The city of Brighton and Hove contains zero registered dog breeders operating under licence, according to data gathered by animal welfare organisations.
The Naturewatch Foundation has called on local residents to alert the council if they encounter any potentially illegal or substandard breeding operations in their area.
Research conducted by the charity indicates that the overwhelming majority of puppies sold throughout the United Kingdom originate from sources that fall outside the official licensing framework.
Natalie Harney, who serves as campaign manager at the organisation, expressed serious concern about the scale of puppy trading that occurs beyond regulatory oversight.
She noted that while existing regulations have their limitations, the licensing system was established specifically to safeguard animal welfare and to ensure some form of monitoring and responsibility within the breeding industry.
The investigation employed Freedom of Information requests to collect information directly from local authorities across the country.
The findings revealed that licensed breeders are responsible for producing only between 10.5 and 14 per cent of puppies in the UK.
This implies that approximately 89.5 per cent of puppies may either be bred illegally or fail to meet the standards required for official licensing.
Across the United Kingdom as a whole, approximately 2,572 dog breeding establishments hold valid licences.
However, none of these licensed operations are situated within Brighton and Hove.
The foundation has emphasised that ordinary citizens possess the ability to make a meaningful impact by bringing any suspicions about unlawful breeding activities to the attention of either the local council or Naturewatch Foundation directly.