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​UK Ministers Consider Pet Shop Puppy Ban

​UK Ministers Consider Pet Shop Puppy Ban

If a ban were put in place, budding dog-owners would have to deal directly with a breeder of re-housing centre

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

We all know that puppies are some of the greatest creatures in the entire world. Full-grown dogs are also amazing, for sure, but their younger counterparts bring people to tears - which is some powerful potential, right there.

But the popularity of said furballs means that the puppy trade is not without its problems, and now the UK government is considering a ban on puppy sales by pet shops and other third-party dealers in England.

MEET THE PUPPY RESCUED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA:

If a ban were put in place, budding dog-owners would have to deal directly with a breeder of re-housing centre, and breeders or those selling dogs would have to be licensed - with enhanced licensing conditions already due to come into force this year.

They also wouldn't be able to sell puppies under eight weeks old, and the puppies would be shown alongside their mothers and in the presence of the new owner before any sale is made, helping combat the growing concerns over online trades.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has suggested that such a ban could lead to the creation of an illegal market, but others have been quick to say that it would have many benefits.

PA

Paula Boyden, veterinary director for the Dogs Trust, said: "If a ban was introduced now, puppy farmers could exploit loopholes such as setting themselves up as unregulated re-homing centres or sanctuaries.

"Licensing and inspection of dog breeders and sellers must also be stronger to ensure that everyone involved in the trade is on the radar of local authorities."

Meanwhile, RSPCA deputy chief executive Chris Wainwright has said: "We have always said that an end to third party sales alone would not be enough to end the puppy trade crisis, and we are pleased that this is being looked at alongside enhanced licensing conditions for breeders."

The RSPCA's chief inspector, Ian Briggs, also said that officers had found dogs and puppies 'covered in filth' and being kept in cold, damp pens without light by breeders and dealers linked to the underground puppy trade.

He said: "We've also found tiny puppies kept in buckets amongst the dead bodies of their siblings."

Earlier in the year, an adorable eight-week-old mongrel called Ronnie became the first Christmas dog to be dumped in 2018, having been dropped off at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

The home's intake manager Steven Craddock was unsurprised that the first dog to be left was one that was bought online, saying that the ease of selling dogs online - and how disposable it can make them seem - is 'one of the biggest challenges that Battersea faces today'.

"It doesn't shock any of us that the first dog through our doors in 2018 was bought online," Steven said. "Ronnie is just one of many thousands of dogs who will be bought off an unregulated website in the coming months and end up in a home where the owner is unprepared and unable to take proper care of them.

"His new owner did the right thing by bringing him to us where we can look after him and find him a loving new home, which we doubt will take long as he's such a lovely boy.

"However, this doesn't change the fact that he never should have been sold online in the first place.

"We believe he may have been taken from his mother far too young and likely sold by a breeder with absolutely no regard for his welfare."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: uk news, News, Animals