UK rescue centres are full to bursting with stray and abandoned dogs from a UK origin. However, more and more rescue centres are popping up in this country that are importing stray dogs from abroad. These dogs are coming from all over the world - Greece, Spain, Romania, and as far away as Thailand, to name but a few.

These countries have a huge stray dog problem due to, amongst other things, the lack of routine neutering of animals. I appreciate that people here are keen to help aid this situation; however I do not believe that importing these dogs to the UK is the way forward. Volunteering at neutering clinics in the countries themselves or donating to rescue centres based abroad are more viable options. The process of being "rescued", quarantined, transported abroad, held in a rescue centre here and then rehomed, can be nothing more than traumatic for these dogs.

Also, these dogs are often carrying diseases currently not found in the UK, such as Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis and Leishmaniasis. These diseases are difficult to treat and often fatal. With the recent cases of Babesiosis in Essex, in dogs that had not even travelled outside the UK, this is the first worrying indication that these diseases could become endemic in the UK, as they are in mainland Europe.

I believe that stopping the importation of foreign dogs into UK rescue centres will not only help to prevent the spread of these diseases into this country, but also prevent unnecessary suffering to the dogs themselves, and help UK dogs stuck in rescue centres find homes faster.