The government has today (Monday 6 April) brought in a landmark new law which will aim to stop puppy farms from operating illegally by banning the commercial third-party sale of baby animals.
As of today, 'Lucy's Law' means that anyone who wants to get a pet puppy or kitten in England must buy directly from a licenced breeder, or consider adopting instead.
The law is named after a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Lucy - she died in 2016 after being poorly treated on a puppy far as a baby.
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Lucy's Law is the result of a 10-year grassroots campaign supported by the likes of Ricky Gervais, Brian May and Rachel Riley.
Dog breeders with licenses will now need to show puppies with their mothers in their place of birth.
If a business sells puppies or kittens and doesn't have a licence, the new law means they can now get an unlimited fine, or a prison sentence of up to six months.
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Puppy and kitten farms can be found across the UK. Most of them depend on third-party sellers or 'dealers' to sell animals which are often sick, traumatised and unsocialised, and have been taken away from their mother at just a few weeks old.
It often means they have been transported long-distance, with the puppy or kitten suffering life-threatening medical or behavioural problems - and then passed on to unsuspecting new owners.
Marc Abraham, media vet, founder of Pup Aid and the Lucy's Law campaign, said: "I'm incredibly proud to have led the 10-year campaign to ban cruel puppy and kitten dealers and to get this essential Lucy's Law legislation over the line.
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"I'd like to give a huge thanks to UK Government for passing this law, as well as every animal-loving parliamentarian, celebrity, welfare organisation, and member of the public that supported us.
"Lucy was an incredibly brave dog, and it's right that her memory is honoured with such an important piece of legislation to help end puppy farm cruelty; protecting breeding dogs just like her, as well as cats, their young, and also unsuspecting animal-lovers from the dangers of irresponsible breeding and cruel puppy and kitten dealers."
If you are looking to buy a puppy or kitten, here are some things to look out for, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
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Before visiting:
- Research. Have a look at the seller's profile and search their name online. If they are advertising many litters from different breeds, then this is a red flag.
- Check contact details. Copy and paste the phone number into a search engine. If the number is being used on lots of different adverts, sites and dates then this is likely a deceitful seller.
- Check the animal's age. Puppies and kittens should never be sold under eight weeks old - do not buy from anyone advertising a puppy or kitten younger than eight weeks.
- Check the animal's health records. Make sure the seller shares all records of vaccinations, flea and worm treatment and microchipping with you before sale.
When visiting:
- Make sure the mum is present - if mum is not available to meet, it's unlikely the puppy or kitten was bred there. Beware of the seller making excuses as to why mum is not there e.g. she's at the vet's, asleep, or out for a walk.
- Check there isn't a 'fake' mum - most fake mums don't interact with the puppies as they fear the real mum returning.
- Watch out for puppies or kittens labelled as 'rescue' but with much higher than expected price tags.
- If you feel rushed or pressurised into parting with cash, this is a red flag.
- Health problems observed at purchase are not normal and don't be convinced otherwise.
- Beware of offers to meet somewhere convenient e.g. car park or motorway services, or 'shop front' premises, common with rented properties just to make sales, and 'sales rooms' kept separate from nearby or onsite puppy farm.
You can find out more about the safe purchase of pets at getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/lucytherescuecavalier