8 Dec 2020
Dogs Trust urges Government to raise minimum age of pups entering the UK and increase penalties for smugglers following alarming research results.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
Dogs Trust’s research found 30% of people would be willing to buy an illegally imported puppy. Image © Beth Walsh
Dogs Trust has urged the Government to act after almost a third of puppy purchasers admitted they would be willing to buy a puppy even if they suspected it might have been smuggled into the country.
The UK’s largest dog welfare charity has today (8 December) released research to highlight the scale of the problem and called for urgent Government action to:
Dogs Trust’s consumer research polled 2,000 people in the UK who had either bought a puppy or were looking to buy one in the future.
It revealed 30% of people would be willing to buy an illegally imported puppy and 44% would be willing to buy from an online advert despite:
Dogs Trust has been highlighting the issue for more than six years, and with demand for puppies – and, in turn, puppy prices – having soared during the pandemic, a perfect storm has been created for criminals looking to cash in.
Between March and the end of November, Dogs Trust rescued 257 puppies illegally imported into the country from abroad, as well as 16 heavily pregnant bitches that have gone on to give birth to an additional 61 puppies. These alone were worth more than £570,000.
A new report “Puppy smuggling: puppies still paying as Government delays”, which has been sent to MPs, looked at adverts for dogs on four of the largest classified websites.
Of 502 ads examined over six weeks in England and Scotland, 91 pups were found to be imported (18%). In total, 16 of these were too young to have been brought in legally – and Dogs Trust believes that was the case for many others.
Dogs Trust veterinary director Paula Boyden said: “For more than six years, Dogs Trust has been exposing the abuses of pet travel legislation by puppy smugglers, but our concerns have so far gone unanswered.
“The findings of our latest research demonstrate that it’s more important than ever that the Government takes action to stop the suffering of puppies at the hands of cruel traders. Pups continue to pay for every day of Government delay.”
Dr Boyden continued: “We want people to understand that buying an illegally imported puppy has huge implications for both the pups – who have to travel miles across borders in awful conditions – and the mums who are basically breeding machines.
“Too many would-be dog owners simply do not pay attention to where their puppy comes from, and this must stop. We’re urging people to be patient, do their research and take measures not to buy into this cruel industry, which results in horrendous suffering to the dogs involved.”
Dogs Trust has highlighted some of the dangers of puppy smuggling in a new animation titled “A Christmas Tale”:
