Campaigners hail ‘puppy farm’ victory

PUPPIES can no longer be torn away from their mothers to be sold, after a victory for an animal rights campaign.

Government has announced it will ban the sale of puppies by pet shops, online dealers and other third-party sellers, in what’s being hailed as a victory for campaigners against ‘puppy farming’.

More than 4,000 people in the North East signed an online petition calling for ‘Lucy’s law’, a ruling which means puppies and kittens less than six months old must be bought directly from breeders.

Other rules being imposed in October include a requirement for any licensed pet seller to include their licence number in the advert.

Puppies must also be shown alongside their mother before a sale is made.

Animal welfare campaigners have hit out against so-called puppy farms, intensive breeding environments where puppies are quickly taken away from their mothers to be put up for sale.

These ‘farms’ can cause health problems, while a Newcastle University study showed puppies who weren’t brought up in a ‘home environment’ and kept with their mothers also had worse behaviour and temperament as adults.

The RSPCA records calls to its animal welfare hotline to highlight worries about the puppy trade. In 2017, 151 calls were made from County Durham, 85 from Tyne and Wear, while 33 people raised concerns about breeders in Northumberland.