Importing a Dog from abroad.

STORM_2

This is going to sound very strange to people here, but if you are an animal lover then I think you will understand. I recently went to Peru / Cusco and saw the poor state of some of the dogs there. I particulary grew found of one dog who was so lovely, but I had to leave her. I understand that it is possible to import dogs, although I have a small clue how to do this. I havent got contacts or a clear picture what needs ro be done and if it is at all possible!! Could anyone help me? Any advice or experiences if you have imported a stray dog would be helpful.

MrsTinks

If you "import" her she'll need a clean bill of health AND she'll have to be in quarentine for 6 months... that's a very long time...

Full details on what you need (import licence and so on) can be found here
Defra

Wanting to rescue a dog from abroad is a lovely sentiment, but 6 months in quarentine aside - there are thousands of dog here too. Neglected, mistreated - in desperate need of a good loving home. Being put to sleep every day...

If you want to read some sad stories then go to https://www.oldies.org.uk

simontheiceman

STORM wrote: »

This is going to sound very strange to people here, but if you are an animal lover then I think you will understand. I recently went to Peru / Cusco and saw the poor state of some of the dogs there. I particulary grew found of one dog who was so lovely, but I had to leave her. I understand that it is possible to import dogs, although I have a small clue how to do this. I havent got contacts or a clear picture what needs ro be done and if it is at all possible!! Could anyone help me? Any advice or experiences if you have imported a stray dog would be helpful.

This issue raises a large number of questions and will touch on a few here:

1. Importing a dog is not a problem - there are 2 main methods: the first is to import the dog with PETS certification and therefore you will not require the dog to endure quarantine. This is perfectly possible to achieve from most countries in the world. The only stumbling block is finding a vet who is sufficiently versed in PETS to do the necessary chip / vacc / blood test / certification. In Europe this is no problem and I have know clients import from China, UAE, Japan and Hong Kong, but they were all living there at the time.
The second method is to import into the UK and use the quarantine system. This will be expensive and time consuming (6 months incarceration for the dog.).
That deals with UK imports.
2. Either way you should also check that there are no EXPORT considerations from the country you wish to export.
3. Why would you seek to import a dog from a foreign country when our country is awash with the unwanted and massive numbers of stray dogs are euthanased each week in the UK. I euthanased 3 unwanted pound dogs this week and I hate doing it.
4. You may also be importing a health problem which may not show until some weeks/months have elapsed e.g. Leishmania, Babesia, Heartworm. An insurance company may take a very dim view of any problem which could be classed as an exotic disease and was almost certainly within the dog prior to import and therefore prior to insurance. You would almost certainly be expected to cover the costs of that one yourself and that is always dependent on it being able to be diagnosed in the first place. UK vets are notoriously useless at picking up signs of diseases not found in the UK.
5. As a parting shot: I spent time in Tanzania recently looking at stray dog populations. These dogs are not necessarily having a poor life. They may not have cosy beds in a bedroom but they are often well cared for after a fashion. They are known as "village dogs" in biological parlance and occupy an ecological niche for which they are well developed. The way we keep dogs runs completely counter to all biological principles and is not healthy for them.
6. The chances are that this dog would therefore be subjected to a stressful international flight and be taken away from a biologically stable situation which it is currently part of and be subjected to all the horrors of western living in a climate for which it is not adapted. Does this sound like rescue to you? Does this sound like a good idea for the dog?
7. We are not used to "village dogs" in our sanitised country. They are lifted and taken to the pound on being found. Go virtually anywhere else in the world and they become part of the symbiotic relationship between man and his environment. Please respect this or you risk the possibility of committing yet another human environmental crime.

RooBee

STORM wrote: »

This is going to sound very strange to people here, but if you are an animal lover then I think you will understand. I recently went to Peru / Cusco and saw the poor state of some of the dogs there. I particulary grew found of one dog who was so lovely, but I had to leave her. I understand that it is possible to import dogs, although I have a small clue how to do this. I havent got contacts or a clear picture what needs ro be done and if it is at all possible!! Could anyone help me? Any advice or experiences if you have imported a stray dog would be helpful.

