A puppy is a popular ask for Christmas but more and more people are having bad experiences or are being scammed when trying to buy a puppy during the festive season.
In December 2021 the Dogs Trust polled 2000 puppy buyers in the UK and found 30 per cent were willing to buy a puppy even if they thought it had been illegally smuggled into the country,
and 44 per cent were willing to buy from online ads, despite 41 per cent saying they knew someone who had had a bad experience or had been scammed.
Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson raised the issue at Holyrood on Tuesday, calling for tougher action n puppy trafficking especially in the run-up to Christmas period, speaking whilst parliament was in session, he said: “Cairnryan in my constituency, unfortunately, has a reputation for being the main gateway from the Republic of Ireland Into the UK for puppy trafficking.
“Given it’s the run-up to Xmas and there is going to be a high demand for these puppies – sometimes costing as much as £3,000 what additional support can you give to the SSPCA and the police to make sure that trafficking doesn’t go beyond the port where we hear stories of puppies being pulled out the back of a vans on the A75 and A77.”
In response, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice Keith Brown, confirmed the Serious Crime Taskforce would be heavily involved in working to halt this illegal trade.
