Blue Cross pet charity met with Mims Davies MP for Eastleigh last week to give her a behind the scenes tour of its Victoria animal hospital and first-hand experience of the types of pets the charity sees on a daily basis.
The tour allowed the charity to highlight to Ms Davies the importance of the work the hospital provides to people and pets in need. In addition, Ms Davies was offered the opportunity to learn exactly what goes into the running of a large animal hospital, the type of pets helped and witness first-hand the hard work from the dedicated vets, nurses, auxiliary staff and volunteers alike.
The charity discussed the positive steps the Government is making to tackle unscrupulous breeders and sellers of puppies with Ms Davies, including plans to make it illegal to sell puppies younger than eight weeks old and requirements for anyone trading commercially in pets online to be properly licensed.
Mims said:
‘My constituents are, like me, real animal lovers – and every week I get hundreds of messages looking for reassurance. For this reason I am so pleased that the Government is taking animal welfare so seriously, and is making real leaps forward in legislating to protect vulnerable creatures.’
‘But at the end of the day, it is organisations such as the Blue Cross that provide the care and expertise to actually tangibly care of the animals we all love; and this visit really opened my eyes to the hard work that goes on in this hospital and in the charity’s other outposts around the country, such as the excellent rehoming centre based in my constituency in West End.’
Blue Cross is also supportive of advice shared by the Government on how to avoid buying an unhealthy or sick puppy and would always advise potential purchasers to do their research thoroughly beforehand, ensuring they see the puppy with its mother. More information can be found here https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/buying-puppy
Steven Broomfield, Victoria Blue Cross Animal Hospital Manager, who is a constituent of Ms Davies, said:
“It was lovely to meet Ms Davies and have the opportunity to show her the work we do here at Blue Cross, it was great to get her support on the issues with online sales of pets.”
“At our animal hospitals, we regularly see seriously ill pets and their devastated new owners - victims of unscrupulous breeders and sellers who prioritise profit over welfare.”
“We are happy to see that the Government is keen to act on the issues around the irresponsible breeding and selling of pets, particularly individuals advertising online, as this is an area that needs urgent attention.”
Blue Cross is a registered charity and relies on the support of animal lovers to continue its vital work. To find out more, make a donation or see pets in need of a loving home visit www.bluecross.org.uk