New law to crackdown on puppy smuggling is paw-some news for Rugby animal lovers

Dog-lovers in Rugby will soon be assured about the health and welfare of their puppies thanks to a proposed new law.

Plans for a new law to prevent puppy smugglers from importing poorly and ill dogs were recently backed in Parliament.

Under the Animal Welfare Bill, people selling pets would be banned from importing puppies under six months old, while heavily pregnant dogs

would also not be allowed to travel, while ‘mutilated’ animals, such as puppies with cropped ears, would also be stopped.

The plans have been 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.

The new local Conservative candidate for Rugby & Bulkington at the next General Election, Yousef Dahmash, said they would be backing Selaine’s bill and said it would bring peace of mind to families looking for a new pet.

He said: “It is easy to see how many people love their pets and the special place they hold in families’ hearts.

“That’s why 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.”