Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Crateful of poorly pups now as fit as rugby namesakes
Nine pups discovered hidden in crates in an attempt to smuggle them into the country have been recovering at a kennels near Canterbury.
The adorable French bulldogs were cared for at the Dogs Trust’s re- homing centre at Chestfield after being rescued from illegal puppy dealers at Dover.
They are believed to have been transported from central or eastern Europe where types like the bulldog are bred and sold because they command the highest prices – often more than £1,000 a pup.
Quarantined for more than 15 weeks, they were still poorly when they arrived at the centre where they have been nurtured back to full health.
Now the dogs, which were named by the centre after England rugby players – Ashton, Burrell, Farrell, Haskell, Joseph, Robshaw, Brown, Brookes and Hartley – have been rehomed after a flood of interest.
Dogs Trust Canterbury, rehoming centre manager Harriet Blaskett said: “Some of the puppies which get signed across to us are extremely unwell due to their very young age and the horrendous ordeal that they have had to go through. The majority are underage when they first go into quarantine, prior to coming to Dogs Trust.
“We do everything we can do to negate the effects of being taken away from their mothers too early and travelling to the UK in poor conditions.
“We have campaigned for the last two years to put a stop to the abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme and to highlight the plight of illegally smuggled puppies and stop this unnecessary suffering.
“We would urge those thinking of buying puppies to thoroughly do their research to ensure that the breeder is reputable.”
Although the French bulldogs have all now been re-homed, the centre still has many more dogs looking for new owners.
The centre can be visited in Radfall Road, Chestfield. Call 0300 303 0292.