Hi, having just got one of these today, I wandered how the rest of you responded to puppy requests from abroad.

I always say no, however good they sound.  But lots of CD'ers do ship.

I generally respond on the lines of the following:

All my puppies are spoken for, but you will find that people will only sell abroad if it is to someone they know, or recommended by someone like that.

Alternatively if someone is involved 'in dogs' (showing, etc) if they can get good references from a canine club, as to the potential owners character, experience, and standing in the canine world, references from someone in the UK , and references from their Veterinarian, then someone might just consider it.

As you can appreciate once sent abroad, if anything goes wrong with the home there is nothing the breeder can do for their babies, in UK there is always the option of having the pup/dog back, if things go wrong.

Also there is the issue of cultural differences in the standing of Pet animals in many countries and lack of welfare protection laws.

You can get a good idea of the likely costs involved with shipping a pup from here:
http://www.overhill.co.uk/exports/index.htm who buyers of my pups have used.

This will usually weed most out, especially when they realise the costs involved with importing.

If they are willing to jump through a lot of hoops then I feel serious consideration is merited, after all I expect to be able to import from abroad (numerically small breed only kept viable by regular imports).

Thanks Barbara,

It appears this person has contacted most people in my breed, numerically small like yours. From their replies so far I don't think they're going to have much luck!!

We have got lots of oversea's requests about 2 a day at the moment, 99% of the time I say no but if I say yes I expect to get lots of pictures and references. Luckly we have lived all over the world so know a how many peope in different countries keep their dogs if its from a country we know they dont keep them to a standard we want the puppies dont go.

We discussed it in our house for a long time and one must take into consideration that with our breed it originated from the UK so if people need new blood lines they tend to come back to the UK and look.

I would be vary carful with who you sell to though I have been getting into contact with other kennels here in the UK and look at breed clubs whome they are with in their own countrys as well as their kennel pages and amazingly Youtube as sometimes they have videos up so I can asses how the dogs looks.

However if for any reason I dont feel good about the person i.e. asking everybody for puppies I dont entertain them, Brainless point about the cost is right.

When we get an enquiry from abroad we just reply and say that sorry but we do not export.  All of our puppies are endorsed not eligible for issue of export pedigree along with progeny not eligible for registration.  If it's an enquiry from Australia I also say that it's far too long a journey for a puppy, we've always had a reply saying that they understand.

We would never export a puppy unless it was to a friend. 

I wouldn't ship abroad unless to a friend. Even then when I did so 2 years ago, I insisted they came over and flew him back in the cabin, which they wanted to do anyway. I wouldn't put any dog let alone a puppy in the hold and fly them out alone, though I know many dogs do this quite safely, I just wouldn't risk it myself.

This thread is interesting.

if no-one was prepared to import/export how would we have exchanges of bloodlines?

Very true Brainless, particularly in the breeds with small gene pools already, and it's a good thing to do for the health of the breed. It's just that for the welfare of my own particular puppies I would be far too worried to let them go off on a long haul flight in a crate. And suppose the new owners had to rehome, how would you be available to help or take the dog in yourself? That was my primary reason for rejecting a lovely couple last time I had a litter, they were planning to move to New York and have a family, and I had visions of 1 year down the line, them in a NY apartment with a small baby and a boisterous young dog, and me not able to help when they decided it was too much!

Fine if others want to do it, it's up to them.  We would not send one of our dogs in the hold on any flight especially after one of our breed died sitting in a crate on the tarmac en route from Australia. 

Sent two to Portugal but the people came to the UK for them (same people each time).  Would do it but only if I got fantastic references.

I have flown pups to several destinations across the world but only to breeders who I know or who come highy recommended from other breeders whose opinions I value and whose breeding I like and feel my hounds can contribute to their own line. I co own one in australia, and keep in touch with all those who have gone overseas on a regular, almost weekly basis even after many years in some cases. Only had one problem in all these years, and that was with an official of a breed club in anoth Despite getting probably at least one enquiry from overseas a day.....its very rare for me to send one, and in 20 years Ive only sent 6 overseas, as the owners have to meet very very high criteria.

