Heart strings across the globe where tugged when the news broke of poor Lucy, the puppy farm breeder dog with a deformed back who was rescued from a puppy farm in Wales.
The good news from that sad story is that it sparked the first countrywide ban in the world. England passed its ban in the summer of 2019 to become affective April Fools’ Day, 2020.
Wales
Welsh activists have long hoped a similar ban in Wales could actually pass before England’s went into effect. But often the wheels of law turn slowly. Wales had its public comment period completed last summer and the law will be “laid” sometime in the near future, but the nightmare of BREXIT has put a lot of UK laws on the back burner until they figure out the path forward.
The Wales Parliament has met this month and projected a laying if the law, but not before Spring.
Scotland
Scotland, too, has started the process. A little bit of a surprise as there were some important players in the animal welfare realm in Scotland that were actually against the law for some perplexing reason. But, speaking of reason, reason prevailed and Scotland is moving forward. Though they not only have a Brexit to contend with, but a growing movement for independence from the UK which has an urgency at the moment.
Northern Ireland
That left Northern Ireland as the only UK member country to not take a position on England’s passage of Lucy’s Law. Calls for action and passage continue to come in. One in August 2019 and now, 1/2020, the Belfast City Council is demanding parliament take action sooner than later.
UK
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