Hey folks, daddy Steve here. Just finished reading a sweet cozy mystery but that’s not the one I’ll talk to you about today. Today’s report is about a non fiction book titled Lucy's Law, by author Marc Abraham.
Marc Abraham is a vet in the UK. If that makes a difference, he's a TV vet. I had never heard of him before but he apparently appears on many TV show. What he retells in this book is how he championed the law that put an end to the third party selling of puppies, you know by pet shops and such. By doing that, it effectively put an end to the puppy mills, aka puppy farms.
This book shook me, hard. See, way, way before Malcolm entered our lives, and even before Andrew was born, Malcolm's mommy and I were the proud furparents of a little furball. ToTo was his name. He was a terrier/tibetan spaniel cross, all black saved for the muzzle and the tip of his front paws. He was a dominant little dog but we loved him so much. We went to training school with him, taught him how to walk on leash. That was more than 25 years ago. We had bought ToTo from a pet shop, not knowing any better. We were young and were (and still are) big dog lovers. He as perfect for us. Then one day, just like little Lucy the rescue cavalier kind charles in the book, he started having seizures. They got worse and worse. I was working out of town by Malcolm's mommy took good care of litte ToTo, until it got too bad and medications couldn't control the seizures and we had to have ToTo be put down at about two and half years of age. We cried and cried and even all these years later, I still get a knot in my throat writing about it.
Sadly, ToTo was probably a puppy mill puppy. As I said, we didn't know any better. Reading about the conditions these pups and the breeding females are living made me cry. It was not an easy read but it was very informative.
I would recommend this read with the fair warning that it's got its sad moments...
Sadly, Lucy the little cavalier rescue has since gone over the rainbow bridge, but her Facebook page is still very active:
https://www.facebook.com/lucytherescuecavalier/
#Malcolmstories #doggiebooks

This is the story of one dog and the changes made to the law that allowed puppy and kitten farms to exist. Of course, I hesitate to call them farms—factories is a better word. The book takes place in England, but the story is the same wherever you go. Lucy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was born into a Welsh puppy farm. Life at the farm is not an easy life. The dogs are bred repeatedly to produce cute little puppies, who are taken from them and sold on-line and transported far and wide to owners. Life for the likes of Lucy is grim, with poor care or love. In the case of Lucy, she lucked out. Lucy was chosen for adoption and rehabilitated by Lisa Garner, dog-lover extraordinaire. Lisa recognized how special Lucy was and began to work to get rid of and prohibit puppy farms such as the one Lucy came from. After adopting Lucy, along with Marc Abraham, a vet flooded with seriously ill puppies like Lucy, began a campaign to achieve this. Once he found that most of the sick dogs came from the same breeder, he and Lisa were able to zero in on that breeder and ultimately change the law to prohibit so-called puppy farms.

This is a great book to provide insights into just what goes on (or went on) at puppy farms, including the squalor, lack of love and normal life as well as the terrible way the dogs are valued only for the offspring they can produce. It definitely showed me a side of life I had heard about but had never read about. The book will probably turn the stomach of dog lovers everywhere because of the many descriptions of how the dogs live and are treated on dog farms, but I think it is good to have that sort of background to fully understand the situation, so we can work to make things better. It took time to change things as is always the case, but in the end, things worked out for the best—for which I am happy. It shows us that we all can do something to make the world a better place. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Inspiring and well told.
This book tells the tale of the endless campaigning that took place to get Lucy's Law in place and put an end to the selling of puppies where the mother is not seen.
The details of the conditions these dogs were kept in is heartbreaking and this law is well due for the welfare of out four legged friends.
Well written and very detailed.
A recommended read for all dog and animal lovers.
Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for allowing me to read in return for a review.

was interested in this book as I have two dogs myself and feel so as when watching/reading about puppy breeding and puppy farms. Learning about the disgusting conditions where dogs are kept and breed to many times.

I found this book really eye opening to see what’s actually going on behind the pictures of the cute puppies families see and not behind the scenes. The way Marc didn’t give up on dogs just like Lucy, being their voice and making them heard

I’m not really sure on how to review this as it’s a good read but sad and at some points really hard to read.

