Seven-week-old smuggled puppy finds forever home

A puppy that endured a 26-hour-car journey from Slovakia to Dover at just seven weeks old has been give a fresh start in a new home.

Yorkshire terrier Elsa was smuggled to the Port of Dover in a box in the back seat of a car with little access to food or water. She had no documentation when she arrived in September but authorities seized her after suspecting she was under age.

The puppy was placed in the care of the Dogs Trust in the South East and has since found a new home with a family in Yorkshire.

Owner Lynne Austin said: "She's settled in nicely and doesn't seem to have any ill effects from that early trauma."

Austin added: "I burst into tears when I heard about her and saw her.

"It's just been perfect timing for Elsa but for me as well."

Elsa was seized at the Port of Dover alongside two other dogs after authorities found she was too young to be entering the UK legally with no paperwork or microchip.

Austin said she adopted Elsa after losing her last dog, also a Yorkshire terrier, in the middle of 2025.

Dogs Trust said Elsa's case was not unusual, adding they had cared for 3,200 illegally imported puppies over the last decade.

The charity estimated that, if sold to unsuspecting members of the public, these puppies would have made over £5m for illegal importers.

The average age of puppies intercepted through the Puppy Pilot scheme, Dogs Trust's campaign to look after dogs seized at the border, is between eight and 11 weeks old.

Josh Heath, who works for the Dogs Trust in the South East, said: "Some of the red flags [to spot illegal puppy sales] would be if the seller has a lot of different breeds available but doesn't have information on some of the puppies.

"If they have no details of the mum or aren't able to provide pictures of it, that can also be a serious red flag."

In December, the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill was given royal assent, raising the minimum age for bringing puppies into the UK from 15 weeks to six months.

Animal welfare charities say the new law, passed after two previous attempts failed, will help tackle puppy smuggling.

Matt Henning, head of the Animal and Plant Health Agency's work against puppy smuggling in Dover, said: "Some of the dogs we intercept can be on death's door.

"The main cause of issues is from the importers exploiting some of the loopholes that this bill aims to address.

"It can be quite tricky to age some of the breeds but raising it [the minimum age] to six months will leave little doubt. It makes things much clearer."

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