Council Warning Over Illegally Imported Puppies - Think About It
15th May 2019
The Highland Council is warning anyone considering buying a puppy to ensure they buy from reputable sources. Concerns have been raised that people are illegally importing dogs from Europe to sell without the correct health checks or paperwork. The Council's Environmental Health team is carrying out detailed investigation into a number of possible cases supported by Police Scotland and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Pet movement controls are in place to reduce the risk of exotic diseases from entering the UK, in particular rabies and Echinococcus multilocularis, a tapeworm which can be carried by dogs and can have severe health implications if transmitted to humans.
Councillor Allan Henderson, Chair of the Council's Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee said: "It is very concerning to note that illegal importation is occurring in the area. This criminal activity can lead to risks to animal welfare but also to human health. I advise anyone buying a puppy to check the buyer and if possible see the puppy’s mother. Please don’t buy from someone you don’t know in a supermarket car park. A puppy can cost hundreds of pounds and unfortunately if found to be illegally imported buyers may have to pay quarantine costs or have the dog put down. If anyone has any concerns over a puppy they have recently bought please speak to their vet or The Highland Council’s Environmental Health Service on 01349 886603."
Alan Yates, Environmental Health Manger said: "Our team has carried out two enforcement visits in the Easter Ross area today to investigate cases of puppies being illegally imported. This followed concerns being raised by vets after inspecting puppies brought in for routine health checks by their new owners. Officers from Environmental Health lead the visits supported by officers from Police Scotland and APHA. At this stage I cannot comment further on the active investigation but I encourage anyone considering buying a puppy to ensure it is coming from a reputable source."
APHA’s spokesperson said: “As a result of consumer demand for puppies at a young age, certain unscrupulous traders have sought to evade these controls, either through using falsified documentation or smuggling in order to import puppies for sale in the UK. APHA is taking an intelligence-led approach aimed at disrupting the illegal importation of puppies and abuses of the Pet Travel Scheme.
“Anyone found to have an illegally imported puppy could find themselves having to pay for costly quarantine and veterinary bills, or potentially having their pet put down.
“To avoid this, it’s important to make some basic checks when buying a puppy:
Buy only from reputable sources and check the health history.
View the animal and its documentation before you buy.
Try and see the puppy interact with its mother.
If it was born outside of the UK it must have a pet passport or a veterinary certificate.
If you have any doubts about an animal please speak to your vet and contact the Council’s Environmental Health team before agreeing to buy it.”
For further advice see https://www.buyapuppysafely.org/
Detective Inspector Peter Mackenzie said: "Puppy farming and trafficking is a criminal activity which has serious implications on animal welfare.
"It is also cruel on the owner who could be left facing a heart-breaking situation if the dog is found to have been illegally imported into the UK.
"The unscrupulous people who carry out this activity do so in order to make money for themselves or in some cases to fund other criminal activity.
"We would urge people to ensure they only buy from reputable sources and to report any concerns they have about potentially illegal activity."
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Wick Business Park has welcomed wind energy technology company ENERCON as the first occupant of one of four new units completed last year. ENERCON specialises in designing, producing, installing and servicing onshore wind turbines and has been operating in the Caithness area since 2013.
Additional empty homes officers are being recruited to bring more privately owned houses back into use. The new posts are being supported as part of a £2 million investment through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership in 2025-26 which will see staff take a more proactive and targeted approach to tackling local housing issues.
The Highland Strategic Local Action Group (LAG) met in June 2025 and considered and agreed funding for 28 projects submitted to the Community-Led Local Development fund (CLLD), which makes up part of The Highland Council Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) programme. CRF is an umbrella term used to cover multiple external funding programmes administered by The Highland Council.
Highland Council has provided 12 ‘Talking Tub' resources for use in primary schools across the Highlands, in partnership with Union Technical who deliver community benefits as part of the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme programme. Chair of Highland Council's Education Committee, Councillor John Finlayson, said: "This is a fantastic initiative being rolled out across Highland primary schools which brings innovation and inspiration to early years children.
Visitors will find it easier to dispose of their litter at several popular spots across Highland after the rollout of additional bins. The rollout has been planned to support the tourism season as part of the Council's ongoing commitment to improve and support sustainable tourism in the area.
Members of the meeting of The Highland Council (26 June 2025) have considered and agreed the Accounts Commission's Best Value report, which was published in April 2025 and highlights organisational improvements across leadership, performance management and community engagement. In April’s report, the Accounts Commission recognised and welcomed significant progress within the organisation since the 2020 Best Value Assurance Report (BVAR) and commended the embedded culture of transformation.
A new generation of community facilities is being planned for the Highlands. At a meeting of The Highland Council (Thursday 26 June), elected members approved the work to date in progressing the Highland Investment Plan workstreams - masterplan for Thurso and agreed to nominate the current Thurso High School site as the preferred location for the new Thurso Community Point of Delivery (POD).
At a meeting of The Highland Council (Thursday 26 June 2025), Members received a progress report on the partnership approach and important successes since declaring a Highland Housing Challenge in November 2023. Since establishing the ambitious Highland Housing Challenge, important successes included: A call for sites delivered 250 sites, with a potential 25,000 housing units which will support delivery against the target of an additional 12,000 houses over the next 10 years.
The Highland Council will deliver a transformative programme of energy efficiency upgrades across Council housing supported by a £9.2 million Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding proposal secured by Union Technical. The funding proposal will deliver approximately 1,000 individual energy efficiency measures to Council owned properties across the Highlands.
As part of the Highland Council's celebration of Refugee Week - 16 to 22 June - we are delighted to announce that a sharing of photographs, taken by separated young people seeking asylum living within the Highlands, is to be shown at Eden Court Arts Centre, Inverness. Look to See, which ties in with the theme for this year’s Refugee Week - Community as a Superpower - emerges out of a collaboration between multiple agencies working alongside separated young people seeking asylum, embodying the importance of community and connection, when looking to support all young people in the Highlands.