Already discovered 545 puppies from illegal trade – Hotspot Bayern: here alone 128 illegal puppies.
Hamburg. On October 10th is World Dog Day. This takes four paws as an opportunity to draw a sad intermediate balance with regard to the illegal puppy trade in 2025: In the first nine months of this year, the Global Foundation for Animal Welfare was already able to count 545 puppies, including 489 dogs and 56 cats, from illegal trade, transport or breeding in a total of 68 cases.
Many puppies were noted in Bavaria: So far, there were 128 puppies in 26 cases. This accounts for around 38 percent of all discovered cases – and thus over a third.
“The illegal puppy trade continues to be booming. 545 animals from illegal puppy trade were already discovered in 2025 – and the Christmas business is only imminent. The number of unreported cases in the illegal puppy trade should be far higher, because the majority of illegal transports and illegal breeding remains undetected. Border brought.
The way of smuggling has become diverse: sometimes puppies have to persevere in a van for hours, sometimes they are transported by train or a coach and sometimes they are found in the private car in the trunk or faded over the border on their lap as a family member. Either way, the illegal puppy trade remains a perfidious business on the back of innocent dog and cat sticks, ”says Birgitt Thiesmann, an expert in illegal puppy trade at four paws.
Particularly many puppies in Bavaria
The particularly high number of puppies in Bavaria is striking: 128 dog puppies in a total of 26 cases. Germany is not only recipient in illegal puppy trade, but also transitland. For many illegal dealers, Bavaria is geographically favorable with its border with the Czech Republic. Transports from Moldau, Romania and Hungary often choose the route via Bavaria.
Illegal puppy trade as a relevant field of application for police Upper Palatinate
In the Upper Palatinate alone, four paws were able to document 68 illegally imported puppies in seven cases in 2025. Press spokeswoman Melanie Bäumler from the Oberpfalz police headquarters says: “The illegal puppy trade continues to be a relevant field of application for the Upper Palatinate police headquarters. In controls, animals are regularly found to young and non -vaccinated animals that are transported under non -reasonable conditions. This trade brings serious animal welfare violations and at the same time points the criminal structures behind it.”
Lightblows in illegal puppy trade through EU vote
The European Parliament decided against illegal pet trading in a pioneering vote on June 19 and demanded the complete labeling and registration of all dogs and cats under human care. This long overdue measure is intended to make illegal dealers significantly more difficult to act anonymously, as every animal must be traceable in the future. Significant improvements are also planned in online trading: Consumers should be given the opportunity to be able to control the dog or cat, for which you are interested in checking yourself via an online check system. The final regulation is expected to be passed this year.