International trade in companion animals — particularly puppies and exotic species — creates serious welfare risks through transport conditions, disease transmission, and inadequate documentation.
The international companion animal trade combines animal welfare harms with public health risks in ways that demand stronger regulatory response. Puppy smuggling operations that falsify documentation and move underage animals across borders cause direct welfare harm through undersocialization, disease exposure, and transport stress — and produce animals more likely to have health and behavioral problems throughout their lives. Exotic pet smuggling causes extraordinary mortality during transport, with some estimates suggesting only 1 in 10 animals survives from capture to sale. Strengthening import controls, improving enforcement, and raising consumer awareness about the source of their animals are all necessary components of addressing this welfare crisis.