Bid to regulate puppy trade

Hundreds of animals are transported from Ireland each year

Animal welfare groups have welcomed a bid to clamp down on the importing of puppies to Scotland.

Scottish National Party MSP Christine Grahame is lodging a bill which would set a minimum age at which dogs could be sold.

The Transportation and Sale of Puppies (Scotland) Bill would also require dealers to have full documentation for each animal.

The Scottish SPCA believes hundreds of animals are transported from Ireland in cramped conditions each year.

Its parliamentary officer, Libby Anderson, said: "Puppies are big business but they can also be bad business.

"The current lack of regulation and the high value puppies can fetch mean that these defenceless young animals are open to exploitation.

Animal welfare

"Turnover and profit are pursued at the expense of the puppies' welfare."

Concern has been growing over the number of puppies being imported from Ireland.

Two weeks ago John Walsh, from Cumbria, was fined £500 after being caught trafficking puppies in appalling conditions on a ferry between Ireland and Scotland.

Christine Grahame hopes her bill will make the trade unprofitable.

Many of the 49 pups and three kittens found by police in the back of his car were covered in their own urine and faeces, while others had lice.

Walsh admitted causing the animals unnecessary suffering by denying them adequate space, ventilation and water.

Ms Grahame hopes that her bill will make the trade from Ireland unprofitable.

The South of Scotland MSP is now consulting on proposals to set a minimum age for the sale of a dog, which could be set at seven weeks.

Her bill would insist that each animal has a traceable history, possibly including micro-chipping.

A vet would also have to examine dogs for sale to check for infections.

Poor breeding

Scottish SPCA Superintendent Mike Flynn said many cases were falling through the net because there was no legislation regulating the trade in puppies.

"Each year hundreds, if not thousands, of puppies are transported from Ireland in cramped conditions and sold in breeding establishments, lay-bys and car parks across Scotland," he said.

"The poor breeding and transport conditions, together with the lack of proper veterinary care, mean these young puppies have a very difficult start in life.

"It is often the case that the puppies are sold within hours of arriving in Scotland and it is the new owners who are faced with expensive vet bills and sometimes the heartache of losing a new pet."