In mid-September, the Frankfurt Public Order Office confiscated 27 dogs in the Oberrad district.

Most of them were Australian Shepherd puppies, valued at a total of €30,000.

What the buyers didn't know was that some of the animals were born sick.

They come from illegal breeding.

The perpetrators, three women, have previously been noticed in several districts with violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Apparently, they often changed their location as soon as there were problems with the responsible veterinary office.

This was the result of the investigations by the Frankfurt regulatory authority.

The case is just one example of many.

The illegal pet trade is booming.

The Hessian Ministry of the Environment reports that the demand for dogs has risen sharply, especially since the beginning of the pandemic and the time in the home office.

According to the German Animal Welfare Association, the number of cases of illegal trade discovered by the authorities has almost tripled from 66 in 2019 to almost 172 in 2020.

In 2021, the number doubled again to 339 cases.

Illegal dog trafficking has accounted for around 90 percent of reported cases over the past two years.

"Professionals import 50 to 70 puppies at once"

As the number of cases increases, so does the number of animals affected.

In 2019 there were still 731 animals, in 2020 there were already 1221 and last year 2228 animals.

At the same time, the share of dog trade in the total number of cases to the detriment of animals continues to increase.

In 2019, just under half of the animals found were dogs, in 2020 and 2021 it will be almost 90 percent.

The dealers often offer the animals via various online portals.

"The dealers advertise under different telephone numbers and also transport the puppies to the customer," says Madeleine Martin, state animal protection officer in the Hessian Ministry of the Environment.

The path to your own Golden Retriever is often just a mouse click away.

For customers who want to see the mother animal, for example, "entire fairy tales are built up" by showing other animals that are not related to the puppies at all.

One problem is that illegally bred animals are often cheaper and available more quickly than those from reputable breeders.

"Buyers often have to wait months for the breeder dog," says Martin.

According to the information, the majority of the puppies that are later sold in Germany after illegal breeding come from Eastern Europe.

Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria are the most common countries of origin.

"Professionals import 50 to 70 puppies in one go," says Martin.

However, these transports are rarely noticed and are hardly followed, she says.

A find in Nuremberg last year caused a stir when the police found 101 puppies of different breeds in a van.

Qualifications of torturous breeding are often not recognized by buyers until later

At the same time, the conditions under which the animals are born and imported are catastrophic.

"The mother dogs often sit there without regular human contact in stables and cellars, mostly without veterinary care," Martin continues.

As a result, the animals and the puppies would behave abnormally and often become ill.

However, infectious diseases such as parvovirus, leptospirosis or worm infestation are not visible.

"Buyers often only recognize many of the torturous breeding characteristics such as rolled-up eyelashes, hereditary arthrosis or deafness later."

Another clue to illegal trade is the age of the dog.

According to the German Animal Welfare Association, puppies from the states of the European Union must have a rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport.

Vaccination does not take place until the age of twelve weeks.

A three-week waiting period must then be observed.

"Puppies that are offered on the Internet when they are just a few weeks old and are imported into Germany are therefore traded illegally."

Stricter controls and clearer penalties

Customers are often unaware of how young dogs are bred and brought to their owners, says Sabine Urbainsky, head of the animal shelter at the Tierschutzverein Frankfurt.

Not everyone who was interested in a dog looked at where the puppies actually come from.

There are always buyers who are not willing to pay a lot of money for an animal.

If the animal falls ill or has behavioral problems, "the screaming is great".

Urbainsky therefore advocates strict controls.

In their opinion, private breeding without a proper association should be banned.

"The reports must be followed up more massively and the penalties must be severe," she demands.

The State Animal Welfare Officer Martin is also calling for “clearer penalties” for illegal animal trade.

Furthermore, there is a need for a “ban on online trading, at least for commercial traders”.

The 27 confiscated animals in Frankfurt are now housed in a species-appropriate and safe manner, as the head of the regulatory office, Karin Müller, says.

However, the three women are threatened with little, apart from an administrative offense report and a fine.

According to the German Animal Welfare Association, this is often between 5,000 and 25,000 euros in such cases.