If elected to succeed Boris Johnson in May, Ms Berry says she would lead efforts to clampdown on the selling of illegally imported puppies and those bred on puppy farms.
She would also campaign for tougher licensing of pet shops, including regular veterinary inspections, and a requirement that anyone buying a pet is provided with information about how to care for them.
Under a Berry Mayoralty City Hall would provide funding and support to pet charities, especially those which promote neutering, in order to ensure all pet owners had access to affordable preventive veterinary care.
Ms Berry has also pledged to boost responsible pet ownership by promoting the laws requiring dogs to be microchipped, supporting school and community based education programmes and safeguarding funding for the Met’s Dangerous Dog Unit.
Landlords would also be expected to adopt policies which encourage responsible pet ownership and those which currently ban the keeping of pets would be urged to recognise the needs of pet owners.
“Landlords should be required to recognise the needs of pet owners in rented accommodation and allow them to keep their pets,” said Berry who visited Battersea Dogs & Cats Home on Tuesday.
“As a pet owner myself, I recognise the crucial role that domestic animals play in millions of our lives, which is why I will also do my utmost to make sure that Londoners are not excluded from this enriching experience simply because of the type of tenure of their housing.”
Londoners will elect a new Mayor and the 25 members of the London Assembly on May 5th. Candidates for Mayor include Conservative Zac Goldsmith, Labour’s Sadiq Khan, Liberal Democrat Caroline Pidgeon, the Green party’s Sian Berry and UKIP’s Peter Whittle.
