Kennel Club and Dogs Trust welcome the news

World famous department store Harrods has decided to stop the sale of puppies in-store, with the closure of its Pet Kingdom department.

The news has been welcomed by the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust and the move has been seen as a positive step in improving dog welfare.

Kennel Club Secretary, Caroline Kisko, said: “We are thrilled that puppies will no longer be sold in Harrods and would very much like to see all stores which sell puppies follow suit, as the sale of dogs in pet shops can unfortunately encourage puppy farmers.

However, Clarissa Baldwin, Dogs Trust Chief Executive, added: “Whilst Dogs Trust warmly welcomes the news of the closure of the Harrods Pet Kingdom, it is a shame that the stated reasons for it were motivated by commercial interests and not animal welfare.

“A pet shop is not an appropriate environment in which to sell puppies and kittens and our supporters have long expressed their concern about the UK’s most famous department store selling pets."

Caroline continued: “The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust have for many years now expressed concern over the sale of puppies in Harrods.

“Whilst Harrods has never sold puppies ‘over the counter’, ensuring that no one is simply allowed to buy a puppy on the spot, buying from any type of pet shop is something that we would never recommend as we would always advise that puppies are purchased direct from the breeder and seen with their mother at the breeder’s home.”

Both the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust continue to fight for a change in the law to prohibit the sale of dogs in pet shops, and believe that this, along with public education on dog ownership and how best to buy a dog, is the best way to protect the welfare of puppies being sold and bought.