Dog lovers across West Sussex will soon be assured about the health and welfare of their puppies thanks to a new law.
Plans for a new law to prevent puppy smugglers from importing poorly and ill dogs were backed in Parliament on Friday, March 15.
Under the Animal Welfare (importation of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, people selling pets will be banned from importing puppies under six months old, while heavily pregnant dogs would also not be allowed to travel. ‘Mutilated’ animals, such as puppies with cropped ears, would also be stopped.
The plans were brought forward in a Private Members Bill by North Devon MP Selaine Saxby who says a huge surge in puppy smuggling started during the Covid pandemic as owners struggled to find the puppies they wanted.
“I am glad the Government is supporting this vital Bill and committed to its swift passage to safeguard the welfare of thousands of puppies, dogs, cats and ferrets that come into Great Britain from overseas each year,” she said.
Andrew Griffith MP, Member of Parliament for Arundel & South Downs who himself brought forward a Private Members Bill previously to record puppies DNA to stop theft and smuggling said:
“We really are a nation of pet lovers, and this legislation will ensure the UK is leading the world when it comes to animal welfare.”
“This Bill is so important – not just to stop criminal gangs profiting from the suffering of young animals – but to end the pain loving families feel when their beloved pet is found to be ill or in pain due to the way it was raised and brought into the country.
“By ensuring pets can only be brought into this country in the proper and correct ways, this Bill will help bring puppy smuggling to an end.”
