By Mark Gill, CEO of Petasure

We often talk about pet abduction as a national crisis. And in the UK, it absolutely is. But we mustn’t forget that this is far from a local issue – it’s a global one.

Pet theft, trafficking, and abuse don’t stop at our borders. In fact, in countries where laws are more relaxed or barely exist at all, the problem is even more dire. Some nations still haven’t outlawed dog fighting. Others have yet to criminalise pet abduction. And while progress is being made in pockets around the world, the international picture is bleak.

With around 1.1 billion registered cats and dogs kept as pets globally, the scale of the challenge is staggering. Even if we manage to tighten UK legislation and protect our own animals, traffickers will simply look elsewhere. If there’s demand, they will supply – and right now, the demand in Europe alone is eye-watering.

An Unregulated Market Feeding a Crisis

In the EU, six million dogs are needed each year to meet current demand. Shockingly, 79% of those dogs cannot be traced back to verified or legal sources. That’s more than four out of five. It’s a thriving underground economy, bolstered by a complete lack of regulation in online sales.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Across 21 EU member states, four out of five classified ad sites host puppy listings. In Germany, Italy, and France, over 2,000 puppy adverts appear every single day. In Poland, that figure soars to more than 4,000 daily ads.

And yet, there is no unified system for verifying the source of these pets. No way for buyers to be sure they aren’t inadvertently fuelling the very black market we’re fighting against.

Digital Pet IDs: A Smarter Way Forward

That’s why Petasure is calling for the mandatory identification and registration of all dogs, not just in the UK, but internationally. We also need verification systems built into classified ad sites, ensuring that registrations are cross-checked before adverts can go live.

Crucially, buyers must be empowered to check those pet IDs with Petasure before proceeding with any purchase. In many parts of the world, microchipping isn’t mandatory. That’s why we believe digital IDs offer a smarter, scalable solution.

But we can’t stop there.

To truly tackle the crisis, Petasure must grow beyond Britain. We’re already laying the groundwork to expand both our business and our Foundation across Europe, the United States, and further afield.

By building partnerships with Border Force, vets, animal charities, and local authorities, we can form a global safety net. A future where lost pets are reunited with their families – no matter the distance. Where trafficking is blocked at the border. Where stolen pets are recovered and returned. Where prosecutions can finally match the severity of the crime.

Here’s how we get there:

• 24/7 Pet Support Centres and Foundation branches in each region
• Cross-border identification for pets in countries without mandatory microchipping
• Real-time pet ID verification for buyers, classified ad sites, and authorities
• Reliable evidence gathering to support prosecutions and improve conviction rates

It’s simple: the better the data, the higher the chances of conviction-and the more incentive authorities have to act.

We can’t afford to think nationally any more. This is a global epidemic, and it needs a global response.

To find out more, or to register your pet with Petasure, visit: www.petasure.co.uk

collaborative content