Two Dachshunds named after Gogglebox’s Steph and Dom have been re-homed by the Dogs Trust after they were seized at the Eurotunnel in Folkestone.

They were taken from Hungarian transporters three weeks ago after an attempt to smuggle the underage puppies into Great Britain with false passports.

As part of Dogs Trust’s ongoing investigation into puppy smuggling, the charity is making a landmark step by pledging to provide care and quarantine of seized smuggled puppies.

Sarah Graham, press officer at Dogs Trust said: “The tiny twosome were destined to be sold online. By transporting the puppies underage they appear ‘cuter’ to potential buyers, but the puppies may have suffered terribly in order to fulfil the demand for designer dogs.

“Had Dogs Trust not stepped in, these puppies would have been bought online by unsuspecting buyers and they would have undoubtedly been lumped with the hefty quarantine bill and emotional stress. The puppies have all required veterinary treatment, largely due to the fact they were taken from their mothers too young.

“Both Steph and Dom have been cared for and brought back to full health by the team at Dogs Trust Canterbury.”

The puppies were named after the Sandwich couple who appear on Channel 4’s reality programme Gogglebox as they spent time in the Rehoming Centre’s sofa room with the TV on. Staff members who are great fans of Steph and Dom Parker, who own the Salutation in Sandwich, decided to name the pups in their honour.

Steph and Dom the Dachshunds have now found loving new homes.