"Can Santa bring me Reggie back?" was the heartbreaking request of Rick Ackers' seven-year-old son, after the life of their family's beloved new puppy, a Labrador called Reggie, was tragically cut short.
Now determined dog owner Rick, from Wigan, is campaigning to put an end to the cruel practice of puppy farming and stop more puppies like Reggie becoming innocent victims of greedy sellers.
His Justice For Reggie campaign aims to change the way that dogs are sold online, and thanks to his tireless efforts MPs are set to debate it in Parliament next month.
Last year Rick wanted to buy his young son a family dog as a surprise, to bring some happiness to the family after spending months at home during Covid lockdowns.
He soon found “beautiful” Labrador puppy Reggie on a reputable selling website.
Reggie was slightly cheaper than the other dogs on the website - when Rick asked the seller why this was the case, he was told that the seller had bred the dogs to give one to his grandfather after his dog had died.
For the rest of the litter “it wasn’t about the money, it was about finding good homes,” Rick recalls being told - a story which turned out to be untrue.
The seller went on to tell more elaborate lies to Rick when he went to visit Reggie - when he came to the address the seller had given him, he noticed that it was very bare. The seller told him that he had only just moved in from outside the area, and also gave this as the reason why the mother of the litter wasn’t there.
But any alarm bells were pushed aside when Rick met adorable Reggie for the first time.
He “fell in love” with the puppy’s affectionate and playful nature, and ended up taking Reggie with him that day. And all seemed well when Reggie was first brought home - he loved playing with Rick’s son, but seemed to get very tired in between energy spurts.
But sadly, Reggie’s health quickly declined over the first night. By the morning, poor Reggie had a bad case of sickness and diarrhoea, and seemed to have no energy at all. Rick took him straight to the vets, where he tested positive for canine parvovirus, a serious virus that is particularly dangerous for young puppies.
Poor Reggie had to be quarantined at the vets, and just days later, Rick got the phone call that every dog owner dreads. Reggie’s health had continued to worsen, and the vet tragically recommended that the most humane option would be to put him to sleep.
Rick was with Reggie in his final moments, and was heartbroken to lose the newest member of his family so soon. “It was awful, just seeing that life… it’s like he never found affection", he said.
“He found love in our house, and we gave him a load of attention and had a load of toys and everything for him. He never left our side for the short time he was with us.”
Reggie’s loss was particularly tough on Rick’s then seven-year-old son, who had bonded with his beloved new puppy instantly.
“It was getting close to Christmas, so he said, ‘I wanted a Playstation 5 for Christmas, but if I don’t get a Playstation 5, can Santa bring me Reggie back?’
“It did cut him up. I saw him talking to the ashes of Reggie on the fireplace quite a bit.”
Rick wanted answers from the seller - but when he went back to the house that he had visited Reggie in just days ago, he found it empty. It was later discovered that Reggie had in fact been bred on a puppy farm in Ireland, born and raised in appalling conditions.
The puppy and his siblings had been taken away from their mother before the recommended time, and they also hadn’t had their vaccinations, which would have given Reggie a far better chance at fighting off the fatal virus.
In the wake of his family’s tragedy Rick set up the Justice For Reggie campaign, which aims to help put a stop to cruel puppy farming by calling for more regulations for websites around selling dogs online, making it more difficult for sellers to use puppies to earn quick cash.
The new measures the campaign is calling for would include sellers having to provide photo ID and proof of address, as well as a minimum number of photographs including ones of the puppies with their mother.
They would also ensure that sellers would have to show proof of vet certificates with all vaccination details for puppies.
Rick wants to see selling websites fined if they fail to make sure these higher standards are met when it comes to people selling dogs.
The issue is set to be debated in Parliament on December 13, after a petition set up by Rick and the Justice For Reggie campaign gained over 100,000 signatures from fellow dog lovers. Reggie’s Law, named as a tribute to Rick’s beloved puppy, would see the Government introduce regulations for all websites where animals are sold.
Rick is set to walk 232 miles to Downing Street from December 2, to deliver the petition in person on December 7. He hopes that the Parliament debate will lead to these new measures being introduced by the Government to help improve the way that dogs are sold online, and stop more puppies like Reggie losing their lives far too soon.