Whilst I completely understand your motivation, is it really justifiable to spend thousands of ££ (flights will be £1500 or so, another £3000 for quarantine plus the sundry costs of veterinary care, vaccinations etc etc) when thousands upon thousands of dogs in this country are desperate for homes? And then expect the dog to spend 6 months in quarantine? It would appear that Peru is not currently one of the accepted countries for the PETS passport scheme so quarantine is unfortunately inevitable. Many dogs do not cope well in kennels and I imagine one who has been free ranging all its life might find the solitary kennel environment that quaratine entails particularly difficult.

orlao

While I can understand and sympathise with wanting to rescue this dog, is there any way you could use some of the money to provide her with care locally?I would imagine little bit of cash would go a long way there particularly if you could make an ongoing commitment.

Then if you wanted a dog here, as OP have said there is no shortage of dogs desperately needing homes here without the huge journey and the trauma of quarantine....

Sorry, that's probably not what you wanted to hear!

Best of luck

O x

foreign_correspondent

simontheiceman wrote: »

This issue raises a large number of questions and will touch on a few here:

1. Importing a dog is not a problem - there are 2 main methods: the first is to import the dog with PETS certification and therefore you will not require the dog to endure quarantine. This is perfectly possible to achieve from most countries in the world. The only stumbling block is finding a vet who is sufficiently versed in PETS to do the necessary chip / vacc / blood test / certification. In Europe this is no problem and I have know clients import from China, UAE, Japan and Hong Kong, but they were all living there at the time.
The second method is to import into the UK and use the quarantine system. This will be expensive and time consuming (6 months incarceration for the dog.).
That deals with UK imports.
2. Either way you should also check that there are no EXPORT considerations from the country you wish to export.
3. Why would you seek to import a dog from a foreign country when our country is awash with the unwanted and massive numbers of stray dogs are euthanased each week in the UK. I euthanased 3 unwanted pound dogs this week and I hate doing it.
4. You may also be importing a health problem which may not show until some weeks/months have elapsed e.g. Leishmania, Babesia, Heartworm. An insurance company may take a very dim view of any problem which could be classed as an exotic disease and was almost certainly within the dog prior to import and therefore prior to insurance. You would almost certainly be expected to cover the costs of that one yourself and that is always dependent on it being able to be diagnosed in the first place. UK vets are notoriously useless at picking up signs of diseases not found in the UK.
5. As a parting shot: I spent time in Tanzania recently looking at stray dog populations. These dogs are not necessarily having a poor life. They may not have cosy beds in a bedroom but they are often well cared for after a fashion. They are known as "village dogs" in biological parlance and occupy an ecological niche for which they are well developed. The way we keep dogs runs completely counter to all biological principles and is not healthy for them.
6. The chances are that this dog would therefore be subjected to a stressful international flight and be taken away from a biologically stable situation which it is currently part of and be subjected to all the horrors of western living in a climate for which it is not adapted. Does this sound like rescue to you? Does this sound like a good idea for the dog?
7. We are not used to "village dogs" in our sanitised country. They are lifted and taken to the pound on being found. Go virtually anywhere else in the world and they become part of the symbiotic relationship between man and his environment. Please respect this or you risk the possibility of committing yet another human environmental crime.

What a good post - some really useful insights there - especially about the 'village dogs' - not so long since it was normal for dogs to run free in the UK, especially in rural areas.

So sorry you had to pts 3 pound dogs last week - that must be a rotten bit of the job to do.

Kimberley

STORM wrote: »

This is going to sound very strange to people here, but if you are an animal lover then I think you will understand. I recently went to Peru / Cusco and saw the poor state of some of the dogs there. I particulary grew found of one dog who was so lovely, but I had to leave her. I understand that it is possible to import dogs, although I have a small clue how to do this. I havent got contacts or a clear picture what needs ro be done and if it is at all possible!! Could anyone help me? Any advice or experiences if you have imported a stray dog would be helpful.

I'm sure a stray in the UK will fall in love with you. I completely understand where you are coming from but we have many unwanted dogs/pups in the UK that need your love too

simontheiceman

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

What a good post - some really useful insights there - especially about the 'village dogs' - not so long since it was normal for dogs to run free in the UK, especially in rural areas.

