A Law That Tears Puppies from Their Families Cannot Be Called Humane

Why the UK’s Animal Welfare Bill will punish love instead of stopping cruelty

They say they’re doing it for the animals.

They say it’s about stopping smuggling.

They hide behind the word "welfare" and images of puppies with sad eyes.
But behind that shield, there’s no compassion — only fear.
Fear that someone might do the right thing without them.
Without their control. Without their profit.

A six-month barrier is not protection. It’s trauma.

Puppies don’t start developing after six months. They develop between four and six.

That’s their window into the world. The time when they form bonds, understand safety, smell their new home, and learn trust.

To rip a puppy from that stage is like taking a child from their family and saying, "they’ll be fine."
But they’re not fine. They remember.

I’ve transported over 5,500 animals. I’ve seen puppies relax when their person is nearby.
And I’ve seen them shut down when no one is.

Bring a puppy too late, and separation becomes more than stress — it becomes a lifelong wound.

Who’s really responsible for smuggling?

The bill’s justification claims:
“Most smuggling happens through PET Travel.”

That’s a lie.

Real smuggling comes through vans carrying 20 animals, each with identical "passports" and rubber-stamped "adoption" papers.
Through buses where no microchips are scanned.
Through operations that treat dogs as freight — while the family flying to meet their pup is treated like a suspect.

I know. I’ve been there. At the borders. With the inspectors.
I’ve held puppies who were nearly turned away over paperwork errors — while full commercial vans drove straight through.

99% of “smuggling cases” aren’t crimes. They’re system failures. And I can prove it.

I have names, dates, documents, testimony.
If anyone at DEFRA is genuinely willing to listen — I’ll show them what’s really happening at the borders.

Because the problem isn’t PET Travel.
The problem is systemic incompetence.

DEFRA doesn’t know the law. And they blame us for it.

Not once have I met a DEFRA officer who could quote actual legislation on pet transport.
They don’t read the regulations. They don’t know the EU agreements. They haven’t studied the rules.

They follow instructions.
Unsigned. Unpublished. Often contradictory.
And those internal memos carry more weight than the law itself.

You can comply perfectly — and still be accused of smuggling.
Because someone misread a policy sheet.

And then they lie: “PET Travel is the problem”

When mistakes happen — they don’t admit fault.
They don’t acknowledge untrained officers, misapplied rules, or internal chaos.

No. They say:
“PET Travel is the issue. Too many people moving animals. It must be restricted.”

That’s a shameless lie.
A manipulation.
A cover-up.

PET Travel isn’t the problem. It’s how responsible people bring their animals home, legally, safely, lovingly.
If that threatens the logistics business — then the business is the problem.

Who benefits from this law?

Not the dogs. Not the families. Not the children waiting with a leash in their hand.

This law benefits:

• Commercial transporters moving 20 animals per load;
• Brokers running dozens of “adoptions” a week;
• Systems where paperwork matters more than life.

It:

• Eliminates PET Travel — the last humane transport option tied to a human bond;
• Blocks individuals from collecting their puppy during the critical socialisation stage;
• Creates a monopoly, giving power only to those with "connections" and commercial capacity.

And here comes the hypocrisy

The bill opens with a point most people agree on: banning dogs with cropped ears and docked tails.
That’s right. That’s humane.

But then, tucked neatly under that banner of compassion:
A total ban on importing puppies under 6 months.

No hearings. No evidence. No public consultation.
Just control.

When 80% of pet owners say “this is my family” — and the law says “this is cargo”

Polls show that over 80% of UK pet owners consider their dogs and cats family.

This bill says the opposite.

It says:
“They’re not family. They’re property. Luggage. A shipment.”

It says that love is suspicious.
That a puppy in your arms is a legal risk.
But twenty in a van — that’s “order”.

This is not about safety.
This is bureaucratic contempt for compassion.

My name is Vladimir Kotlis

I am not a theorist. Not a politician. Not a spokesperson.

I’m someone who talks to animals while driving through the night.
Who sees the panic in their eyes and calms them down with a voice.
And who won’t sit quietly while a law strips families of their right to bring their puppy home — on time.

What I’m asking for

• Stop this law.
• Remove the six-month import ban.
• Admit: real smuggling comes from loopholes, not love.

And above all:

Don’t make love a crime.
Not again.
Not like this.