We are raising £10,000 to fight for hundreds of dogs held in a Puppy Farm

Our case

We believe that before granting a licence to a dog breeding establishment, the licensing authority should check whether it meets the basic requirements of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which was set up to protect all dogs in England and Wales.  North Kesteven District Council have granted successive dog breeding licences to “Little Rascals” in Lincolnshire, enabling them to keep 200 breeding bitches in unsuitable conditions. 

If we succeed, our case we will set a precedent for other local authorities to follow, ensuring that dogs will no longer be kept in such establishments.

The basic animal rights include: 

• The right to a suitable environment - for a pet dog this cannot be the barns or other outbuildings that are currently being used to house hundreds of dogs
• The right to exhibit natural behaviour - the natural behaviour for a pet dog is to be a person’s companion and to be able to exercise and play 
• The right to be protected from pain, suffering and disease – these dogs are suffering because they are not in a suitable environment and are unable to exhibit natural behaviour and we also have concerns about hygiene and disease control

Costs to the taxpayer

Aside from our wish to help these dogs, there are compelling financial reasons for putting an end to irresponsible breeding. According to the RSPCA dealing with stray and abandoned dogs, dog bites and traffic accidents caused by dogs, costs us in the region of £63.9million per year.  

Of an estimated 102,363 stray and unwanted dogs across the UK last year; 5,142 were put down, and 24,182 were helped by just three animal welfare charities. These problems stem from irresponsible breeding and supply, exacerbated by poor licensing practices such as those shown in North Kesteven. 

Large commercial breeding establishments - Puppy Farms - are the worst offenders for irresponsible breeding; this establishment will produce well over 1,000 puppies annually.  

How much are we raising and what is it for? 

We need to raise the £10,000 to cover the initial legal costs of starting the judicial review challenge, to take us through to the preliminary 'Permission' Stage.  

The stretch target of £50,000 will cover our legal costs for the main hearing at which our legal team will argue the case and it will also protect our small charity if we lose the case (as it will cover the costs that we will need to pay in that eventuality).

Our legal team is Salima Budhani from Bindmans LLP and David Wolfe QC from Matrix Chambers.

About the claimant

Chancepixies Animal Welfare are a small, independent charity registered in England and Wales, dedicated to preventing abandonment and neglect of animals in our country and reduce the need for rescue.There are laws in place able to prevent much of the animal suffering we see today, these laws need to properly understood and enforced by those empowered to use them.

Fast facts

• What’s at stake:

These dogs were bred to be pets and companion animals and are expected to produce pet and companion puppies, yet they are kept in completely unsuitable conditions for companion dogs – in conditions that might be expected for farm animals. 

Licensing authorities are given the power to enforce the AWA, and we are bringing this case to ensure that they do not continue ignoring it. This action has the potential to prevent dogs being 'legally' kept in this way ever again, across the country - and you can help achieve this.

• What's the next step?

After careful discussion and consideration with our legal team, we plan to bring a “judicial review” case, which is a type of court proceeding where a judge reviews the lawfulness of a decision or action taken by a public body (in this case the North Kesteven District Council).

Specifically we are challenging the decision to grant a licence to the puppy farm (under section 1 of the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973), which we believe may have been in breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

We have submitted our claim and are awaiting an oral hearing before the substantive phase of Judicial Review.

• Our legal team 

A team of highly regarded lawyers from Bindmans LLP and Matrix Chambers