Pet shop puppy and kitten sales to be banned

Anyone wanting a puppy or kitten less than six months old will have to visit a rescue centre, like this

Pet shops across England will be banned from selling puppies and kittens under new government plans.

The proposals, which have gone to consultation, will mean anyone wanting a pet less than six months old will have to visit a rescue centre, or directly from the breeder.

Other third-party sellers and online dealers will also be banned from selling the young animals to end the horrors of puppy and kitten farming.

A ban on licensed sellers dealing in dogs and cats less than eight weeks old is already coming in on 1 October.

Named after a mistreated Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, ‘Lucy’s Law’ has long been called for by animal welfare campaigners.

Lucy, who was rescued from a puppy farm in 2013, suffered numerous health problems as a result of living in appalling conditions. She had been used for breeding for five years, having litter after litter, which would have been removed too early. She died in 2016.

A petition supporting Lucy’s Law was signed by almost 150,000 people and went to Parliamentary debate in May.

Currently, puppies and kittens can either be purchased via a third-party seller, or directly from a breeder.

There are no records of the number of puppies sold via third-parties, which makes it difficult to know how many puppies are sold via third parties but estimates very between 40,000 and 80,000 in Great Britain per year.

The RSPCA has been contacted for comment.

The consultation closes on Wednesday 19 September 2018:

https://consult.defra.gov.uk/animal-health-and-welfare/third-party-sales/consultation/intro/