Ban pet shops and breeders from selling puppies

Aside from the terrible conditions that dogs and cats endure at puppy mills, they also contribute to the serious problem of pet overpopulation. When people choose to pay big money to purchase baby pets rather than adopt them from shelters there is an enormous financial incentive to breed as many puppies or kittens as possible. And unfortunately, many of these same animals will end up in pet rescues later on and could very likely be put down because they can't find homes.

That's why last year two governments on different sides of the world decided they would have no part in the puppy mill trade. In October, the state of California became the first state in the entire nation to ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits from "pet factories" — more commonly referred to as puppy mills. Pet stores would have to sell rescue animals to give them a second chance at a new home. And in December, the state of Victoria, Australia followed suit.

Now animal activists in the UK want to add their country to the list of governments working to end pet overpopulation which takes the lives of thousands of pets every year. In fact, in 2014, fifty thousand dogs were abandoned by their owners. The constant influx of unwanted pets left animal welfare agencies unable to cope and they were forced to euthanize an average of one pet every two hours.

By passing a ban on the sale of puppies by pet shops and breeders in the UK, we have a chance to stop this trend from growing and protect dogs from a terrible fate.

Please sign the petition and ask the UK government to ban the sale of puppies by pet shops and puppy mills.