A step in the right direction.
Pet shops in England will be banned from selling puppies and kittens from now on under new plans by the Government.
‘Lucy’s Law’ will see a ban on licensed sellers who deal with cats and dogs that are younger than eight weeks old. The law will come into place from 1 October.
The proposals, which have gone out to consultation, will mean that those who wish to buy or adopt a pet that’s less than six months old will now have to go to the breeder or a rescue centre.
The move aims to reduce health problems which arise when pets are kept in poor conditions.
The ban is named after a rescue Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, named Lucy, whose life was cruelly spent in puppy farms.
Lucy was rescued back in 2013 at five years old from a Welsh puppy farm. She had a series of health problems from “years of neglect” including epilepsy and a curved spine which was caused by the fact that she was kept in a cramped cage.
Sadly, she died in 2016.
According to Lucy’s owner, when the dog was adopted, she had “bald patches of fur and discoloured leg’s and feet from the urine and faeces.”
She also “smelt like burning flesh” from the ammonia that was burning to her skin.
A petition supporting Lucy’s Law was signed by nearly 150,000 people and it was also debated in Parliament earlier this year.
Speaking in support of a change, Environment Secretary Michael Gove told Sky News: “People who have a complete disregard for pet welfare will no longer be able to profit from this miserable trade.
“What we want to do is to try to make sure that anyone who has a pet will know that that puppy has been brought up in the right circumstances.”
“That means we are seeking to outlaw third-party sales and say that you can only buy a puppy from a legitimate breeder, someone that you can visit, that you can see that puppy alongside their mum so that you know that animal has been brought up in a caring environment,” he concluded.
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