bringing pitbull overseas. . .help!??

[zedrick]

does/has anyone brought their pitbull mix into the UK? i am planning on edinburgh in the fall but my boyfriends dog is a boxer/pit mix (we're guessing) and i've read about the difficulty of bringing them in to the UK. i've contacted DEFRA, worked my way up the chain of command. then i'll hear that you just have to be really prepared to bring a pit mix, with paperwork from vets, lawyers, saying they are not aggressive and have never caused harm to anyone.

if anyone has accomplished this transistion i would love to know how it was pulled off!

thanx ya'll!

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[annaig]

I haven't had any experience with taking dogs overseas, but from what I've read on DEFRA they really do not like pits and related breeds over there.

However, if you are not sure if your pup is really a pit mix, you can do a test to see what breeds he is. The clinic I work at carriers The Wisdom Panel (works with blood), and it costs about $135. There is also the Canine Heritage Breed Test (saliva sample) for $80. They test for Am Staffs, but not pit bulls specifically. If you think this might be helpful to you, you might want to call and ask if Am Staff is their way of saying pit bull.

Good luck getting your pup across the pond!

 

[Ben and Me]

Obviously Ireland is a separate country, but I know that they have laws mandating that certain breeds be muzzled when out in public (I was always curious why all the greyhounds had muzzles all the time!) I wonder if Britain has similar laws? Something to think about, in addition to the mandated rabies quarantine, etc.

 

[2quick]

If you do end up taking the dog, it's possible to complete the 6 month quarantine in the US instead of the UK. In the US it's just an 'in your house' quarantine vs. the government facility version in the UK. You'll also need to have a rabies titer drawn, microchipped, etc... We just had a day of USDA accreditation stuff where we had the joy of learning about all this stuff.
Andrew

 

[laurafinn]

Don't know about the UK, but just a note for anyone considering Massey in New Zealand or schools in Australia and wanting to bring their dog with them -- neither country allows you to bring pit bulls or pit mixes into the country 🙁

 

[zedrick]

thanks much for the advice! i've heard such conflicting things about trying to get pit mixes into the uk. latest is that if you get lots of paperwork, legal and veterinary, saying your dog has never been a threat or harmed anyone, you can weasel thru. i do think i'll try the breed testing. if i can prove he's english staff rather than am staff it'd be all the difference!

thanks again!

I haven't had any experience with taking dogs overseas, but from what I've read on DEFRA they really do not like pits and related breeds over there.

However, if you are not sure if your pup is really a pit mix, you can do a test to see what breeds he is. The clinic I work at carriers The Wisdom Panel (works with blood), and it costs about $135. There is also the Canine Heritage Breed Test (saliva sample) for $80. They test for Am Staffs, but not pit bulls specifically. If you think this might be helpful to you, you might want to call and ask if Am Staff is their way of saying pit bull.

Good luck getting your pup across the pond!

 

[Electrophile]

Zedrick, is the pup in your avatar your dog? He looks very very much like a lab/boxer mix I fostered a few years back. He was relinquished to the shelter because his owner was deployed to Iraq and his owner knew for a fact what the parents were. I'll post a pic when I get back home (I'm at the vet school at the moment taking a study break before taking an immunology quiz). Very nice dog, he ended up getting a good home.

Btw, the MetaMorphix test is a waste of money. I'll show you all why a bit later when I post about my own dog I submitted.

 

[fetch]

I'm not sure where you heard this "conflicting" information; the UK banned the pit bull type (including mixes) several years ago. DEFRA is pretty clear on the subject (second link):

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/factsheet/eufactsheet4_050907.pdf

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/dogs.htm

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/ddogsleaflet.pdf

From what I understand the "breed testing" of mongrels offered by the new services mentioned are a joke; completely unreliable and no veterinarian will put their license on the line to vouche the results are 100% accurate. Several veterinarians who post on VIN tested their dogs and got wildly off the wall breeds reported back. Maybe once the databases have grown there will be validity to the tests, but not now.

You will also find no veterinarian will put their license on the line and "certify" a dog is not dangerous because, well, you simply cannot. Even the nicest, sweetest pooch in the entire universe has the capability and capacity to bite (even unprovoked) under the right set of circumstances and star alignment.