A breeder friend occasionally ships abroad. She treats an overseas enquiry (she has dogs in the States and around Europe) no different to a UK enquiry ... they have to come and meet her and her dogs and go through the same vetting process (including taking up vet references, etc) as if they lived in the UK. If they don't want to travel to the UK to meet her then they don't get a dog. If they do travel and she's not happy then they don't get a dog. If they travel, if both parties are happy, then they are extremely lucky and return home with a very valued new member of the family! :-)
This is pretty much how it works for 2 other breeders I know who ship working dogs overseas.

I have 3 bookings from abroad for my next (first) litter.
I know the people or have build a relationship with them when the litter has only excisted on paper.
All are going to be picked up by car from my house and I have naturally asked all the questions regarding different "what if" situations.

I personally see working with different countries/bloodlines very important.
I imported both of my foundations and without breeders from abroad willing to "give me their lines", I could not do what I plan to do.
We also have to remember in most cases going out of UK is much more simple than coming to UK as well, with the puppy not getting home to me until it is 10 months old minimum.
As long as I'm happy with the new owner I see puppy travelling further a field no issue.
I would not export a dog destined to be "just a pet" as I see no need to be exporting out if there is no plan of the dog possibly benefitting the breed as a whole in the future.
Obviously the "what if he/she does not turn out what you hoped" has been discussed through with all my abroad families as well!

well said Noora, I fully agree with all points and am have done same myself.

On the flip side, what about importing a dog?  I made the decision to import a dog from the states and realised that merely emailing people would be pointless.  I know people who go to the states and approached one of them to ask what they suggested.  This worked as they acted as a referee and I was able to contact a breeder.  The first litter fell through - problem with the pup, but I hope to fly to USA later in the year to pick up my pup.  Obviously he's had to do his 6months 'quarantine' there after his rabies jab, but I'm hoping that I can bring him home on the plane.  Now if I want to import then I would expect to possibly export, but would need to have those vital references and be more than confident that it would all work out.  Much easier to export to the states than import from there, but I'm open to the possibilities.

Just an alternative view as a non breeder When looking for a pup I am slightly put off by people who advertise that they export pups I cant say I would never buy from someone who exports but it certainly doesnt feel like a plus point to me , maybe it is the advertising bit . I feel uncomfortable with this for all the negative reasons mentioned.

I can see however that there are times when it may need to be considered especially with the rarer breeds and needing to bring newlines to the breed 

I would certainly never advertise and I would need mega references, I was just saying it would be hypocritical of me to refuse such an application as I was expecting someone to sell me one from abroad.  Not only that I am expecting the breeder to keep the pup until he's 10-12 months old and then let me have him!   Quite a burden and the same issues arise for them - yet I'm expecting someone to take me on trust and let a dog go as far as is possible to send, quite an 'ask'.  If that breeder were to ask for a return pup for one of their friends, would I say no?  An interesting thought.  One of my dog's litter brothers went to scandinavia - not as far and they'd seen the sire at the agility world champs - it seems to have worked out well.  Quite a few shelties seem to go to and from Europe and Scandinavia.

As someone who lives abroad and in the future would like to import a pup from the UK I am sometimes disappointed when I see people saying on websites "I will not export".  However I do understand their worries, there are some devious people around who may not be what they seem and it's difficult to get a lot of information about people when they are abroad.  However, I would like to think that they would at least give me a chance to introduce myself, give references and at least visit with my family to meet them and their dogs, if then they considered us not suitable for one of their puppies, fair enough, but at least give us a chance!  I live in France so not so far for a pup to travel and I would always collect the pup in person, I wouldn't expect a breeder to send a puppy to me on it's own wherever I lived.  If after I've done my research the breeder I have chosen has stated somewhere that they will not export, then I will have to work very hard to introduce myself to this breeder and prove myself worthy of one of their puppies - I would be willing to wait as long as it took if it is what I really wanted.
Jan

The main problem even with countires close by, is that unless the dog has the pet Passport entry requirements, there is not way of getting the dog back if it needs re-homing.  so it ahs to be extra tight vetting.