Without water

Six puppies rescued from smugglers’ bus

Two of the rescued puppies(Bild: BMF/Zoll)

On the A1 in Upper Austria, customs officers were able to stop a Bulgarian minibus in which six puppies were being smuggled. The five poodle mixes and one Maltese were being illegally transported from Bulgaria to Germany. They were apparently not given any water for most of the journey. They were freed and confiscated.

There were two Macedonians (24 and 28 years old) who were traveling on the A1 in a minibus with a Bulgarian license plate. However, they were stopped and checked by customs officers on the journey through Upper Austria.

Two puppies were found during the search. The co-driver (28) initially handed the customs officers four pet passports for them. However, during a further search of the vehicle, four more young dogs were discovered between pieces of furniture. 

This Maltese was also to be transported to Germany(Bild: BMF/Zoll)

They had obviously been transported under the most adverse conditions. Some of the animals were housed in boxes that were far too small, while others were crammed into one box.

When questioned about the origin and destination of the puppies, the 28-year-old stated that he had received the dogs from a friend in Bulgaria and that they were to be taken to a buyer in Germany. He claimed that he had last provided the puppies with water in Hungary.

The transportation of the dogs was apparently not appropriate for the species(Bild: BMF/Zoll)

Dubious buyer version
The customs officers contacted the alleged buyer by telephone. He explained that he had ordered and bought the dogs on an official website. However, he was unable to give the name of the website.

The puppies were crammed into small boxes(Bild: BMF/Zoll)

The veterinary service of the BH Linz-Land was then called in. The five poodle mixes and the Maltese were taken away from the Macedonians. They also had to provide a financial guarantee in the amount of 3000 euros. The rescued dogs were handed over to the animal rescue service and are now being cared for at the Linz animal shelter.