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(44)
SALE OF PET ANIMALS
The Pet Animals Act, 1951, came into operation on 1st April, 1952.
No person may keep a pet shop except under the authority of a licence
granted in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
A licence may be granted by a local authority (in London a Metropolitan
Borough) on application from a person not for the time being
disqualified from keeping a pet shop and on payment of such fee not
exceeding 10/- as the Local Authority shall determine. In deciding whether
to grant a licence the Local Authority has particular regard to the need
for securing that animals will at all times be kept in suitable accommodation,
adequately supplied with suitable food and drink and (so far as
necessary) visited at suitable intervals, and that mammals shall not be
sold at too early an age; also that all reasonable precautions will be
taken to prevent the spread among animals of infectious diseases and
appropriate steps taken in case of fire or other emergency. The Local
Authority specifies in the licence such conditions as they think necessary
or expedient in each particular case.
Any person aggrieved by the refusal of the Local Authority to grant
a licence or the conditions imposed in the licence may appeal to a Court
of summary jurisdiction and the Court can give directions with respect to
the issue of a licence or to the conditions subject to which a licence is
to be granted.
Any person keeping a pet shop without a licence, or not complying
with any of the conditions of a licence is guilty of an offence, as is
any person carrying on the business of selling animals as pets in any
part of a street or public place except at a stall or barrow in a market
and any person selling an animal as a pet to a person whom he has
reasonable cause to believe to be under the age of twelve years. Penalties
are prescribed for offences under the Act.
During 1952, ten licences were issued, appropriate conditions being
applied to each licence as conditions warranted.