Hi, I am not in the UK but need some good experience based advice. I am hoping to import a pug bitch in whelp to my country. We do not have to worry about quarantine. What would be the best date into pregnancy to move her?

To be honest, it saddens me greatly that any breeder would be happy to export a bitch already in whelp :-(

I don't know how common a procedure this is but there maybe someone on here who can offer the advice you need.

Before Pet Passports came in we imported bitches in whelp from the USA to UK - these were bitches we had bought as puppies and who had finished their titles and were then mated, or bitches we sent out to be mated.  Never done it with a pug, and would be particularly worried about where you were for travelling - if we are talking about mainland Eruope, then I suppose not too much of a problem, as you could drive her using the Tunnel, but flying a pug in whelp would worry me greatly, and some airlines won't take them anyway (BA, Quantas) even when not pregnant.

It makes me feel sad that someone would sell a bitch in whelp, very sad indeed,

If people want to open the gene pool then importing a bitch in whelp gives you the added benefit of an extra line without having to import 2 dogs & then you have your choice of pups to pick from.   

My breed started in this country with several in-whelp bitches being sold to enthusiasts over here and they had to serve their time in quarantine then.    Now with the PP it's a lot easier and far less stress for  any animal.

Hi Warrie,

I can't answer your question as i don't breed and never imported. My question is that i can see from your IP that you're in Sri Lanka? Where is the bitch coming in from? Would she be travelling by air or boat? And who with?

>What would be the best date into pregnancy to move her?

I would have thought that this is a question you must ask her owner/breeder.  I'm assuming that she is owned by someone else currently who is supervising the mating?  This isn't something that you should do without guidance and support so this ought to be the best person to advise you.

I'm not a breeder and have no experience of in-whelp bitches but a few questions come to mind:  do you want to wait until she is confirmed in whelp, is there a concern about reabsorption through stress, how far does she have to travel, how will she be transported, does she already know you or are you a stranger to her?

Another thing that occurs to me is whether you have a contract or agreement in place?  There seems to be a high risk of something going wrong and you'd be wise to make sure that you are protected for each eventuality.  Admittedly it's much less of a risk if you know her current owner but I can see a number of scenarios where this would be a lucrative scam to trap the unwary.  Take every precaution and hope it's not necessary :)

Back before Pets Passports, any animals BORN in quarantine could be released before the mother, so it was very useful for breeders. I remember a litter of American Cockers in the quarantine I had my Golden in, they got masses and masses of attention as all the staff wanted to spend time with them.

I am importing her from Thailand where the breed is very strong, its about a 2.5 hr flight. Reason for importing is that:
1) I get a new strong bloodline
2) Difficulty in importing dogs due to new regulation
3) Cost factor due to custom duties etc...

She is bred to a International Champion pug stud who is a champion in in 3 countries including America. She is also a Thailand champion.
We are sending her by air cargo, we have bought in many puppies this way with no issues so far.