Why import dogs?

Sometimes people adopt from overseas because the conditions for dogs in some countries are really bad. UK shelters do amazing work but the process here can be pretty strict. For many, it’s just about helping a dog who needs a second chance.

Caleo

MayBe, I saw a podenco at a rescue where I actually got my whippet lurcher from. Later I met the podenco in the park with her rescuer. I wished then that I had chosen the podenco as she was so much more obedient to recall than my lurcher who took her off lead exercise in wild zoomies, onc time actually knocking me over.

There is a podenco rescue in the UK. .
They've got dogs ready for homes if anyone's interested.

MayBe, I saw a podenco at a rescue where I actually got my whippet lurcher from. Later I met the podenco in the park with her rescuer. I wished then that I had chosen the podenco as she was so much more obedient to recall than my lurcher who took her off lead exercise in wild zoomies, onc time actually knocking me over.

mokryna

Dogs are imported to France from Romania.

Why don’t a group of charity vets go out to these places, to neuter all the male dogs that can be caught, every few months for the health of all living dogs, if the life is so bad for dogs in general in these countries?

Ther are many charities supporting neutering programmes in Romania. Vets don't need to o go to Romania, they have their own.

In Spain the problem is the way they throw out their hunting dogs at the end of the hunting season. I support a rescue called Galgos del Sol and am a member of a walking group in which many member have rescued Podencos ( they look like whippets with oversized ears). Some of these dogs had been loyal servants for years before being thrown onto the streets.

Dogs are imported to France from Romania.

Why don’t a group of charity vets go out to these places, to neuter all the male dogs that can be caught, every few months for the health of all living dogs, if the life is so bad for dogs in general in these countries?

Iam64

Of course they are. The British charity I volunteer for agrees to take the dog back if for any reason the adopter can no longer care for the dog.
Strange then we have dogs imported in our rescue shelters

Noone is denying there are likely unscrupulous dog importers, likewise unscrupulous UK dog breeders. Not all imported dogs arrive through the registered charity route. When l was looking within a radius of 100 miles for a dog few were immigrants, apart from van loads of rescued Irish breeding bitches, with more expected.

Iam64

The courage of an angel 💙

I forgot to mention, but now other have, that good breeders tell you they’re there for the life of your dog. If for whatever reason you can no longer care for your dog,,they will take him or her back
One of the biggest problems is prospective owners who don’t know how they can find a reputable breeder. Imagine buying a pup on a car park or being told no you can’t see the mother because she’s comforting a sick family member. This and more plus a puppy worm infested and sick

Good ones will also match dog and prospective owners personaties. My breeder did advise me against our current dog as she was a bit feisty and said another in the litter was much gentler but I’d set my heart on her. She’s now the dearest dog anyone could ever have but she wore me out mentally and physically for the first nine months! By the time her dogs go to their new homes at 8 weeks they will have been taken on several car journeys and visited other people to play in their gardens. She shows you how to clip their claws ( important with sighthounds) and gives you a bag including a cuddly toy, a squeaky ball and the food they’ve been on ( although they’re given a wide variety of food). They have a health certificate from their vet. And she has a Facebook page on which all the owners can chat with each other. Her foundation bitch is still alive at what is quite an age for a whippet. She will always take them back if necessary.

Ultimately, keeping a companion dog is a luxury that not everyone can afford who would like to do so.

IMO status signalling is very low on the list of possible justifications for keeping a dog.

Iam64 wrote:

"Strange then we have dogs imported in our rescue shelters"'

My first port of call when I felt I needed a dog after my JRT died in January, was the RSPCA from whom I have successfully adopted three times previously.

Like other rescues, I never heard back from them after filling out the application form. I reckoned I was turned down by many rescues because I am 93, and honestly, I too would be very doubtful that a 93 year old can care for a dog, or even live long enough to be worth sending dog to.

