Lucy’s Law: Pawsitively putting an end to third party sales of puppies and kittens.

Riley Forson
Nov 15, 2020
6 min read

Introduction: Until the 10th April 2020, the third party sale of puppies and kittens was legally permitted in England. This led to the nefarious growth in commercialised puppy and kitten farming across the country and abroad. The legality of this has, thankfully, been put to a stop with the passing of Lucy’s Law, the short-hand for The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)(England) Regulations 2018, brought about by the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2019. Lucy’s Law aims to make sure that the start to the lives of kittens and puppies are worlds away from the horrors they would suffer in commercial farms. However, public awareness and support will be crucial to the success of this pivotal piece of law. Personally, I am thankful for Lucy’s Law after experiencing first-hand what it is like to welcome a desperately sad puppy into our home this year after rescuing our special girl, Romee.

What is puppy and kitten farming?

Rescuedog.org describes puppy and kitten farming as “the cruel practice of mass commercial production of puppies and kittens for profit without a thought for the animals’ welfare”. The commercialisation of puppies and kittens causes untold traumas for their mothers and the puppies and kittens themselves, which often goes undetected by animal-loving owners until they have their four-legged family member at home.

Intensive breeding of animals causes them to have a greater chance of genetic disorders, as their mothers lack sufficient time to recover before having another litter. Puppies are also at an increased risk of contracting parvovirus, a highly infectious disease which will, in 90% of cases, result in the death of the puppy due to the disease inhibiting the correct functioning of intestinal cells, resulting in a lack of nutrient absorption and dehydration. The Scottish SPCA and The University of Edinburgh also found that puppies and kittens bred in commercial environments will also lack the correct habitual routines and socialisation which can result in behaviours like fear and anxiety, which can be life-long issues. Commercially bred animals will also likely lack the correct vaccines and treatments, like worming, and will arrive with medical conditions that need treatment immediately.

I can, first-hand, attest to the above. We rescued Romee, however, we suspect that she had passed through this “system” before she was in a position to be rescued by myself and my boyfriend. She was weak, she was desperately thin, she had worms, lacked the correct vaccination paperwork, but worst of all we found out that she had a progressive infection in her tail. Over two weeks we did our best to manage the infection, however, it was too extensive and had eaten her nerves in her lower tail. She went through a 72 hour hospital stay and a complex tail amputation in the first two weeks of being at home with us. She was brave and stoic throughout, and full of love for us because we showered her with the affection she desperately needed. She then endured life with a cone for a month more, bashing into things, not being able to run off the lead and enjoy life as a young dog should have been doing. We were heartbroken for her. We were heartbroken that systematic exploitation had led to her being in this state. The RSPCA’s Chief Executive, Chris Sherwood, has said that over the past 10 years, the RSPCA has dealt with over 30,000 calls relating to illegal puppy and kitten trades and we were witnessing the effects of this first-hand.

We aren’t the first people to rescue a dog in this kind of traumatic situation and we won’t be the last; many people will have been victims to commercial puppy and kitten farming without even realising, and many puppies and kittens like Romee still exist, but desperately need someone to rescue and protect them. Lucy’s Law aims to prevent any more little furry friends being in such a terrible situation.

Lucy’s Law: Positive changes for puppies and kittens: The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)(England) Regulations 2018, brought about by the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2019 , a.k.a Lucy’s Law, named after a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy from a puppy farm in Wales, has banned the third party sale of puppies and kittens in England. This is devolved legislation, so only impacts England. However, after running a public consultation from June-August 2020, Wales received the response that 98% of 226 people surveyed wanted similar legislation enacted in Wales. It has been promised by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, that such legislation will be introduced by the end of this current Senedd (May 2021).

Lucy’s Law now means that those looking to buy a puppy or kitten in England must do so directly from a breeder or consider rescuing. Schedule 1 Part 2 of Lucy’s Law makes clear that selling animals as pets in the course of business is a licensable activity, which requires a licence from the local authority. If the puppies or kittens are not sold as a commercial activity, a licence is not required, but you should always carry out due diligence to ensure the veracity of this. Schedule 1 Part 5 makes clear that breeding dogs is a licensable activity if the individual is either or both: a) breeding three or more litters of puppies in any 12 month period (unless they can provide evidence they are not being sold as puppies or adult dogs); b) breeding dogs and advertising as a business selling dogs.

Schedule 6 sets out specific conditions for breeding dogs including Schedule 6(2)(1)/(2) which sets out that the dogs and puppies must have a suitable environment, including: a) room to stand on its hind legs; b)room to lie down fully stretched out; c)to wag its tail; d)to walk; and e) to turn around without touching another dog or the walls of their sleeping area.

The Schedule also makes clear that the dogs and puppies must also have a separate space to exercise. Schedule 6(6)(1) sets out that the dogs and puppies must be free from pain, suffering, injury and disease. The very fact we have to have these conditions codified by legislation shows what a sorry state of affairs our cats, dog, kittens and puppies found themselves in prior to Lucy’s Law.

How do we make sure Lucy’s Law is effective?

Lucy’s Law was the result of a 10 year grass-roots campaign started by veterinarian Marc Abraham, who was supported by incredible people who care about animals. But what can animal lovers do to ensure that this hard work is effective and that puppies and kittens never have to suffer the horrendous fate of commercialised farming and third party dealerships?

Lord Goldsmith, Minister for Animal Welfare said that “the public needs to do their bit” and he is right. We need to educate the general public and arm them with the checklist of questions to ask, the red-flags and key warning signs to be aware of. We need to give the public the tools they need to ensure we don’t relapse into a world where our beloved furry family members have horrific starts to their lives.

So, with that being said, the links to read about the Puppy Contract and the Kitten Checklist, the red-flags, the pet-fishing scam signs and more are contained at the end of this blog post. Please, for the sake of every puppy and kitten you have or will welcome into your heart and home, read them.

You can also re-home and rescue a puppy, dog, kitten or cat in need who will love you with a love you cannot imagine because you have saved them and given them the love they have always deserved and craved.

Romee’s happily ever after:

As you will have read above, Romee had a horrible start to life. We still are over-come with emotion when we think about it. However, she has the happily ever after she deserves now. Romee completes us, we are The Three Musketeers, a little family. We cannot imagine life without her! She is a happy, bright, intelligent, loving, crazy girl who wants for nothing, who sleeps on/in the bed and never misses a cuddle She is surrounded by love and safety and we are so grateful she found us so that we can share her life with her and give her the best life possible- a life full of unconditional love.