A Welwyn Garden City woman has been left devastated after her new puppy was quarantined by vets when they discovered it was illegally imported.
Lorna Simpson took her puppy Rosie to the vets for her jabs on Monday, carrying with her all the correct paperwork, only to be informed it was all fake.
The vet at Attimore Veterinary Hospital told Lorna that her 10-week-old border collie is likely only eight-weeks-old, and has probably been illegally imported from Dublin.
Lorna was given three options from her vet: Deport her back to Dublin, have her put down, or pay for her to be quarantined - estimated to cost around £1,000.
Rosie has now been quarantined and will remain so for several weeks. There's a good chance she hasn't been vaccinated properly, additionally she cannot receive her jabs until she's older.
Lorna said: "I walked in the vets beaming and happy with my lovable new puppy and then walked out with none.
"They told me straight away the documentation for Rosie was fake.
"We are allowed to visit, but we can't see her yet as she might have parvovirus [a highly contagious canine virus]."
Lorna and her family had picked up Rosie on Saturday and spent the whole weekend playing with her - even letting her sleep on the bed.
The pet owner told the Welwyn Hatfield Times: "We're devastated, me and my partner have six kids between us and we've all cried together - they're a bit confused.
"The first thing my four-year-old did on Monday was tell his teacher we've got a new puppy, he even asked to bring a friend over after school to see her.
"Try telling a four-year-old that their new puppy has been taken away."
The Dogs Trust have investigated puppy smuggling stating that illegal dealers 'falsify age and vaccination details on their passports', in order to cut costs and sell them quickly.
"I'm angry at them and at myself for not realising how common this is," Lorna continued.
"The staff at Attimore vets have been so lovely and I'm grateful for anyone that is helping.
"I want to make this story heard so others don't fall into the same trap as us. Illegally imported pups from puppy farms are so much more common than you realise."
Lorna saw the advertisment for Rosie on freeads.co.uk, it has since been removed and the website is investigating the matter.
To help Lorna pay for the costs visit: gofundme.com/1ovlg8n240.
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