Sunday 17 February 2013

Puppy trafficking

I read this in today's Sunday Times: "Thousands of pedigree puppies are being brought into the UK illegally from Poland, Bulgaria and Romania and sold at discount prices. The relaxation of the pet passport scheme, which banned dogs from travelling for six months after rabies tests, has prompted the influx. Many of the puppies, bred in poor conditions, are being passed off as British-born, with fake papers, according to the Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest canine welfare charity. And not all are cheap. Fashionable breeds, including French bulldogs and chihuahuas, are being sold for up to £4,000 each, via the internet or by the roadside. British vets have expressed concern that they are seeing puppies, some a few weeks old, which have been forced to travel hundreds of miles across Europe. Many have been seized when they are taken to the vet and the owners are told their pet passports are fake". Ozzy's passport has been checked recently upon arrival in Dover. Surely DEFRA could set up a systems for checking dogs coming into the UK.

1 comment:

Whispering Walls said...

I guess it's better to be an illegal immigrant than a frozen burger but agree that, in both cases, labelling should be accurate.