I’d recommend reading this book if you are a dog/animal lover or wanting to read how Lucy’s law came up and the way puppy farms. I’ve attached the link below to buy it on amazon but it’s also for sale in Asda (I know this as my mum brought it the other day!)

A heartbreaking and heartwarming story that moved me to tears and root for the battle they had to fight for passing the law.
It's a great read, engrossing and well written even if a bit repetitive at times.
It's a must read for any animal lover.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The book describes exactly what a puppy farm is, the horrendous conditions the mothers and babies live in and how these cruel breeders operate. Marc Abraham details the horrific medical conditions that puppy mill dogs endure including skin conditions, eye ulcers, and heart murmurs to name just a few.

Marc Abraham is a veterinary surgeon with a huge heart. He wasn’t prepared to sit back and let this horrendous practice continue. During his campaign, he met a little Cavalier called Lucy, who has now sadly passed away. Marc explains his crusade and how Lucy came to be the face and name behind Lucy’s Law.

Marc has often appeared on television programmes including BBC Breakfast, The Alan Titchmarsh Show and This Morning. Through his work on tv, he came into contact with many celebrities including Ricky Gervais and Paul O’Grady who are devoted to rescue and true animal lovers.

This book reinforces that we can all do something to protect those who are most vulnerable. We owe it to these poor dogs to educate ourselves about this horrendously cruel practice, pass on the information to others and report suspicious breeders.

Amazing what a group of determined people can accomplish, I eat, sleep and breath animal rescue so this boom was a must read. Yes heartbreakingly sad at times but uplifting and hopeful for better days ahead for mans best friend. as the public is more educated and aware. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

As an animal lover, I despise that puppy farming is so prevalent across the UK but the media rarely talks about it and they give the same silent treatment when it comes to fox hunting which appals me. However, big legislative changes we're made thanks to Lucy and the animal activists that fought for a worthy cause. Lucy’s law comes into effect in April 2020 and is effectively a ban on puppy and kitten farms. Lucy was rescued from one of these farms where she had been kept in horrifying conditions. It's a heartbreaking, no holds barred work of non-fiction and was a hard read due to the subject matter. It will likely infuriate all of those who adore animals and our pets. When she was rescued and taken home by Lisa Garner she found the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was terrified of her and jumped out of her skin at the least bit noise.

This law is a big move in the right direction to closing down these places run by the people with the most abhorrent views. The fact that farming is such a lucrative business is why so many people do it. Both Lisa Garner and Marc Abraham are the heroes of this story. Marc is a vet who was flooded with seriously ill puppies and decided to look into it a little more. What he found was that every single one of them came from the exact same breeder. This obviously set events in motion and was a huge red flag. It shows how a small group of people can change the law for the better to ensure animals don't live in filthy, awful conditions. It's very frustrating in parts and made me quite angry and upset. Such a powerful, hard-hitting story. Highly recommended. RIP Lucy. Many thanks to Mirror Books for an ARC.

Thank you Netgally, the author and the publisher for the free review copy.

This book is heartbreaking, turned triumphant. Lucy is a puppy who is rescued from horrid conditions. At times while reading this I became extremely angry, disgusted and completely frustrated.

The way some people think it's okay to mistreat animals makes me sick to my stomach.

I wouldn't recommend this for younger readers, probably 14-15 and up. It is pretty descriptive.

Lucy's Law is a huge step,in closing down puppy farms. Lucy was a puppy that was so scared of humans and household appliances as she had ne er seen or heard them before. Thankfully she was adopted y a woman who loved her unconditionally. Marc Abraham is a vet who was inundated with sick puppies. On further investigation he realised they had all came from the same breeder. On these farms the animals live in squalor. It has taken ten years for Lucy's Law to be passed. Unfortunately Lucy had passed away by then. At times, this is a heartbreaking and frustrating read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Mirror Books and the author Marc Abraham for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for my review copy via NetGalley.

I had a basic understanding of Lucy's Law before reading, having adopted our own rescue King Charles Cavalier 20 months ago.

However this book gives the full details of how Lucy was rescued from a puppy farm, adopted and then met an extraordinary vet - Marc Abraham. Marc details in his book how a small group of people managed to change the law to protect 'man's best friend'.

The book should be read by animal lovers, future vets, future politicians and anyone looking at how to change the law. It is heartbreaking in places so perhaps for age 14 and above.