The charity from whom I finally got my dog does have application forms and stringent rules like the others. The difference is she assesses on a case by case basis , not the usual tick-box assessment, and she was not phased by my age and frailty, as my sons , although I am the proper owner, attend me and the dog daily. and do the walks. All the other requirements are in place such as large garden with 6 ft fence etc. She required videos of house and garden , then said I'd need to install a stair gate to confine dog to downstairs where I can access him in emergencies, as I don't climb stairs.
She does not specialise in foreign dogs. Her speciality is disabled dogs who do of course have special needs such as initial nursing care, dog wheel chairs, and owners who are broad -minded as to an amputated leg ,or deafness. She matched my special needs with those of dog.

Later on she PMd me to advise on my own personal security online, which rather shows she cares for all concerned.

Of course they are. The British charity I volunteer for agrees to take the dog back if for any reason the adopter can no longer care for the dog.
Strange then we have dogs imported in our rescue shelters

Iam64

The courage of an angel 💙

I forgot to mention, but now other have, that good breeders tell you they’re there for the life of your dog. If for whatever reason you can no longer care for your dog,,they will take him or her back
One of the biggest problems is prospective owners who don’t know how they can find a reputable breeder. Imagine buying a pup on a car park or being told no you can’t see the mother because she’s comforting a sick family member. This and more plus a puppy worm infested and sick

Good charities are there for the life of the dog too, should the adopter not be able to keep the dog, the dog is returned to the charity's care.

The courage of an angel 💙

I forgot to mention, but now other have, that good breeders tell you they’re there for the life of your dog. If for whatever reason you can no longer care for your dog,,they will take him or her back
One of the biggest problems is prospective owners who don’t know how they can find a reputable breeder. Imagine buying a pup on a car park or being told no you can’t see the mother because she’s comforting a sick family member. This and more plus a puppy worm infested and sick

Caleo

I agree Iam64, it is all very complex.
I justify my getting a fog as I feel the need od a companioin who barks at possible intruders, and who I can control.

The rescue from which I got my Romanian carefully matched my need with the dog's need.
It is true that some Romanian dogs are neurotic after the horrors they have survived as street dogs, and I could not manage a neurotic dog as I am old and frail. However I have a happy old boy with a heart murmur , worn teeth, and the courage of an angel who suits me perfectly.

That's lovely to hear Caleo Hope you and your boy have many more years together .

dog

I agree Iam64, it is all very complex.
I justify my getting a fog as I feel the need od a companioin who barks at possible intruders, and who I can control.

The rescue from which I got my Romanian carefully matched my need with the dog's need.
It is true that some Romanian dogs are neurotic after the horrors they have survived as street dogs, and I could not manage a neurotic dog as I am old and frail. However I have a happy old boy with a heart murmur , worn teeth, and the courage of an angel who suits me perfectly.

I have only ever bought from breeders that show their dogs and are keeping 1 or 2 for themselves. I've studied the pedigrees looking for interbreeding, I look at the parents test results for any problems they can suffer from, hips scores are also very important. Puppies must also be health tested. Not all breeders are in it for the money, some are genuine and want to keep their line going .

If they weren't keeping a pup for themselves I walk away.
I've travelled fair distances for a puppy from a kennel name I know and like . I meet mum with the pups . It's been exhausting but so worth it for the right puppy with no problems. I couldn't take on a rescue dog , too many have had bad starts and have problems. I love dogs and I'm glad people do give them loving homes but sadly it won't be me.
I like to know from the start what traits I'm getting .
With a rescue it's pot luck.

Ladyripple

My dog is from Romania,why I chose him is nothing to do with anyone.

I have had him over 11 years,since he was 20 weeks old.

Try dealing with U.K. rescues,they are a nightmare.

