Buying a dog this Christmas? Dogs Trust experts warn of puppy smuggling operations in Glasgow around Christmas

Dogs Trust Glasgow has issued a warning asking Glaswegians not to buy a puppy this Christmas as it fuels the ‘illegal puppy smuggling trade’ in the city.

The pet charity warned potential puppy owners - claiming that many puppies in Glasgow are illegally smuggled from Central and Eastern Europe as criminals hope to cash in on the puppy market as puppy purchasing is at an all-time high around Christmas.

Dachshunds, Bichons, and Pomeranians are amongst the top breeds seized at the UK border in the lead up to Christmas.

More than 2,000 puppies have been seized at the UK border and taken into Dogs Trust’s care as part of the ‘Puppy Pilot’ scheme launched in 2015 – an estimated equivalent market value of over £3m.

The scheme provides quarantine and support for puppies seized at ports until they can go to loving new homes. Seizing and rehoming these puppies helps to take money out of the pockets of the illegal importers and ensure puppies are healthy before they are taken into the care of a family.

Dogs Trust has also seen a 60 per cent increase in the number of pregnant dogs seized at UK borders since 2021, many in the late stages of pregnancy and with some giving birth within days of arriving in the country.  The dog welfare charity expects numbers to continue to rise if urgent action is not taken.

Over 130 pregnant dogs have been seized since 2017, bearing around 600 puppies that were intended to be sold on to unsuspecting puppy buyers in the UK. In a six-week period between late September and early November, 27 pregnant dogs were seized entering the UK, their pups intended for the Christmas puppy market.

The impact on animal welfare is significant, and it’s not only health issues that affect the dogs that have been imported illegally. Not only have the pregnant dogs been found in horrendous conditions, they are often very nervous due to the traumatic experiences they have endured as nothing more than products or money-making machines for the importers.

This in turn can affect the development of their puppies and their ability to grow into happy, healthy adult dogs. Dogs Trust believes the increase and popularity of shopping online, with people able to search and find a puppy advertised for sale at the click of a button, combined with paltry penalties for those caught illegally importing dogs relative to the huge profits to be made, is creating a ‘perfect storm’ for the puppy smuggling trade.

Dogs Trust has, for many years, campaigned for more to be done to stop illegal imports of dogs, and is actively calling on the Government to allow the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to finally pass through the parliamentary process to tackle the trade once and for all. This Bill includes the provision of new powers enabling the Government to introduce measures via secondary legislation to tackle the abuses of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).

Commenting on the issue Sandra Downie, Rehoming centre manager at Dogs Trust Glasgow said: “It’s very easy, especially when you’re looking for a puppy, to make decisions with your heart.  But this is exactly the trap smugglers want you to fall into. Unknowingly buying a smuggled puppy could have very real consequences for the owner too.  The puppy might be too young to have been legally imported or have health issues that you don’t necessarily notice until too late.

“If we don’t crack down on puppy smuggling soon, our fear is that it will continue causing suffering and misery for so many dogs. We are urging the Government to progress the Kept Animals Bill through Parliament as a priority, to introduce vital protections for pets and bring an end to this barbaric trade.”

Dogs Trust recently issued an open letter to the Minister for Animal Welfare, calling on the Government to tackle the worrying increase in the number of pregnant dogs being illegally imported into the country by bringing the Kept Animals Bill back to Parliament immediately.

The letter has been signed by over 60 MPs supporting the charity’s campaign to tackle puppy smuggling. The open letter can be read here.