Buying a puppy from abroad
RSPCA ALERT AS IT LOBBIES MINISTERS FOR LAW CHANGE
AN ANIMAL welfare charity has launched a campaign to get the government to increase the minimum age that puppies can be imported into Britain.
The new effort by the RSPCA comes as reports suggest the demand for puppies has soared in the UK during the pandemic.
Allied to this, though, are new figures which reveal Trading Standards received nearly 1,000 puppy-related complaints in England alone during lockdown by people concerned about the illegal and unscrupulous selling of dogs.
Almost half saw an increase in the number of complaints during lockdown compared to last year, with some reporting complaints surging more than six-fold.
This increased demand may be inadvertently fuelling the puppy trade both here and abroad, as a new poll revealed that 38 per cent of UK adults thinking of getting a dog would consider buying one that had been smuggled into the country.
Sadly, this trade has a tragic toll on young dogs and their mothers and, in recent weeks, the RSPCA has taken in a litter of sick puppies from a puppy farm as well as rescuing a suspected breeding bitch who was dumped dying in freezing conditions as she was no longer useful for producing pups
The RSPCA has now launched #ForPupsSake and is urging the government to increase the minimum age that puppies can be brought into the UK from 15 weeks to 24 weeks, as well as introducing better enforcement checks at the borders.
RSPCA dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines said: “We have huge concerns about puppy imports and, with the reported soaring demand for dogs as people stay at home through the pandemic, we fear this demand is fuelling this potentially damaging trade.
“This summer saw legal imports of puppies more than double, as the demand for puppies can’t be met domestically.
“New laws introduced in April this year should help crack down on the domestic puppy farms in England and Wales, but dogs are still coming in by their thousands from overseas and we have no independent way of checking the conditions in which these puppies are being kept.
“We fear that legal imports are often a cover for puppy farms which do not put the welfare of the animals first and Brexit provides us with a unique opportunity to finally crackdown on this problem.
“Then there is the problem of illegal puppy smuggling and those who buy a puppy that has been illegally imported from abroad are not only potentially supporting an illicit, underground trade that promotes animal cruelty and neglect in order to make money, but may end up with a puppy who is extremely sick with the potential for severe behaviour problems, or who could even be carrying dangerous zoonotic diseases into the UK.
“We know that puppy dealers like to bring in puppies as young as possible so that they are more marketable and desirable to buyers. This means that puppies are being taken away from their mothers too young, which can have serious long-term implications for their welfare and wellbeing.