The only thing that might be in your favor is if the dog's veterinary medical records do not have it listed as a "pit bull x / am staff x / terrier x / etc" or any mention anywhere in the records of "pit/terrier/etc". If you do, you're screwed. Sorry. Even if the record doesn't, if the dog is "typey" for pit bull breed characteristics (look at the third link above - it lists the characteristics they look for), you're screwed. Sorry x 2. Sure, you can risk it and try to beat the system; just know if you fail and the courts don't exempt him/her, they can euthanize the dog at your expense without giving you the option to reship him/her home.

I empathize, I truly do. But I would recommend you spend your energy trying to find a relative who will take care of your dog (and do it well) for five years if there is any hint of pit bull type to your pooch. At this point you wouldn't even make the six month requirement between blood draw for FAVN and entrance into the country to avoid the quarantine, assuming classes start Aug/Sept.

ETA: who ever mentioned earlier doing the 6-month quarantine at "home" in the US if you don't meet all the requirements for non-quarantine entrance is mistaken.

Misread the post referenced to a certain degree last night. Sure, the regular six month wait between FAVN draw and travel to EU can be completed at home; but it is not a true quarantine. The six month quarantine mandated by the EU regs/DEFRA if you do not meet the microchip/rabies immun/FAVN/180 days before travel/etc is a true quarantine and cannot be completed stateside. Just making sure I didn't confuse anyone.

 

[zedrick]

hey electrophile-

no thats actually my old dog max who died about a year and a half ago. i had him for 14 years, so he was about 16years old. i still miss him so much, although i have adopted another dog, whose an old fart, and a couple of cats. the dog in question is my boyfriends pup. it really sucks to not be able to bring him with us. my b-friends parents will take him (we could never give him up) but i would love to bring him over. the whole pitbull bias is such a load of crap! talk about racism! i've seen dog bite from practically every breed except pits. chihuahuas are the worst!

anyway, i'll have to think again about the MetaMorphix testing. i though it'd be fun and might help but after hearing more about it. . . .i dunno.

so sad that someone going off to war has to give up his/her dog. i'm glad he got a good home. i work for a rescue org. as well and fostering dogs has been agreat experience, although we have too many critters at the moment.

best of luck in school and thanks for the info!

Zedrick, is the pup in your avatar your dog? He looks very very much like a lab/boxer mix I fostered a few years back. He was relinquished to the shelter because his owner was deployed to Iraq and his owner knew for a fact what the parents were. I'll post a pic when I get back home (I'm at the vet school at the moment taking a study break before taking an immunology quiz). Very nice dog, he ended up getting a good home.

Btw, the MetaMorphix test is a waste of money. I'll show you all why a bit later when I post about my own dog I submitted.

 

[zedrick]

hi fetch-
yeah, i know i'm screwed. im just grasping at little bits of twine here. i feel bad asking my boyfriend to leave his dog behind, because i know i couldn't do it. but the choice is his and his parents will take milo (the scary pit mix) to live in the suburbs of connecticut, so it aint too bad. i just think this whole pitbull problem is such a shame. this type of dog went from being equated to a babysitter and caretaker to a vicious killer all because of stupid people and the media. i've done a lot of dog rescue and have seen many "unadoptable" (to put it nicely) dogs of all breeds. unless they've come from a dogfighting background, the pit/pit mixes have proved to the most affectionate and well behaved of the bunch! such a shame!
so a friend tells me she talked to a woman who claims she had no trouble bringing a bull terrier and rottie she adopted in the US over to england, and i see a little nod of hope.
maybe plastic surgery is the way to go? we can give milo some exquisite angelina jolie lips to boot?

thanx for the info!

I'm not sure where you heard this "conflicting" information; the UK banned the pit bull type (including mixes) several years ago. DEFRA is pretty clear on the subject (second link):

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/factsheet/eufactsheet4_050907.pdf

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/dogs.htm

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/ddogsleaflet.pdf

From what I understand the "breed testing" of mongrels offered by the new services mentioned are a joke; completely unreliable and no veterinarian will put their license on the line to vouche the results are 100% accurate. Several veterinarians who post on VIN tested their dogs and got wildly off the wall breeds reported back. Maybe once the databases have grown there will be validity to the tests, but not now.

