‘Petfished’ campaign urges people to spot ‘red flags’ when buying a puppy or kitten ahead of ban on third party sales – ‘Lucy’s Law’ coming into force on 6 April

Stark new findings reveal that buying a pet from a low-welfare breeder could cost pet owners an extra £5,000 in vet bills over just 12 months, as a new government campaign is launched urging people to take simple steps to research the seller before buying a puppy or kitten.

More than half of vets surveyed (54%) said that the poor conditions of puppy or kitten farms can lead to illnesses and complications which would incur treatment costs of over £1,500 in the first year of the animal’s life. In some severe cases, the costs could rise to £5,000 or even result in the pet being euthanised.

These new figures demonstrate the extent of suffering for both owner and pet caused by puppy farms and third party puppy and kitten sales as the trade relies on a high-volume, low-welfare model.

The government has already changed the law to ban commercial third party puppy and kitten sales, known as Lucy’s Law, and is going further to improve the lives of animals including supporting a Private Member’s Bill to raise the maximum penalty for animal cruelty from six months to five years, and consulting on tackling excessively long journeys for live animals.

Today’s launch of a government campaign will call on the public to also play their part to tackle the cruel trade of puppies and kittens by encouraging prospective owners to be aware of illegal, low-welfare breeders and look for ‘red flags’ when buying a new pet. This will help to disrupt the demand for these animals and further suffocate the trade alongside the introduction of Lucy’s Law. The campaign, called ‘Petfished’, outlines the deceitful tactics pet sellers use to trick buyers and sell their animals to line their pockets.