of Dogs Today magazine — a publication created to give the pet dog a genuine voice. I have also worked in dog charities and as a dog expert for a pet-technology start-up that aimed to disrupt the risky way the public often buys puppies online. I have launched events such as the Wag and Bone Show and appeared on hundreds of dog-related TV and radio programmes. I live and breathe dogs.

And yet, despite a lifetime of campaigning, the dog world remains worryingly chaotic.

After Pedigree Dogs Exposed, public trust in breeders collapsed. During Covid, demand for dogs surged. We saw record pet ownership — but also record numbers of dogs entering rescue. Kennel Club registrations fell to historic lows, and legislation increasingly made life harder for small, ethical home breeders to survive. People still loved puppies — but many had come to distrust breeders.

Meanwhile, people with little skill, long-term commitment or genuine interest in dogs were increasingly producing the next generation. They took the quick profits but rarely stayed to deal with the consequences when poorly bred dogs, sold in emotionally driven impulse purchases, later ended up rejected and in rescue.

Doing nothing was not an option. Someone had to start gathering the good people who were still standing. Betty was the catalyst that made me act.

Ethical small-scale breeders are not the problem. In many cases, they are part of the solution — giving puppies the best possible start in life and providing lifelong support to the families who love them.

When Betty died just before Christmas, my grief sharpened something in me. I realised time was short — and that I still had work left to do.

So, on Boxing Day, instead of mourning quietly, I founded the Union of Good Dog People in Betty’s memory.

Today, poorly thought-through legislation risks driving responsible breeders out of existence while doing little to tackle the real sources of exploitation. If we truly care about dogs, we must ensure every puppy has both a good start in life and a meaningful safety net.

The Union exists to stand up for the underdogs — both canine and human. We believe experience, evidence and common sense must shape the laws that affect our dogs. If we work together, speak clearly and act with integrity, we can protect what is good and reform what is broken.

A growing union of like-minded dog lovers is now assembling for this fight — to secure a seat at the table and to stand up for those who always put dogs first.

This is not about defending the past.
It is about safeguarding the future of dogs in the UK.

Beverley Cuddy
Founder, Union of Good Dog People