You will also find no veterinarian will put their license on the line and "certify" a dog is not dangerous because, well, you simply cannot. Even the nicest, sweetest pooch in the entire universe has the capability and capacity to bite (even unprovoked) under the right set of circumstances and star alignment.

The only thing that might be in your favor is if the dog's veterinary medical records do not have it listed as a "pit bull x / am staff x / terrier x / etc" or any mention anywhere in the records of "pit/terrier/etc". If you do, you're screwed. Sorry. Even if the record doesn't, if the dog is "typey" for pit bull breed characteristics (look at the third link above - it lists the characteristics they look for), you're screwed. Sorry x 2. Sure, you can risk it and try to beat the system; just know if you fail and the courts don't exempt him/her, they can euthanize the dog at your expense without giving you the option to reship him/her home.

I empathize, I truly do. But I would recommend you spend your energy trying to find a relative who will take care of your dog (and do it well) for five years if there is any hint of pit bull type to your pooch. At this point you wouldn't even make the six month requirement between blood draw for FAVN and entrance into the country to avoid the quarantine, assuming classes start Aug/Sept.

ETA: who ever mentioned earlier doing the 6-month quarantine at "home" in the US if you don't meet all the requirements for non-quarantine entrance is mistaken.

Misread the post referenced to a certain degree last night. Sure, the regular six month wait between FAVN draw and travel to EU can be completed at home; but it is not a true quarantine. The six month quarantine mandated by the EU regs/DEFRA if you do not meet the microchip/rabies immun/FAVN/180 days before travel/etc is a true quarantine and cannot be completed stateside. Just making sure I didn't confuse anyone.

 

[Electrophile]

So Zoso is a dog I got 3 years ago at the local shelter at 4 months of age. He came in with his brother, who looked pretty much identical. I am quite good at identifying dog breeds, if I do say so myself. He looks as best as I can tell like a Belgian Malinois/German shepherd cross. See for yourself...

(sitting on the left next to two of my other dogs Fawkes and Lily, who are purebred Malinois)


So when they did the test, they listed nothing as a primary breed. Nothing as a secondary breed. The only thing they had listed "in the mix" was this:

Does he look at all like a Bernese Mountain dog to you? Anyways, I complained and I re-submitted a sample. We'll see how it goes. 🙄

 

[david594]

Misread the post referenced to a certain degree last night. Sure, the regular six month wait between FAVN draw and travel to EU can be completed at home; but it is not a true quarantine. The six month quarantine mandated by the EU regs/DEFRA if you do not meet the microchip/rabies immun/FAVN/180 days before travel/etc is a true quarantine and cannot be completed stateside. Just making sure I didn't confuse anyone.

You also have to pay out of pocket for the true quarantine to the tune of $10,000. The animal is kept in a controlled facility for the 6 month period, nothing like the "quarantines" here if your animal gets bit by something potentially rabid.

 

[zedrick]

he looks EXACTLY like a bernese! oh wait, let me put on my glasses. . .um, yeah, they got THAT one wrong! he definitely looks like a shep/malinois cross. they are all beautiful!
i'd be curious to see what the second set of results say. should we take bets? i got 5 bucks on a pomeranian mixed with a shetland pony. . . .

So Zoso is a dog I got 3 years ago at the local shelter at 4 months of age. He came in with his brother, who looked pretty much identical. I am quite good at identifying dog breeds, if I do say so myself. He looks as best as I can tell like a Belgian Malinois/German shepherd cross. See for yourself...

(sitting on the left next to two of my other dogs Fawkes and Lily, who are purebred Malinois)


So when they did the test, they listed nothing as a primary breed. Nothing as a secondary breed. The only thing they had listed "in the mix" was this:

Does he look at all like a Bernese Mountain dog to you? Anyways, I complained and I re-submitted a sample. We'll see how it goes. 🙄

 

[twelvetigers]

i'd be curious to see what the second set of results say. should we take bets? i got 5 bucks on a pomeranian mixed with a shetland pony. . . .

😆