Huge popularity of ‘designer’ breeds is driving demand

SOARING demand for “designer” dogs is said to be fuelling illegal puppy farms.

Figures published by the RSPCA estimate 430,000 young dogs come from unlicensed UK breeders each year.

The charity has said it is unclear if the demand can be met through existing registered UK breeders.

The sheer scale of suspected illegal activity is stark given the RSPCA says just 70,000 puppies, representing around 10% of those sold annually in Britain, enter the market through legitimate breeders.

It’s estimated that on top of the unlicensed UK trade, an extra 40,000 dogs per annum are coming into the country from Ireland, via Holyhead and Fishguard.

A further 30,000 pups come from further afield, including countries such as Lithuania, Poland and Hungary – usually entering the UK through Dover and the Channel Tunnel.

The puppies are typically stored in pods before being advertised online and, once a buyer is found, they are taken to a “fake” home to fool the prospective owner into believing that’s where they have been bred.

Fake documentation has also been observed being used by one gang as a way to reassure buyers that the dogs were from healthy and genuine breeders.

Some dealers are thought to have been raking in £2m a year, or £35,000 a week through the unlicensed trade.