Ashley Fox, MP for Bridgwater, pledged his support on the issue of puppy smuggling this week at a parliamentary event run by Dogs Trust, the UK’s leading dog welfare charity.
The event took place in the House of Commons on Wednesday 30 October, to encourage members of parliament to back the charity’s calls to tackle the cruel puppy smuggling trade.
This cruel trade sees dogs travelling in abhorrent conditions into the UK solely for profit, often in filthy conditions without food and water and often suffering from diseases, being heavily pregnant or puppies traveling at only a few weeks old, or dogs suffering with open wounds from unnecessary and illegal ear cropping procedures.
Ashley Fox MP spoke to Dogs Trust about the charity’s pioneering Puppy Pilot scheme, which was introduced in 2015 to aid the interception of illegally imported puppies and provide care and rehabilitation for them until they find loving new homes. Since its inception, Dogs Trust has cared for over 3,000 illegally imported puppies, which, if sold to unsuspecting members of the public, would have made over £4.5 million for their illegal importers.
Ashley Fox, Conservative MP for Bridgwater, said: “We must prioritise the health and welfare of dogs, so I am delighted to support Dogs Trust in their mission to end this cruel puppy smuggling practice.”
Owen Sharp, CEO of Dogs Trust, said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to raise awareness of puppy smuggling with MPs and speak to them about how loopholes in legislation allow this awful trade to continue. At Dogs Trust we have been campaigning for over a decade to end the suffering of countless number of dogs, and we hope that with the support of MPs from across parliament, we can finally end puppy smuggling and take a real step forward for dog welfare in the UK.”
To find out more about Dogs Trust’s work to end puppy smuggling visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/puppysmuggling
