A third (33%) of puppy owners in the North West didn’t do any research before buying their dog, according to data from Dogs Trust’s ground-breaking new Choosing My Dog study. (1)

The findings suggest owners in the North West could be leaving themselves vulnerable to being scammed – or worse – inadvertently buying puppies smuggled from abroad in atrocious conditions.

Dogs Trust, which has a rehoming centre in Denton, Tameside, is warning dog lovers in the region to avoid being ripped off by deceitful dealers or ‘Dogfished’, at a time when demand for dogs in the UK has never been higher and more puppies continue to be illegally imported to the country to meet that demand.

There has never been a more urgent need to end puppy smuggling. Dogs Trust says immediate action is needed from Government to stop this abhorrent trade as current legislation is not fit for purpose – every day of Government delay is causing more preventable suffering for these innocent puppies.

The charity’s Choosing My Dog study surveyed 2,908 people in the UK who bought their puppy in the past seven years (2), to investigate the thought processes and approaches dog owners go through when choosing their pooch.

The survey found that, of those in the North West who had bought a puppy in the past seven years a third bought their puppy without doing any research.

Dogs Trust advises to think twice and always ask lots of questions before buying a puppy.

Worryingly 27% of people said they only saw their puppy on the day they took them home, not beforehand. Charities like Dogs Trust recommend visiting a dog in their home more than once or, if that isn’t possible due to lockdown restrictions, via video chat more than once before making such an important decision.

Over a fifth didn’t think it was important to be able to see the puppy with one of its parents. Dogs Trust always recommend seeing a puppy interacting with their mum to make sure you know they haven’t been taken from their mum too young.

Two fifths said their puppy was not microchipped, which is now a legal requirement.

Dogs Trust regularly rescues puppies that have been illegally imported into the UK through its Puppy Pilot scheme. Between the start of lockdown (23rd March) and the end of September, the charity has rescued 140 puppies that were illegally imported into the country from Central and Eastern Europe.

These pups were destined to be advertised online as UK-bred dogs for extortionate prices, sold to unsuspecting buyers. If sold, they could have fetched an estimated £266,000 for their puppy smugglers.

Dogs Trust – which has been campaigning to raise awareness of puppy smuggling since 2014 – also saved 14 heavily pregnant mums during lockdown, who have given birth to 56 puppies worth around an additional £115,000 to cruel smugglers.

Dogs Trust’s Veterinary Director Paula Boyden said:

“Sadly, we continue to see more and more heart-breaking examples of puppies being illegally imported into the country. Puppy smugglers are making vast profits by exploiting innocent puppies, breeding and transporting them in appalling conditions to sell onto unsuspecting dog lovers.

“Unfortunately, it is all too easy to be hoodwinked by these deceitful traders. That is why it is so important to do your research before buying a dog so you can do everything you can to buy your puppy responsibly.

“There has never been a more urgent need to end the appalling puppy smuggling trade. Enough is enough, Government must take immediate action as too many puppies are suffering at the hands of cruel traders and too many dog lovers are being left to pick up the pieces. Every day of delay leads to preventable suffering for these poor puppies.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here