Five Scottish dogs are lending their support to the popular campaign, called Lucy's Law, hoping to put an end to puppy dealing and cruel breeding practices
Five of Scotland’s iconic terrier breeds – Dandie Dinmont, Scottie, Cairn, Westie, and Skye – are joining forces to fight for Lucy’s Law, a campaign to put an end to sale of puppies through pet shops and third party dealers, to be introduced in Scotland.
The dogs came together at Terrier Day at the Scottish Kennel Club Championship Dog Show, at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, to call for a stop to puppy farming.
The law is named after a King Charles spaniel called Lucy, who died on a puppy farm in 2016 due to mistreatment. In the wake of the campaign in England and Wales, Westminster and the Welsh government brought Lucy’s Law into effect earlier this year.
And now, all eyes are on Scotland to follow suit.
Marc Abraham, TV vet and founder of PupAid’s campaign to ban third party commercial puppy dealers, said: “Scotland has a long and proud history of being a frontrunner in UK animal welfare.
"However, puppy dealing and especially smuggling from Ireland is a huge problem in Scotland that must be tackled by banning third party dealers, which not only enable cruelly-treated breeding dogs to be kept hidden away from the public, but also provide the necessary framework for illegal ‘motherless’ selling away from their mums too, including smuggling.
"If Scotland brings in Lucy’s Law under its devolved powers, prospective dog owners would either have to go directly to the breeder’s establishment and be able to see the biological mother interacting with her litter of puppies or adopt from a reputable rescue shelter instead.”
The Scottish Government spokesperson has said it will bring forward legislation to offer more protection for puppies.
A spokesman said: “The third party sale of young cats and dogs has been regulated in Scotland for over a decade. The latest figures available show no pet shops in Scotland selling dogs or cats, nor are there any other licensed third party dealers.
“We intend to bring forward legislation to further strengthen the licensing regime for breeders and we are considering including new legislation to ban the third party sale of young dogs and young cats.”
Dog-lovers nationwide can show their support for the Lucy’s Law campaign in Scotland by uploading pictures of their pooches to social media and using the hashtag #LucysLaw4Scotland
