What is Lucy’s Law, are puppy and kitten sales at pet shops banned and what are puppy farms?
Lucy's law is a campaign calling for an immediate halt to the sale of young pets by third-party commercial dealers

TOUGH new laws could ban pet shops from selling puppies and kittens - but why are they needed?
Here we reveal what Lucy's law is, whether puppy and kitten sales are banned at pet shops, and what a puppy mill is...
What is Lucy's Law?
Lucy's law is a campaign calling for an immediate halt to the sale of young pets by third-party commercial dealers.
It was named after mistreated Cavalier King Charles spaniel called Lucy who had suffered years of abuse on a puppy mill.
Her hair was missing in patches and matted beyond repair in others, while her balding skin was raw from the ammonia burns she suffered from continuously living in her own urine and faeces.
Celebrity vet Marc Abraham, who backs Lucy’s Law, said: “These dogs are kept like livestock in poorly ventilated, dark and cramped conditions. We have to act to protect them.”
Are puppy and kitten sales at pet shops banned?
Plans to ban third-party selling of puppies were unveiled by ministers in August 2018.
Anyone buying or adopting a pet less than six months old will have to deal directly with the breeder or a rescue centre under the proposed ban.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: “A ban on third-party sales will ensure the nation’s much-loved pets get the right start in life.
“People who have a complete disregard for pet welfare will no longer be able to profit from this miserable trade.”
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What are puppy farms?
Puppy farms are highly-intensive commercial dog breeding facilities.
Abuse is often rife, with dogs often kept in cramped conditions and forced to undergo several pregnancies a year.
The new law barring licensed sellers from dealing in puppies and kittens less than eight weeks old will come into force on October 1st 2018.
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