Petition To Stop Puppy Imports Reaches 28,000 Signatures After Support From Olivia Attwood And Paige Turley

A petition to stop dogs being imported from puppy farms has reached over 28,000 signatures after being backed by the likes of former Love Islanders Olivia Attwood and Paige Turley. The petition follows the very high profile death of Molly-Mae Hague{ =nofollow}and Tommy Fury’s Pomeranian puppy Mr Chai, who died only days after he was imported from Russia.

The campaign has been created by TV vet Marc Abraham, and Lucy Parkinson, a dog lover who decided something needed to be done to stop this from happening again. Since its launch on Saturday, the petition now has nearly 30,000 signatures meaning the government must respond. It must reach 100,000 in order to be debated in parliament. (You can sign it here.)

Lucy’s Law was put in place earlier this year to ban UK puppy-farms, helping to stop the trade which would see dogs be sold for extortionate prices, with some dogs then unfortunately becoming ill from heart failure or diseases such as parvo-virus. However, puppies are still being imported from abroad, often when they are still very young (even though they're not meant to be transported until 15-weeks).

Last month, Molly and Tommy shared a video in which they explained Mr Chai's death, with Molly-Mae saying the autopsy revealed that the dog’s skull wasn’t fully developed, meaning part of his brain was exposed. The influencer also said he ‘didn't have a single white blood cell left in his body’ (meaning he couldn’t fight off any infections) and that his organs were enlarged.

The pair said in the video that they realised that something ‘wasn't right’ with Mr Chai{ =nofollow}after two days, so they took him to the vet - they were later shocked to discover that the dog had a seizure and died, with Molly saying that Tommy threw up due to shock.

Molly says that, in hindsight, they would have opted for a rescue dog from the UK. ‘While we understand everyone's opinions about him being shipped over from Russia, you need to understand that this is not what made that baby dog pass away,’ she said. ‘That's not what made him die. He was going to die regardless. If we had the time again we would have got a dog from the UK or got a rescue dog from the UK.’

Tiffany Chihuahuas & Pomeranians, the company which reportedly imported the dog, said the pup was 'healthy' and that this had 'never happened before' in a statement. ‘Mr Chai was a healthy dog,’ the company wrote on Facebook. ‘I only work with trusted people and have a small network of reputable breeders who care for their dogs to the very highest standards and see animals as part of their family. I have rigorous processes in place to check animal health and the suitability of forever homes providing support and guidance for health and wellbeing throughout. I have worked with dogs my entire life and this has never happened before.’

READ MORE: Molly-Mae Hague And Tommy Fury Make 'Fresh Start' In New Flat After Their Puppy Dies