Taking advantage of Christmas demand, very young puppies are being smuggled en masse into the UK from Eastern and Central European countries – states Dog Trust, the UK’s largest Animal Welfare and Charity Organization.
100 puppies seized in one week
100 puppies were seized at the border within one week, and despite tightened regulations, this number is still only the tip of the iceberg.
There are only 5 weeks left until Christmas, and the Dog Trust Organization wants to draw people’s attention to not supporting cruel smuggling by buying illegally imported puppies into the UK!
The demand for popular dog breeds is huge
According to statistical data, the demand for popular dog breeds such as French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, Dachshunds, Pugs, and Chow-Chows continues to not decrease.
The smuggling of puppies of “trendy” dog breeds is still thriving, so Dog Trust aims to reduce the trade of illegally imported puppies by widely informing people. Since 2014, they have been publicizing the terrible conditions these illegally smuggled puppies have to endure. Additionally, stricter regulations are also being emphasized.
The high demand for popular dog breeds greatly facilitates the flourishing of this terrible trade, from which unscrupulous puppy factories and dog dealers expect significant financial gain.
Puppies aged 4-6 weeks are put up for sale and transported in terrible conditions
Puppies struggling with behavioral and health problems are put up for sale. The puppies from Central and Eastern European countries set out under terrible conditions. The 4-5-6 week old puppies are locked in tiny cages, sitting and pacing in their own urine, feces, and vomit, and are smuggled halfway across Europe in this way.
Nearly 300,000 puppies were illegally smuggled into the UK in 2016
In 2016, more than 275,000 puppies entered the UK, which is more than 3 times the figure recorded in 2011; in fact, over 5 years, the number of illegally imported dogs tripled.
“Buying an illegally imported puppy might seem potentially more cost-effective for unsuspecting families, however, they must cover the quarantine period costs as well as veterinary bills. And the heartbreak if the puppy gets sick or, worse, dies also weighs heavily. Recently, 7 Cane Corso puppies were found with infected wounds because their ears and tails had been illegally docked in unsterile conditions and disinfected with vodka.” – says Dog Trust’s veterinary director, Dr. Paula Boyden. She continues: “According to recent public opinion survey data, only 50% of prospective buyers say they are concerned if a purchased puppy was illegally imported. Based on the results, we believe the public is not sufficiently aware of the horrors of illegal trade that smuggled dogs go through.”
Dog Trust, the United Kingdom's Animal Welfare and Protection Organization
Dog Trust (formerly known as the National Dog Protection Federation), is the United Kingdom’s animal welfare, charitable, and humane social organization specialized in the well-being of dogs. The charity rehabilitates in every aspect and finds new homes for dogs abandoned by their owners or relinquished by their owners. Dog Trust encourages people to support a dog who has lost its family and home with at least 1 pound per week, even if they are unable to adopt a single dog. The Organization widely operates microchipping and neutering programs throughout the UK to reduce the birth of unwanted litters and the euthanasia of stray dogs by other organizations!
Dog Trust has 20 "new home seeking" centers in the United Kingdom. Its first international "new home seeking" center opened in November 2009 in Dublin, Ireland. In November this year, Dog Trust committed itself to building the first "new home seeking" center in Bosnia and Herzegovina to help local communities tackle the nationwide stray dog crisis.
Today, Dog Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare and charity organization, helping more than 17,000 dogs annually through its 20 "new home seeking" centers across the UK and the Dublin network.
Dog Trust currently operates as a charity in 10 countries around the world, working within communities and alongside governments on numerous public interest issues and topics, such as the problem of "dangerous dogs in society," the issue of so-called "status dogs," the puppy farm problem, as well as the online sales of puppies. They invest more than 6 million pounds annually in preventive work.
The charity works closely with the Food Industry, Environmental, and Rural Development Ministries and has been closely involved in creating the most important animal welfare legislation over the past 30 years.
Dog Trust established the Puppy Pilot system
A 2014 investigation conducted in the ports of the UK (Folkestone and Dover) revealed serious resource shortages in efforts to stop smuggling into Great Britain and the confiscation of illegally arriving puppies. After this, Dog Trust took the first step for the placement and further care of smuggled and border-confiscated puppies by creating the Puppy Pilot system. Puppy Pilot ensures the ongoing care and support of confiscated puppies throughout the entire quarantine period.
