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Posted: 28th July 2025

RVC identifies ‘lack of public awareness’ about puppy imports
Surveys revealed knowledge gaps, including import age and disease risk.
Survey reveals knowledge gaps on transport methods and dangerous diseases.

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has warned of widespread misunderstanding about the importation of puppies from within the European Union (EU).

It has released two studies which it says reveal a ‘lack of public awareness’ about the welfare implications and disease risks of puppy importation.

The first study surveyed over 7,000 people in the UK, primarily dog owners, about their knowledge of EU Pet Passports. These documents are a legal requirement for importing puppies and managing disease risk.

However the results revealed knowledge gaps, including transport methods, legal importation age and an awareness of dangerous diseases.

Over 50 per cent of those surveyed were not sure whether an eight-week-old puppy born in the EU would have been illegally imported. The minimum legal age for importing a puppy is 15 weeks.

Only 30 per cent knew that, since Brexit, EU Pet Passports could no longer be issued in the UK. Thirteen per cent incorrectly believed an EU Pet Passport proved a puppy was tested for infectious diseases.

There was also a lack of understanding about how exotic diseases, carried by dogs, might affect humans.

Nearly one per cent of the 7,000 people surveyed had not heard of rabies, while 35 per cent were unsure if they had heard of Brucella canis. Respectively, only 89 per cent and 56 per cent knew rabies and Brucella canis could affect humans as well as dogs.

Meanwhile, a second RVC study examined attitudes and perceptions to puppies being imported the UK from Romania. A total of 4,000 UK residents completed the online survey.

Seventy per cent of participants thought that the benefits of buying a puppy born in the EU was no different to a puppy born in the UK. Over 20 per cent said owners would feel good about buying a dog imported from the EU, believing they were in fact ‘rescuing’ them.

Only 40 per cent knew that an imported puppy could be more challenging to own, while less than 20 per cent understood the risks of disease and infection that imported puppies held.

When thinking about the dangers puppies may face, approximately 65 per cent of those surveyed listed only one risk.

Fifty per cent acknowledged the welfare impact that importing would have on a puppy, while just two per cent considered that the puppy might not find a suitable home in the UK.

Danny Chambers, the MP who introduced the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, said: “While legislation like my Puppy Smuggling Bill is vital to closing loopholes exploited by unscrupulous traders, these findings highlight that laws alone aren’t enough.

“We urgently need a public education campaign to ensure potential dog owners understand the risks of buying imported or low-welfare puppies and the importance of choosing responsibly. Protecting animal welfare and public health must go hand in hand.”

Image © Shutterstock



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