Only a fifth of puppies in the UK come from licensed breeders, research has found, leading animal welfare experts to warn of the possible scale of illegal breeding and smuggling.
Three-quarters of the 950,000 puppies that find homes in the UK every year – around 700,000 – come from unknown sources, a charity has found.
They may have been bred by criminals, smugglers or legitimate small-scale breeders who do not require a licence.
Animal welfare charity the Naturewatch Foundation carried out the research by asking 360 councils about the number of breeders they had issued licences to.
It found that up to 19.5 per cent of puppies come from licensed breeders while 5.8 per cent are from overseas.
No official information was available for the source of the remaining 75 per cent.
Natalie Harney, from Naturewatch, said: ‘Dog lovers will be shocked to learn that most UK dogs and puppies still come from unknown sources.
‘While some of these unknown sources will include small breeders who do not require a licence and who are well-meaning, we fear a significant proportion of them are from illegal sources such as criminal gangs breeding on an industrial scale and smugglers.’
She said despite reforms made in 2018 to the 2006 Animal Welfare Act to clamp down on illegal breeding, loopholes and under-enforcement remained major issues.
‘It is clear there is still insufficient oversight of the trade in puppies and dogs in the UK,’ Ms Harney added.
The figures showed there were 3,000 licensed breeders, with 23,000 breeding dogs. But just a third of councils knew exactly how many dogs the breeders were allowed to keep.
Ms Harney said: ‘If you are getting an animal, it’s vital to make sure you know your breeder. Ask: “Are they licensed? How many dogs are they allowed to keep? Are they happy for you to… see their premises?”
‘These are essential questions any prospective puppy buyer should ask.’
It comes as dog breeders and pet sellers face a tax crackdown amid concerns that cash-in hand work is helping the black economy boom.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) believes the industry is ‘vulnerable to hidden economic activity’, partly because of how many sole traders it involves.
In a consultation document on the proposed changes, HMRC said: ‘The measure may have a significant impact cumulatively on the identified sectors.
‘External research on the animal welfare sector shows a substantial increase in dog and cat ownership which has generated demand in breeders and pet sellers.
‘We expect around 17,000 animal welfare licences will be affected by this measure.
‘Businesses will need to use the tax check service to demonstrate whether and how they are registered for tax each time they apply to renew their licence.
‘This will typically take place every three years.’