A rogue dog trader was arrested on Monday morning in the heart of Amsterdam. Animal organization House of Animals went undercover after a disturbing phone call from a vet. “Together with the police, we ordered a puppy from a trader in Tilburg,” says Karen Soeters of House of Animals. The puppy was in bad shape. A 25-year-old man has been arrested by the police.
Soeters had been eyeing the trader for a while, she tells Omroep Brabant. “But after a report of a critically ill dog, we started an undercover operation. We have ordered a Pomeranian (dwarf Keeshondje, ed.) in collaboration with the police.” The dog was offered for 1250 euros, including delivery to the door.
The puppy was brought to the Van Wouwstraat in Amsterdam on Monday. According to Soeters, this happened with a running engine. The dog was transported in the passenger seat. The trader did not get out of his car. He got the money and we got the dog.”
The puppy is from Bulgaria and is 23 weeks old according to his passport. But after an examination by a veterinarian who came to the scene, it appears that the dog is not older than 10 weeks. “He is probably only eight weeks old. And a puppy is only allowed to cross the border when it is 15 weeks old”, adds Soeters. “It was really a very small dog, a ball. The puppy was completely weakened.”
Rabies
A day after the arrest, the animal activist is still angry. Especially because the vaccinations have been tampered with. “The inoculations with the papers are all false, they were just copied stickers. The dog has not been vaccinated against rabies.” And that, according to Soeters, is dangerous. “Now we don’t know that disease in the Netherlands, but because of all those bread breeders we really have to worry that rabies will rear its head in our country.”
Animal organization House of Animals has dozens of bread breeders in its sights, but just tackling every rogue trader is not possible. “We know a lot of illegal puppy traders through Marktplaats, it really is a gold mine. But before we can really take action, we need to build a file.” And in the case of the Tilburg dog dealer, this was achieved through a tip from a vet and by ordering a puppy.
Second time
Soeters reports illegal puppy trade on behalf of House of Animals: “It is the second time that we tackle a trader in this way.” Last time it was also about another Tilburg breeder who came to deliver a puppy in Amsterdam. “That puppy was transported directly from Bulgaria to the Netherlands. The animal was completely weakened by the long journey.” This time it seems that the puppies are first housed in Tilburg.
