Appeal for more action to protect at-risk dogs
FOR more than six years, Dogs Trust has been working to expose the cruel puppy smuggling trade.
As members of Dogs Trust’s parliamentary Puppy Smuggling Taskforce, we have written to the Government calling for urgent action to stop the illegal importation of dogs into the UK. Almost 50 MPs have signed this letter, including Glasgow MP Carol Monaghan. Through its first four undercover investigations and the establishment of the Puppy Pilot scheme, Dogs Trust have found evidence of:
• Puppies bred in horrific conditions, and heavily pregnant females being illegally brought into the UK to allow dealers to dupe buyers into buying “UK bred” puppies.
• Long journeys from central and eastern Europe and no food, no exercise, no toilet breaks and insufficient water.
• Ineffective border controls and enforcement of Pet Travel Scheme at UK ports and lack of sufficient penalties to deter illegal trade.
Until the Government acts, many more dogs will suffer at the hands of criminals. We urge the Government to take action and introduce legislation.
Dr Neil Hudson MP FRCVS Dogs Trust
THE specific facts of this incident (Horse killed and rider rushed to hospital after crash on rural Airdrie road, April 27) will be the subject of legal proceedings so no comment. However, on a more general note, I am concerned that: a. Due to lockdown, there are more pedestrians, cyclists, horses using rural roads as they have every right to do; b. Many younger car drivers will have zero experience of driving on rural roads and the specific hazards they present; c. The national speed limit on most rural roads is 60mph which is too high; I see little evidence of police enforcement on rural roads; d. Pedestrians, cyclists, animal riders etc may have unrealistic ideas and limited experience of how some drivers may behave on rural roads where the time margin for correcting any error at speed is a matter of seconds.
Scot Gov, local authorities and Police Scotland need to do more.