The RSPCA have rescued over 1,000 dogs in the past three years.

Petition calls for mandatory licensing 

Tens of thousands of people have backed a national campaign to tackle the puppy trade in England.

The RSPCA’s Scrap the Puppy Trade campaign was launched in October to encourage the Government to introduce laws in England to combat puppy dealers selling sick and dying puppies.

Since the campaign's launch, 50,000 members of the public have signed the accompanying petition, which calls for mandatory licensing for anyone selling puppies.

Furthermore, a survey carried out by the charity in the lead up to Christmas found that 82 per cent of people would like to see the puppy farming industry scrapped altogether.

“Puppy trafficking is big business and dealers are getting rich from duping members of the public and leaving a trail of sick and dead puppies behind them, not to mention the heartache of families that have bought puppies,” said David Bowles assistant director of public affairs at the RSPCA.

“It is far too easy to sell puppies and current laws are failing puppies and their parents,” he continued. “The RSPCA wants to see Westminster treat the issue of puppy dealing in England as seriously as they did scrap metal and license anyone who sells a puppy.

“This would not stop illegal trading altogether but it would help to remove the huge layer of unregulated puppy dealing we’re currently battling on a daily basis. Local authorities would have the tools they need to act and improve protections for puppy buyers too.”

The issue of puppy farming and trafficking is on the rise, as evidenced by the RSPCA who say that they have rescued over 1,000 dogs in the past three years. The charity say that they have also witnessed a 122 per cent increase in the number of calls about the puppy trade over the last five years.

In their petition, the RSPCA are calling for mandatory licensing for anyone selling puppies in England to try to hit the puppy trade as a whole - from organised illegal trafficking to opportunistic backstreet breeding.

This would mean:

    •    Anyone selling a puppy must have a licence
    •    Strong penalties and fines for anyone caught without a license
    •    A national database of puppy sellers (funded by license fees) to aid enforcement.
    •    All internet and offline advertisers must display the license number of the seller in order to list an advert

To sign the petition visit www.rspca.org.uk/scrapthepuppytrade