Mine is from Romania too. Some UK rescues are indeed a nightmare but I volunteer at one privately funded by supporters and the dogs are well cared for and adopted to suitable new homes. Completely different conditions to the overcrowded pounds abroad. I just intended to foster mine but fell in love with the gentle, grateful little soul we got so adopted her. The reason I wanted to foster in the first place was to give a chance to an innocent who are kept in the most horrendous public pounds with little food and water and in freezing or boiling hot conditions depending on the season. The strays over there are treated hideously by many cruel locals but there are thankfully a small army of animal lovers who do thier best. My adoption fee was £400 which considering they are neutered/spayed , health tested and flea/worming treated. I paid in 2 installments and if anything happens to me, she has to go back to the rescue branch over here to be carefully rehomed. If anything, people should castigate the backyard breeders who bring many many hundreds of sick dogs into the world a lot of which have behavioural issues due to poor breeding. The bitches are often bred till they give out through health problems. These animals are held in disgusting environments and treated very badly and the pups are sold for thousands. Now please note, I am talking about back yard breeders, not responsible breeders.

MayBee70

It’s like The Spanish Inquisition getting a puppy from my whippets breeder. I’ve had to sign all sorts of things including to say if ever I can’t keep her I will give her back, not pass her on. She did lose track of one of her puppies but, thanks to the power of the internet, was able to trace it’s whereabouts.

Exactly how it should be, MayBee70. Our breeder was the same.

It’s like The Spanish Inquisition getting a puppy from my whippets breeder. I’ve had to sign all sorts of things including to say if ever I can’t keep her I will give her back, not pass her on. She did lose track of one of her puppies but, thanks to the power of the internet, was able to trace it’s whereabouts.

I agree, Iam64. Our Lab came from a lovely breeder who contacted me after reading of how we had lost our old boy during lockdown. She only breeds Labs, all from working gundog lines (she has won many awards with her gundogs) and her dogs all live as part of her family. She vetted us very thoroughly before decided that we would be suitable owners for one of her pups (we also vetted her thoroughly beforehand too and went to meet our boy's mum and dad). Yes, there are far too many 'backyard breeders' out there who are only in it for the money, but there are genuine people who breed very selectively for a particular breed, like Labs.

Ok - there are many unscrupulous people who call themselves breeders. Their bitches live in cages and are bred from every season. They don’t allow potential buyers to see litter with mum where they were born and lived. Stud dogs similarly exploited.
There are also excellent people who love a specific breed, specialise in that breed so they’re knowledgable and responsible. They breed for health and temperament. The provide 5 generation pedigrees/health checks. Their bitches live in the family home, the puppies are born there, growing accustomed to all the noises and people around. Prospective owners are interviewed and may be refused the opportunity to buy a pup if they work full time with a puppy left isolated and fearful.
I don’t believe we should be importing street dogs. I’ve met a few lovely dogs, usually herding types with easy temperament. I’ve also seen many more being re-homed because they don’t settle into domestic life - running and running given any chance
It’s such a pity to see posters criticising every dog breeder yet singing every praise of street dogs
It’s more complicated surely it’s possible to see that

I have met socially only one dog breeder. Her breeding females were kept in a noisy group in a pen all together and not socialised as house dogs. The large stud however had the run of the farmyard and house and was obviously well socialised.
The owner sold the pedigree pups to finance her horses. She is not unkind, but the bitches are not the sort of dog you would really want to adopt when they got past it as brood bitches,

For two weeks I looked after a friend's little dog who had been a ex-brood bitch, and she was small and harmless but was the most neurotic dog I ever met. She positively could not live without another dog in her house to keep her company.

Stiff, you say all that I'd say! I like your term "street dogs" as I understand that is what they are, if they survive cannibalism long enough to become street strays. I particularly want to ask you how you cat -tested your dogs. My new Rommie was in watch dog mode last night and I''d like to know if he reacts to cats that way, as the rescue had not cat tested him.

He is very obedient but one of my sons has cats and I don't want them troubled if he goes visiting. But my main concern is human intruders.

My dogs from abroad cost £500 each. That was for their vaccinations, transport etc. Any money left over is used to spay/neuter as many street dogs as possible. I think you’ll find £500 is the going rate, nowhere near £5k. If rescue centres over here were a bit more lenient then you’d probably find there would be fewer dogs imported. IMO all dogs should be spayed/neutered. Licences to breed should cost a fortune and breeders should be regularly inspected. Personally I would never buy from a breeder. I’ve never met a good one tbh.