Tough new dog breeding rules are being brought in to ensure animal welfare.

The changes come as RSPCA figures show West Yorkshire was the highest outside London for the number of animal cruelty convictions.

Latest figures available show the charity investigated 17,038 complaints of animal cruelty in 2015 – 45% of which were in West Yorkshire.

The RSPCA also says that dogs are “the most persecuted pet” with 4,201 investigations into cruelty against man’s best friend in West Yorkshire alone for 2014 to 2015.

Cats were the second most inflicted animals, with 2,104 investigations of cruelty in our region for the same period.

The new legislation will tighten the rules around breeding and selling dogs and will make it illegal for anyone to sell puppies under eight-weeks-old.

And anyone breeding and selling three or more litters of puppies a year will be required to get a licence to do so.

Pet shops will also be required to give buyers written information about their new animals.

Recent cases in Huddersfield include a Newsome man who axed a dog to death and a Kirklees couple banned from keeping horses due to terrible neglect.

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To report animal cruelty go to www.rspca.org.uk/utilities/contactus/reportcruelty