we were xmas shopping in Blackpool today and saw a pet shop with puppies crowded into very small cages in the window.They were all crammed in, pooing on each other, lying in poo, and scrambling at the window when we went up to see them.I was nearly crying.By pure chance i had my digital camera with me and took several pics of them.would it be worth sending them to the NCDL or any toher animal welfare thing, or is it legal to keep pups like this in these conditions?

I'd do a bit more than that! I'd e-mail thepictures to all the animal welfare agencies, all the national and local newspapers and the appropriate government department!

Jesse

yeah i would like to do that but need to know any legalities first.I spoke to a woman in the RSPCA shop who said she knew about it and thought it was ok!!!!the mind boggles, i'm not leaving it at that though.does anyone else know the legal position, its just that i thought it was illegal:(

you could report them to the council who could revoke their trading licence

Send to Gary Johnson or Johnstone the trading standards officer for that area, he is very very up on pet shop licensing.

125 Albert Road

Blackpool

FY1 4PW

01253 478395

He had dealings with a pet shop when he was working for Preston Trading Standards.

Coleen

ill hav eto dig my book out to check the details, but in order to get the petshop license you have to complete a two year course with an exam at the end, the course involves animal husbandry and cage sizes etc, animals are not to be kept in windows but in a corner of the shop that can be shut away from prying eyes for a couple of hours a day, so yes it certinly is illegal, also in order to have a license they need to have a check from both council and a council appointed vet.
a pet shop near me that had puppies in the window during the summer, i complained to the council about, they had a surprise visit from the council and now have amended their ways, they are still selling puppies, but the puppies have now been removed from the window and the shop has developed new standards for the pups.
report them to the local council even if you go down with the photos you can remain anonymos so that the shop doesnt know that it was you that complained, hth
tanya

hi have just been talking about this with my friend who says that someone from a blackpool pet shop puts ads in loot a lot saying they will come and pick up any croos breed pups and pay a good price for them.i'm wondering if this is the same person as i have never seen anything like this, it's barbaric!!
Thanks for the trading standards address though, i'll ring it tomorrow, and see what they say!!!

hi folks!I rang blackpool council's licensing dept about this appalling pet shop and voiced my concerns re. the pups kept in glass cages in the window that were too small, the overcrowding, dirty conditions and lack of any water at all, and was told that the pet shop does have a license, that they rotate the water bowls every half hour and check the pups at the same time, and that the have inspected it and said the pups are kept in "adequate conditions."I also rang the rspca and got a screaming banshee on the phone telling me it has absolutely nothing to do with them unless its a cruelty case, when i said it was she said it was up to the licensing dept to check it out first.I can't believe that in this day and age its deemed ok for pups to be kept in these appalling conditions.i have also contacted the NCDL who also said it's up to the licensing dept to check it out.HELP i am sooo angry:(

Ive seen the pet shop in Blackpool that you are reffering to - i can across it last year. I asked the owner many questions and assured me that the puppies/kittens are well cared for.. (i was convinced) I cant see how they are well cared for if they are in small cages... whimpering at you. I quite honestley was quite upset.
I went for another look October just gone and there were 2 lots of pups this time!!

Donna and charliex

Please can you email me privately with the name of the pet shop that you are refering to, thank-you.

pat, i've just emailed you the details:)

When I was 21 I went into a pet shop looking for a cat harness for one of my rescued kittens. I stopped in shock when I came to the cages that had bunnies in them. They were smaller then the palm of my hand but there had to be at least 20 in the cage. The cage was so small that some were sitting on top of the others. This alone was upseting but when I looked into one corner there was this little white ball of fluff. He was smaller then all the others and was lieing weird. His paws were out to the side and his chin was on the floor. Several other bunnies were on top of him or agianst him. I called a worker over and started ranting and raving. He got the little ball of fluff out and handed him to me. Thats when I realized that he could not use his front legs at all. They seemed stuck out to the side. The owner of the place tried to tell me that he must be the runt and something was wrong with him. He then said they would have him put down right away.

That got me going agian. I told them no and that I was taking the bunny home. The owner said no problem. He threw in a cage and food and litter also for free. I think he was hoping I wouldn't make a big deal about it. To bad for him the next day I started phone calls and everything. Within 9 months the place was shut down by one of the local rescues I had contacted. In the mean time I took my little bunny to the vet to find out that something in his back had been crushed. I can't remember all the details now but the vet said to put him down I said no. The little boy was very sweet and like to cuddle and give kisses. So the vet gave me some meds and some advice on the bunnies care.

Well to make a long story short I had bun-bun for 4 1/2 years before he passed of complications. He learned to hop around the like a kangaroo. And he turned out not to be so little. He was huge. He weighed about 10 pounds. He slept with me every night and had the run or hop of the house because he was smart enough to litter train. I would even take him to the park. Kids love the fact that this little disabled bunny was so sweet and friendly. He was not happy unless he was on your lap. I wonder in he was a dog in another life. LOL