Jeff Smith, MP for Manchester Withington, has pledged his support to Dog Trust’s campaign to end puppy smuggling.

The Dogs Trust team spoke to Jeff at an event in the House of Commons about their pioneering Puppy Pilot scheme through which they have cared for over 3,100 illegally imported puppies, which, if sold to unsuspecting members of the public, would have made over £4.5 million for their illegal importers.

The Government has been slow to act, but a private members bill, The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill had its 2^nd reading on 15 March. The Bill aims to close some of the loopholes that allow the puppy smuggling trade to continue unabated. 

The charity also discussed their recent ‘Tragic Tales & The Decade of Delay’ campaign, which featured four real life case studies of dogs who have been helped via the Puppy Pilot. The campaign calls on the Government to introduce legislation that will tackle the puppy smuggling trade by:

1. Increasing the age at which puppies can be imported to 6 months,
2. Banning the non-commercial transport of pregnant dogs in the last 30% (more than 42 days pregnant) of their gestation period as a minimum,
3. Introducing a complete ban on the commercial movement of pregnant dogs,
4. Introducing a ban on the importation and sale of dogs with mutilations such as cropped ears and tails docked for cosmetic reasons,
5. Bringing in tougher penalties for smuggling puppies to deter deceitful sellers,
6. Reducing the number of pets that can be brought into the country to 3 per vehicle.

Jeff Smith MP said:

“I am pleased to support Dogs Trust in their mission to end puppy smuggling. The prolonged delay in introducing legislation to Parliament has allowed this cruel trade to continue unabated. By finally putting an end to puppy smuggling we can take a real step forward for animal welfare in the UK.”

To find out more about Dogs Trust’s work to end puppy smuggling, visit https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/our-views/puppy-smuggling.