Tech startup ‘staunch’ supporter of Lucy’s Law to go to war with puppy farmers
A new tech startup has been awarded £200,000 from Jenson SEIS and EIS Fund 2017/18 in early stage investment in order to launch a new platform that will combat puppy farming.
Tailwise, will match dog buyers with responsibly bred dogs in order to “improve animal welfare in the UK through technology”. The company says it is a “staunch” supporter of Lucy’s Law a legislation to ban the sale of puppies by pet shops and all commercial third-party dealers.
Sam Worthy, CEO and co-founder at Tailwise, said: “I grew up around dogs, so a couple of years ago I looked into getting my own. The one I saw was very likely from a puppy farm and I realised that the dog buying process was completely outdated and fraught with risks.
“It became clear that there is a stark split between breeders who care and want the very best for their litters and unscrupulous people who exploit the emotive nature of buying a puppy.”
According to 2016 research by the RSPCA, between 770,000 and 1,500,000 puppies are purchased every year in the UK. Tailwise says that when buying a dog in the UK there is a “significant chance of a dog being sourced from unethical puppy farms”.