Puppy Pilot launched in December 2015. Within a year it took care of 600 puppies, including dachshund, French bulldog, pug, and chow-chow puppies. This number is still just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, 6% of the puppies saved by Puppy Pilot did not survive the ordeal; they were separated too early from their mothers, undernourished, dehydrated, and died due to poor conditions during the long journey. Puppies that survived the terrible conditions were placed in Dog Trust’s "new home seeking" centers after quarantine, where appropriate living conditions are provided and loving new families are found for each puppy. In the first year of Puppy Pilot, the average cost per puppy placed in quarantine and then in the centers was nearly 1100 pounds.
Dog Trust experts provide advice to puppy buyers
Dog Trust experts support puppy buyers with advice to help them avoid illegally smuggled puppies.
One good piece of advice is to ask the seller to see the puppy together with its mother, to visit multiple times to see the chosen puppy, and when purchasing, to sign a contract and take the new puppy for a health check as soon as possible.
Furthermore, they advise not to buy from sellers who offer puppies of various dog breeds, not to buy a puppy that seems too young, too small, or undernourished, and to report suspicious sellers.
“Anyone who is about to buy a puppy, take our good advice, don’t be fooled by smuggled puppies. Our good advice prepares people to make an informed decision when buying a puppy.” – says Dr. Boyden.
They want stricter regulations against puppy smugglers
Dog Trust wants to achieve stricter regulations towards smugglers, requests the introduction of on-the-spot fines equivalent to the full financial value of the smuggled puppy, as well as prison sentences corresponding to the severity of the crime for the perpetrator(s).
“The attitude of the puppy breeders towards illegal smuggling is shocking to us, they completely ignore the welfare of the puppies, doing all this for the huge profits they expect from this illegal business. The cases we see weekly are horrendous, and we definitely have to stop them.” – says Dr. Boyden.
The Dog Trust organization is further shocked by a new trend, the illegal smuggling of 6-7 week old mother dogs into the United Kingdom to become breeding machines thereafter.
“We must put an end to illegal imports. According to the (amending) regulation on ‘The non-commercial movement of pets’ that came into force in 2011, the maximum penalty that can be imposed on illegal smugglers is only 3 months. The penalties are not sufficiently deterrent, so we urge the government to improve this inadequate law. The new draft includes tightening sanctions for illegally smuggled dogs and a significant overhaul of the animal inspection system at the ports.” – says Dr. Boyden, then continues: “As a warning, 10 days ago we confiscated 100 puppies in a secret operation at the UK border. We raided the cunning breeders and dog traders who wanted to make a horrendous amount of money from the illegally imported puppies relying on Christmas demand.”
A few final thoughts
“Publicity plays a key role in this as in everything else. We see a huge segment in online advertising and ‘trend buying’. We can say that puppy buyers prefer popular breeds such as the pug, the English and French bulldog, the dachshund, or the chow-chow, which make up 82% of the puppies taken into care by Dog Trust and rehomed by Puppy Pilot.” – concludes the report Dr. Paula Boyden, veterinary director of Dog Trust.
A call from the editors of Kutya Portál
We two, Ildikó Lázárné Vámosi and István Kovács, editors of Kutya Portál would like to draw the attention of everyone who is considering buying a puppy for Christmas or beyond, that “A DOG IS FOR LIFE, NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS”.
We ask you to think about what it means to be a responsible dog owner, to think as a responsible dog owner, to live as a responsible dog owner! What it means to live together with a beloved dog, to care for him responsibly, to groom, raise, care for, train, take on daily walks! What it means to vaccinate regularly, to spay/neuter to avoid unwanted litters, to treat when ill, to be by his side in trouble and care for him, to let him grow old with dignity, to stand by him in old age, indeed always and in everything to stand by him and accompany him on his final journey, to be responsible for a dog for 10-14 years! And to love, love, love! Before welcoming a four-legged friend into your home, think about all this! Only then, and only if you can responsibly take on all of this, decide to welcome a dog into your family!
If you cannot responsibly take all of this on, then dismiss even the idea of ever being a dog owner, because there is no need for more abandoned and shelter dogs, no need for dogs producing unwanted litters, who all end up in shelters in the end!
Think and decide responsibly! Thank you!
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