Overview

• Legal imports from Romania, Spain and Hungary average nearly 72,000 dogs annually, while weak border checks and online markets fuel an estimated several hundred thousand illegal arrivals each year.
• Many imported dogs face severe stress from apartment confinement and lack early socialization, leading to behavioral issues that often send them back to overcrowded shelters.
• In origin countries such as Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, a large share of so-called strays already have dedicated caregivers, raising concerns about mislabeling and dog theft for profit.
• Criminal networks exploit unwitting tourists as “flight godparents” and falsify health documents, resulting in dogs arriving with zoonotic pathogens like Leishmania, Giardia and viral or bacterial agents.
• Animal welfare groups are pressing for tougher adoption screenings, expanded on-site spay-neuter programs abroad and stronger enforcement of EU TRACES transport rules.