NORTH Ayrshire Council’s Trading Standards team have issued a warning to anyone looking to buy a dog on the cheap after an intervention saved the life of an illegally trafficked puppy.

Oscar was the latest victim of the illegal trafficking of dogs from mainland Europe and was spared death following action by the council.

The bulldog was bought online at a knockdown price by a local couple thinking they were getting a great deal for the dog.

But the very young puppy had travelled over 1,000 miles to get to Scotland, had a fake pet passport and was a French bulldog/English bulldog cross which made him look older than he really was. It also meant he was too young to have been vaccinated for rabies.

After an investigation, Trading Standards – using legislation controlling the spread of diseases – took the dog off the owners and handed them some options. The first was to pay £1,500 to have Oscar quarantined and the second, sadly, to pay £105 to have him put down. 

Neither of these were palatable. But thanks to the council’s Trading Standards, they were able to put the owners in touch with the Dogs Trust, which enabled the animal charity to take ownership of Oscar. No other Scottish local authority offers this third choice.

The Dogs Trust have now organised transportation and quarantine and will look to rehome Oscar when it is safe to do so.

Scott McKenzie, senior manager for North Ayrshire Council’s Protective Services, said: “This was a sophisticated fraud involving the falsification of authentic passports and dogs being crossed to appear older than they are. People buying pups on free-to-advertise web sites should be very suspicious, particularly where a £2,000 dog is advertised at £850, and the seller is willing to take £500. 

“Their suspicions should grow further when no paper work is available at the time of sale.

“North Ayrshire Council also go to great lengths to preserve the lives of stray dogs and are one of a very few authorities in the UK to have their our own Facebook page to reunite stray dogs with their owners. We thank the Dogs Trust for their willingness to work with us and the owner to save this dog’s life.”

A spokesperson for the Dogs Trust added: “Dogs Trust first highlighted the influx of illegally imported puppies from Eastern Europe in November 2014, following a relaxation of the Pet Travel Scheme in 2012.

“Yet, underage and unvaccinated puppies continue to travel illegally from Eastern Europe to Great Britain destined to be sold online to unsuspecting members of the scheme public. As part of our ongoing campaign against the illegal importation of puppies, we have made a landmark step forward by pledging to fund the care and quarantine of illegally landed puppies that have been seized at the ports.

“Since the quarantine began in December 2015, we have taken in over 300 underage ‘designer’ puppies including dachshunds, French bulldogs, pugs and chow chows and we believe this to be the tip of the iceberg.

“Buyers must be vigilant, as a puppy brought in from Eastern Europe could cost far more than expected. Should a puppy be identified by your vet as illegally imported, you could be faced with additional vet fees and have to pay for quarantine costs.

“The implications of the trade goes beyond the huge welfare implications for the dogs, it affects unsuspecting members of the public too, plus puts additional pressure on local authorities.

“This highlights the importance of doing your research and investigating fully where you are buying a puppy from. If the puppy comes with a passport, or you cannot see the puppy interact with its mother, we urge people to walk away so as not to unwittingly fuel this despicable trade.”