Sir Mike Penning, Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead, is backing the Justice for Reggie campaign to end illegal puppy farming.
Reggie was a 12-week-old Labrador sold via a reputable website. He fell ill 12 hours after arriving home with his new owners and after three days at the vets he sadly died of parvovirus.
It was found that Reggie’s microchip details did not match the documentation. Sir Mike is backing the campaign after a constituent contacted him having had a similar experience.
Sir Mike said: “This is a very sad case. The new owners are naturally traumatised. The puppy was bought via a reputable website which advertises thousands of puppies for sale.”
Lucy’s Law, which bans third-party puppy and kitten sales in the UK, came into force in April 2020. This means that anyone wanting to get a new puppy or kitten in England must now buy direct from a breeder, or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead.
Licensed dog breeders are required to show puppies interacting with their mothers in their place of birth. If a business sells puppies or kittens without a licence, they could receive an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to six months.
Sir Mike added: “Sadly, it appears that Reggie’s story was not a one-off and it would appear illegal puppy farming continues.
“Lucy’s Law was a great achievement, but we need to make sure that it is clear exactly who is responsible for enforcing it and that they have sufficient funding to do so.
“There are also concerns about illegal imports, third party websites not conducting sufficient background checks and failing to vaccinate at the right time.”
For more information visit justiceforreggie.co.uk/
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