Calls for a blanket ban on the sale of puppies from pet shops are set to reach the ears of MPs for the first time – thanks to the people of Primrose Hill and its local A-listers.
PupAid, a campaign group opposing the UK’s puppy farming industry, has been awarded a House of Commons debate after collecting more than 100,000 signatures on an e-petition.
Activists believe the debate, on Thursday September 4, will be the first time puppy farming – where dogs are reared in appalling battery-style conditions – has been raised in Parliament.
And PupAid founder Marc Abraham says moving the organisation’s annual dog show from Brighton to Primrose Hill was key to gathering enough support to secure the parliamentary debate.
The TV vet said: “The support from the community in Primrose Hill has been quite moving.
“We get about 6,000 or 7,000 visitors each year and it’s become part of the calender.
“It has also helped us to gather lots of celebrity support – and we’re using that to drive the message home.”
The proximity of Primrose Hill to the homes of many celebrities – who barely have to wander out of the front doors to be there – has helped the cause greatly.
The first Primrose Hill event, in 2012, was attended by Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, comedian Ricky Gervais and Queen guitarist Brian May, while footballer Peter Crouch, his model wife Abbey Clancy, and “Queen of Shops” Mary Portas were among the supporters last year.
The next PupAid event takes place two days after the debate on Saturday, September 6 and is expected to be another star-studded affair.
Meanwhile, the campaign group is calling on all animal lovers to write to their MPs asking them to attend the debate.
Hampstead and Kilburn MP Glenda Jackson is on a list of about 50 MPs who have so far pledged their support.
PupAid believes a ban on the sale of puppies at pet shops is the only way to “starve” the puppy farming industry.
Mr Abraham added: “Puppies produced on large-scale commercial breeding establishments, known as puppy farms, and irresponsibly produced kittens are separated from their mothers too early, often transported long distances, and as a result often suffer serious life-threatening problems including paired immune systems, poor socialisation, infectious diseases and shorter life spans.”
Visit pupaid.org for details.
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