Trading standards warning over smuggled pup
Monday, 7 October 2019
Our trading standards team is warning well-meaning residents to be aware of the requirements for bringing a pet into the UK.
Buying a cute puppy overseas may be cheaper and a cute puppy may be a good addition to a family, but our trading standards team is warning well-meaning residents to be aware of the requirements for bringing a pet into the UK.
Earlier this week, officers from the team stepped in after receiving a report that a Houghton Conquest resident had recently entered the UK from Ireland, with a new puppy, without following the law.
As a result, the puppy was required to be taken into quarantine for monitoring and will now be microchipped and receive a rabies vaccination, all at the owner’s expense.
The UK is a rabies-free country, but puppies or other pets smuggled into the country may not have received an effective vaccination.
Rabies is a fatal disease of the nervous system that can affect all mammals, including humans, cats, dogs, farmed animals and wildlife. It is important to quarantine any animal which hasn’t been vaccinated to monitor whether rabies is present or not and also reduce the risk of it spreading.
If residents are travelling from or to the UK with their pet, they are urged to make sure they are aware of the rules.
Our Executive Member for Community Services, Councillor Ian Dalgarno, said:
Our strict anti-rabies laws and protocols are there for very good reasons and they will be enforced.