The British government wants to ban the sale of puppies and kittens outside breeders and animal shelters to combat the “terrible conditions” in which some animals are raised.
“The ban on third-party sales will give pets a good start in life,” Environment Minister Michael Gove said Wednesday by launching a consultation on the subject.
This measure aims to put an end to the “appalling” practices of some intensive puppy and kittens farms, the government said.
These practices include “early separation of puppies and kittens from their mothers, introduction into new and unfamiliar environments, and the increased likelihood of multiple trips that puppies or kittens must undertake. All this can contribute to a chaotic departure in life and lead to serious health problems and socialization, “says the Ministry of the Environment.
“People who completely neglect the well-being of pets will no longer be able to benefit from this miserable trade,” Gove insisted.
Caroline Kisko, an official of the Kennel Club, an animal welfare organization, welcomed a policy that, when implemented, will put an end to the suffering of many dogs.
“She will send a strong message to puppy buyers that it is never acceptable to see a puppy in an environment other than the one in which he was born and raised, and with his mother,” she said. added.
This consultation comes after an intense awareness campaign conducted around the case of Lucy, a bitch abused, forced to give birth several times a year on a farm, and whose history had moved the British.
As a result of this case, a petition to the British Parliament calling for stricter supervision of the sale of pets had collected nearly 150,000 signatures.