This historic decision means that, for the first time, one of the main avenues used by unscrupulous breeders to sell puppies in Victoria will be SHUT DOWN.

Pet shops and online trading sites are often used by puppy farmers as a front for their cruel businesses. Window displays encourage impulse buying, which sees countless dogs and cats ending up in shelters each year and thousands killed simply because there aren't enough homes to go around. Selling online and in pet shops also means that puppy farmers can hide the conditions in which parent dogs are kept, churning out puppies for sale.

Restricting the sale of dogs and cats in pet shops to those from rescue groups will help curb the indiscriminate trade in animals from puppy factories. And other states around the country now have an animal-friendly policy example to look to — especially in the lead up to 2015 elections in Queensland and NSW.

No longer will any Victorian pet shop customers unwittingly support puppy factories!

Coming off the back of lobbying efforts by Animals Australia and our colleague groups Oscar's Law and RSPCA Victoria, this landmark achievement was aided by the voices of tens of thousands of individuals who have relentlessly petitioned their MPs.

This precedent also creates a powerful platform to launch our new national campaign calling on animal lovers everywhere to help end the cruelty of puppy factories. Thanks to the generosity of thousands of Animals Australia supporters, we are putting the finishing touches on this exciting initiative that will hit TV screens in the New Year.

You can help!