Northern Ireland puppy trafficking: Dogs Trust offers advice on 'Christmas Puppies'

It advises that over 130 pregnant dogs have been seized in the UK since 2017, bearing around 600 puppies. Such animals often travel thousands of miles in cramped, dirty conditions, with little food and water.

Dogs Trust Rehoming manager Conor O’Kane warned: “It’s very easy, especially when you’re looking for a puppy, to make decisions with your heart. But this is exactly the trap smugglers want you to fall into.

"Unknowingly buying a smuggled puppy could have very real consequences for the owner too. The puppy might be too young to have been legally imported or have health issues that you don’t necessarily notice until too late."

Whilst Dogs Trust does not advise buying a puppy for Christmas, it offers this advice for buying responsibly:

• Do ask to see mum and pup together

• Do visit your new pup more than once

• Do get all your pup’s paperwork before going home

• Do check that the pup is at a legal age to be separated from their mum (over eight weeks old)

• Do walk away if you’re at all unsure

• Do report all suspicious sellers or breeders to Trading Standards

• Don’t meet anywhere that isn’t the pup’s home

• Don’t buy a pup from anyone who can supply various breeds on demand

• Don’t pay anything until you have met the pup in person

• Don’t feel pressure to buy a puppy