If you want a puppy or kitten:

• You should see it with its mother where it was bred, or
• Adopt from a shelter

Why? Because if you don’t see the mother, she could be suffering hidden away. Puppy farming in terrible conditions only continues because buyers do not see it. If they did, they would not buy from there. So breeders would be forced to improve conditions. Unfortunately, it is not possible to force people to have compassion for animals, but money talks.

In 2020, the British government introduced Lucy’s Law, named after a cavalier King Charles spaniel who suffered years of neglect in a puppy farm. The law bans the sale of puppies and kittens through third-party commercial sellers, meaning pet shops can no longer sell them. Instead, animals must be bought directly from breeders in transparent, accountable conditions—or adopted from registered shelters.

This matters because third-party selling removes transparency. Buyers cannot see breeding conditions or parent dogs, allowing cruelty to remain hidden from public view.

THE CURRENT WELFARE GAP
Breeding farms in Singapore are licensed and regulated by AVS. But minimum standards are not the same as good welfare.

Dogs can legally be kept in cages as long as they meet minimum sizes. There is no actual requirement for enrichment - so just an empty metal cage with no bedding can pass, and no clear requirement for daily time outside the cage. While regulations state dogs should have access to exercise areas, there is no guarantee that any exercise is provided for any animal. In practice, this means dogs can spend their lives in these cages. 

 

SYSTEMIC ANIMAL WELFARE CONCERNS
Reports of ex-breeding dogs being rescued in poor condition are not rare. Many arrive with severe dental disease, untreated infections, and long-term health problems. These are not isolated incidents—they point to a structural issue where animal welfare is compromised in favour of output and profit.

If buyers were required to see parent dogs and breeding environments directly, welfare standards would be naturally forced upward.

 

THE PROBLEM OF IMPORTED PUPPIES
Due to concerns over local supply chains, some pet shops import puppies from countries like the UK and Australia, often marketed as having “higher welfare standards.”

But this raises another issue: very young puppies are subjected to long-distance air travel, across continents. This can cause significant stress, and potential long-term behavioural issues such as anxiety. No ethical breeding system should rely on transporting vulnerable puppies internationally for sale in retail environments.

 

PET SHOPS AND IMPULSE BUYING
Pet shops inherently encourage impulse buying. Puppies displayed in glass enclosures risk being treated as products rather than sentient beings.

The UK government recognised that third-party sales encourage rushed decisions. By contrast, requiring buyers to:

• Visit breeders
• See living conditions
• Engage in a more deliberate process

…encourages responsible, informed pet ownership and reduces abandonment and neglect.

 

CONCLUSION
Singapore positions itself as a modern, progressive, and humane society. However, allowing third-party puppy sales places us behind countries like the UK, where Lucy’s Law has already redefined ethical standards in the pet trade.

Reforming our laws is not radical—it is a necessary step toward transparency, accountability, and basic animal welfare.