So sorry you had to pts 3 pound dogs last week - that must be a rotten bit of the job to do.

Not only is it "rotten" and it is truly and utterly "rotten" both for me and the dogs concerned, it is also disgraceful that we have such a throwaway attitude to dogs. Awful but true story (from yesterday):

A new client with a new puppy. All well you might think, except this client has had several new puppies which never make it to adulthood, they are sold on and new pups bought. So far you might not have a problem with this but... one of their dogs was taken in as a stray to the pound and they could not "afford" the release fee of £38. They declined to take the dog back, leaving it to the mercies of a potential rehome or if that fails then euthanasia. They promptly went out and bought this new pup for £60. Hands up all who think this acceptable?

Recently I have had far fewer dogs to euthanase at the pound but this has reached 6 or 7 in an individual week. I would estimate that only a very small percentage are unsuitable for rehoming, the rest are victims of a society which fails to value animals.

As for "village dogs", we should all bear in mind that our current pet dogs in all their forms are descendents of such a line, left to their own devices this is how they would behave and indeed they do; all over the world. It is extremely interesting to observe these dogs even if you only have a little time to do so whilst you are on holiday. Rural Spain, Egypt, Greece, UAE, are all places where I have observed them, happily leading what could be quite fulfilling lives but our overly controlling country wont let this happen.

Notsosharp

simontheiceman wrote: »

Not only is it "rotten" and it is truly and utterly "rotten" both for me and the dogs concerned, it is also disgraceful that we have such a throwaway attitude to dogs. Awful but true story (from yesterday):

A new client with a new puppy. All well you might think, except this client has had several new puppies which never make it to adulthood, they are sold on and new pups bought. So far you might not have a problem with this but... one of their dogs was taken in as a stray to the pound and they could not "afford" the release fee of £38. They declined to take the dog back, leaving it to the mercies of a potential rehome or if that fails then euthanasia. They promptly went out and bought this new pup for £60. Hands up all who think this acceptable?

That is just simply awful, I don't understand how someone can just leave a dog like that to be potentially PTS.

This is going to sound like a total cliche but ALL life is precious, these dogs aren't possesions to be disposed of at will but living, breathing creatures. It really is appalling that all these dogs are being PTS simply because they are an inconvenience. It is another symnptom of this so-called society we live in, things (such as dogs) are produced in response to demand and then thrown away when they are not wanted.

People don't treasure things any more and they just don't take the time to consider how these dogs are produced and then what will happen to them when they are no longer wanted. People just don't care any more and it disgusts me. :mad:

foreign_correspondent

Dogs seem to be often bought on a whim, as an accessory or a fad - the trend for celebs using dogs as a fashion accessory is all part of this as far as I am concerned.

People need to realise that when you get a dog, it is your reponsibility, every single day, from now until it dies, at potentially the age of fifteen or maybe even older.

Also people often fail to realise that puppies are especially hard work, and will, without exception, nip, chew, wee, poo, bark, whine and generally be very demanding. As an adult, your dog will still need walking everyday, consideration about getting home so it can go for a wee, it will curtal your social life and cost you money!

You may have seen my thread about the two mongrel oldies I found wandering at the side of the road - they were like a slightly bewildered old couple turfed out and confused, each one relying on the other. I really hoped someone would come forward, that maybe the gate had been left open and they had wandered off - I posted cards in all the local shops, but no one came forward.

How anyone could turf these two out as the weather gets colder and then sleep at night I do not know, but clearly some people can.

That makes a total of five strays I have found in just over a year, dogs seem to be very disposable at the moment.

Thanks goodness our local pound does not pts at the moment, but as the numbers go up I do not know how long they will be able to maintain this stance.

MrsTinks

simon I don't know if they could have helped in these cases but if you have any "oldies" then try contacting www.oldies.org.uk - the ladies are very dedicated to helping their charges and will do what they can to find the dogs a foster place or failing that a rescue kennel. They operate throughout the UK and work with the RSPCA and other rescues to advertise the older dogs including some with health problems.

I can't promise they can always help as I am sure they too are swamped at the moment but they will do their absolutely best to help when they can...