MP Selaine Saxby supports leading dog welfare charity Dogs Trust's plea to end cruel puppy smuggling trade

Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon, has vowed to tackle the issue of puppy smuggling.

The Conservative MP is due to have the 2nd reading of her Private Members Bill – Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats & Ferrets) Bill in Parliament on 15 March, which would help tackle the puppy smuggling trade.

Today, the UK's leading dog welfare charity, Dogs Trust hosted a parliamentary event in the House of Commons, to mark more than ten years of the charity's efforts to end puppy smuggling.

The Dogs Trust team spoke to over 100 MPs about their pioneering Puppy Pilot scheme, which was introduced in 2015 to aid the interception of illegally imported puppies and provide care and rehabilitation for them until they find loving new homes.

The charity also discussed their recent 'Tragic Tales & The Decade of Delay' campaign, which featured four real life case studies of dogs who have been helped via the Puppy Pilot.

Attending MPs pledged to help Dogs Trust end puppy smuggling and agreed to support Selaine Saxby's Private Member's Bill.

Claire Calder, Head of Public Affairs at Dogs Trust, said:

"We are delighted that Selaine has committed to taking forward a Bill to finally tackle the cruel Puppy Smuggling trade.

"We have been campaigning for over 10 years to end the suffering of countless numbers of dogs caught up in this abhorrent trade, and we hope this marks a real step forward for dog welfare in the UK.

"Today's event was a fantastic success; we spoke to over 100 MPs about this important issue."

Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon, said:

"For over ten years Dogs Trust has been working hard to end the cruel puppy smuggling trade, and today's event was a great opportunity for MPs to talk to Dogs Trust staff and learn about their work.

"Since being elected in 2019, I have supported Dogs Trust on this issue, and with my Private Members Bill, I am committed to delivering part of the original Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, to help end the cruel puppy smuggling trade."

To find out more about Dogs Trust's work to end puppy smuggling, visit - https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/our-views/puppy-smuggling