Pet Shops Will Be Banned From Selling Puppies and Kittens To Stop Immoral Breeding Practices

A government ban on the sale of kittens and puppies in pet shops is set to be brought in by the government, the environment secretary Michael Gove confirmed today.

Animal rights campaigners hope the ban will play a part in protecting vulnerable cats and dogs from unscrupulous breeders who often keep them in cramped conditions.

It is also hoped the ban will reduce health problems that regularly occur when an animal has been brought up in poor conditions. The regulation will mean that anyone wishing to buy a puppy or kitten will have to do so directly from a breeder or a rescue centre.

To comply with the new rules breeders will only be able to sell puppies they have bred themselves and will need a licence to sell three or more litters a year.

Anyone selling puppies or kittens online will have to provide their license number and information of the animals country of origin and residence.

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The proposals have gone out to consultation so there is no official date for when the rule will be effective from, but there is also a ban on licensed sellers dealing in dogs and cats under eight weeks old in October.

The proposed ban is a victory for the Lucy's Law Campaign which was launched after a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lucy, was rescued after poor treatment in the puppy farming system.

Lucy was rescued from a Welsh puppy farm in 2013, when she was just five years old, and had a wide range of health problems including a curved spine.

The health problems she developed from being kept in a cramped cage contributed to her death in 2016.

After Lucy's death a petition was launched which was signed by 150,000 people, the campaign gained support from many famous faces, such as Eamonn Holmes and was debated in Parliament in May.

Michael Gove praised the campaign and said: "People who have a complete disregard for pet welfare will no longer be able to profit from this miserable trade.

"We will eliminate puppy farming.

"We will make sure third party sales of kittens and puppies ends.

"Far too many of the pets that people, with the best will in the world, bring into their homes we know have been brought up in squalid circumstances, in circumstances of pain and suffering and misery which should never be inflicted on any living thing."

Animal lovers like Anda Ciurezu from Canada, work tirelessly to rescue animals across the world who have found themselves in despair and poor conditions.

Topics: Animal Welfare, Animals

Mark Cunliffe

Mark is a writer at LADbible with a creative writing background and a history working at some of Manchester's biggest agencies. He loves football and music that screams a lot.

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