Poll shows people want the Government to do more to tackle Puppy Smuggling

A poll carried out on behalf of Dogs Trust has shown that a vast majority of people in the UK think the Government should pass legislation that will prevent the illegal importation of dogs.

The results have been revealed in the wake of the Government recently dropping the flagship Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

The survey, carried out by YouGov on behalf of the charity, revealed the level of concern about the illegal importation of dogs into the UK.

83% of respondents thought the Government should crack down on puppy smuggling; It also found that 79% of respondents supported a ban on the importation of heavily pregnant dogs. This is a widely used tactic of smugglers, who transport expectant mums often in horrific conditions across long distances to give a veneer of legitimacy when buyers ask to see a pup’s mother, whilst passing the pups off as UK-bred.

Dogs Trust has campaigned for over ten years to stop the abhorrent puppy smuggling trade and has been urging the Government to make good on its manifesto promise to crack down on the issue.

The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill would have helped tackle problems including puppy smuggling, importation of heavily pregnant dogs and the importation of dogs with mutilations such as cropped ears to be sold in the UK, where the practice is banned. However, the Bill was recently dropped by the Government, two years after it first entered Parliament in June 2021.

Paula Boyden, Veterinary Director of Dogs Trust, says: “This has gone on long enough. While the Government prevaricates, dogs are suffering in most dreadful ways. The Government must listen, do what the public is demanding and table urgently needed legislation to tackle the scourge of puppy smuggling and other abhorrent practices. To not do so is failing to deliver on a manifesto promise and allowing horrific pet abuses to continue.

“Dogs Trust is deeply disappointed by the dropping of this Bill and I urge the Government  not to neglect the key issues that the Kept Animals Bill so critically addressed.”

People who want to support Dogs Trust’s efforts to tackle puppy smuggling can email the Prime Minister here