Five Steps Towards Stopping the Illegal Puppy Trade
#TracingTheTrade in 2023
For us at FOUR PAWS, 2023 may seem like just one year of many in our fight to end the illegal puppy trade. Or was it the beginning of the end for the cruel trade? Our research and investigations showed that many illegal dealers are still out there, offering puppies bred in horrible conditions. At the same time, 2023 gave us hope that the future for companion animals in Europe will be brighter. Here are some of the key steps that bring us closer to achieving this goal:
- The European Commission proposed new rules to improve the welfare of companion animals. The new proposed legislation includes that not only will dogs and cats be registered in a database, but the conditions they are bred in and sold will also improve.
- A Bill to tackle the cruel puppy smuggling trade has been tabled in the UK. It aims to limit the import of puppies to no younger than six months old and restrict the import of pregnant dogs or those with mutilations like cropped ears or docked tails, as well as restrict the importation of cats and ferrets.
- The report of the EU Enforcement Action against the illegal trade of pets recognised that illegal movement of cats and dogs has wide-ranging consequences, impacting the public health and causing economic damage. This shows that recognition of the problem is very high, also in the European institutions!
- In 2023, a notorious puppy dealership in Slovakia was investigated by the authorities for the continuing crime of reducing tax and insurance premiums in conjunction with the offense of neglecting the care of an animal and the offense of spreading a contagious disease of animals and plants. If proven guilty, the perpetrator faces a prison sentence of 7 to 12 years. This dealer exported puppies abroad, especially to Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, and is one of the many suspectedly illegally operating traders FOUR PAWS has been fighting for years!
- 400 animals, mainly cats and dogs, were confiscated from the illegal pet trade in Spain! The puppy trade criminal network was busted by the Spanish authorities in an operation that took place in September. The huge-scale illegal dealership was selling cruelly bred puppies, many of which were transported across Europe… and they were all rescued!
Still… a lot of work remains to be done! 2024 should bring about the next steps towards better legislation, protecting puppies from being cruelly traded, and the EU Digital Services Act is also coming into force to make the online space safer! FOUR PAWS will continue to step in for animals and make sure the illegal puppy trade ends for good.