I hope that the main campaigners will be honoured for their work to stop the puppy farms.

An interesting, heart-breaking, emotional, and heart-warming read.

This is a book I kept hearing about and seeing before it was out and I just wanted to read it. I loved the look of the book-the little pics of paws at the starts of chapters, and how can you resist that gorgeous photo of Lucy on the cover? An interesting, heart-breaking, emotional, and heart-warming read.

I was brought up on James Herriot books so I love vet memoirs-and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into this one. The book is about Marc Abraham’s life as a vet and his ten year campaign for Lucy's Law to put an end to puppy farms; unscrupulous breeders, terrible conditions resulting in dogs with very poor health.

Some relatives of mine had been Kennel Club breeders, and having boarding kennels. I had loved helping out there in school holidays/staying some weekends with my parents. The animals came first, and were well cared for. Used to that environment, I'd never heard of these puppy farms.

After qualifying, Marc Abraham, or Marc the Vet as he is known, worked at a practice in Watford. He has also worked abroad, eg. in Mumbai, doing rescue work for Welfare for Stray Dogs. As well as his work at an emergency vet clinic, he started working on The Paul O'Grady Show with a Pet Clinic slot, and as a TV Vet, he’s had segments on many well-known programmes.

I loved the book for the most part, but found it a big heavy-going in places. A bit long-winded and repetitive sometimes. I loved to read about his life as a vet, and the animals. The excess political stuff not so much, it went on a bit too much. A very important campaign and achievement though. An important book, and wonderful tribute to Lucy the rescue Cavalier.

Princess Fuzzypants here: This is the story of a vet with a big heart and an even bigger ambition. Working in an emergency clinic, he is overwhelmed by a hoard of sick puppies. Two would not recover but the others did. He was curious to see if there was any connection between these puppies and discovered they all were from the same breeder. Further investigation revealed the horrific circumstances from which they came. He knew something had to be done because as terrible as the puppy mill conditions were, they were also perfectly legal.
Along the way he met Lisa and her former puppy mill dog, Lucy. Lucy was an ideal spokes dog against the commercial breeding industry but it was after her death, when she became the face of the movement, Lucy was instrumental in changing the law first in England, then Wales and finally Scotland.
It is a heartbreaking story at timeS and frustrating at others as those angels who were trying to help dogs and cats mass produced in appalling conditions fought government and corporate greed. As they moved along, they gained supporters and became much better at selling their story. The book details the decade long fight and praises those who joined in the battle both the famous and the regular folk. At the heart of it, Marc and his key group were relentless. Perhaps it was his grandmother’s close escape from the gas chambers of Nazi Germany that made him believe it could be done.
All of us dogs and cats should thank him for his efforts. He and Lucy are heroes. Five purrs and two paws up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm always worried when I pick up a book about animals, especially dogs, when I know there will be sad parts. This book definitely had its sad parts. Poor Lucy went through so many years before she got her forever home with a loving dog mom and doggy siblings.
I am a huge believer in adopting rescue dogs and I will never buy a dog from a breeder, no matter how responsible they are. I currently have 2 rescues, both with special needs.
This book was sad yet uplifting to see how good people are trying to get laws in place in the UK regarding puppy farms.

This book covers the 10 years it took for England to create and enact Lucy’s Law which bans all third party sellers of dogs. This law is the beginning step in shutting down puppy farms/mills in England. It will in turn save countless lives of the dogs deemed not perfect and remove the Mothers from the small, filthy cages where they are kept for their entire lives. It is an important and necessary law that should be in every country. It was named after Lucy, a sweet little dog that had a horrendous life at a puppy farm. She was so scared of people and normal household items as she had never seen them before. She was adopted by an amazing woman who loved her unconditionally. Lucy passed away before the law became law. I am am huge supporter of Animal Rescues and I have adopted 3 rescue dogs that I love with all my heart. The author who is also a vet and the man behind Lucy’s Law wrote an important book. I found the book itself boring to read and perhaps it could have been shortened a bit bit this story really needed to be told. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. I ask each if you to not buy dogs from puppy mills or back yard breeders. Research the breeder to ensure the Mother and pups are well taken care of and an even better idea is to adopt a rescue dog.