Parents are being urged to be wary of buying puppies this Christmas amid fears the money could be used as a financial pipeline for organised crime gangs.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said millions of pounds in Scotland are spent each year on trafficked dogs bought at unauthorised puppy farms or online – where some designer breeds can fetch as much as £3,000.
With sales expected to spike in the run-up to the festive season, COPFS has joined forces with the Scottish SPCA to issue a stark warning to all those tempted to buy a new pet from an unlicenced seller.
Kenny Donnelly, deputy crown agent for serious casework at COPFS, said: “We know that many parents may be considering buying a puppy for their children at this time of year as a Christmas present.
“We would urge people to carry out proper research and only purchase puppies from authorised breeders.
“Organised crime gangs continue to spread their malign influence into illegal puppy farming and use the huge profits they accrue from it to inflict widespread harm on communities throughout Scotland.
“These gangs are involved in the distribution of illegal drugs and money laundering.
“It is critically important that anyone considering buying a puppy do so from legitimate dog breeders in order to avoid unintentionally supporting this cruel and illegal trade which exploits pets and causes them terrible suffering.
“Consequently, we seriously urge people to rely on authorised breeders.”
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The Scottish SPCA says it has responded to 3,340 calls connected to puppy farms in the last five years – an average of 668 a year, although this year there have only been 163 calls to date.
The animal welfare charity also warned that many of the dogs bought from illegal farms later suffer severe health problems and either cost their owners huge vet bills or are too ill to survive their first few months.
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Laura McIntyre, head of rescue and prevention at the Scottish SPCA, said: “Although the low-welfare trade in puppies slowed due to the ending of lockdown and the cost of living crisis, we know that unscrupulous breeders are still out there targeting unsuspecting members of the public.
“We work in partnership through this multi-agency taskforce and our special investigations units undertake intelligence-led missions to target those involved with illegal puppy farming.
“Smuggled pups often look fine when they are purchased, but problems will begin to show at a later stage.
“Our message to the public is do not buy online or from someone where it is impossible to verify where the dog is coming from.
“The only way this will disappear, and people stop profiting at the expense of these dogs, if the public demands it stops.”
