my partner and i are seriously thinking about (well have decided but are yet to iron out kinks) to move to Germany! We are both getting fed up with where we live and are both looking to do post graduate degrees, we were considering a few places in england but have realised that 1) we'd like to go somewhere different and 2) german postgrads would look better on a CV (traveled, extra language etc) and 3) its so much cheaper! arround the £5000 mark each in the uk, £750 in germany.

we are planning on at the start of 2010 to make sure we've saved a fair bit, done refresher language classes etc and of course sorted out Tio for the move.

so can you cleaver people tell me what i need to do to get him a pet passport and anything else i might need to know about moving a dog (and us!) to another country?

Well read up on Germany's dogs laws as they are much stricter than ours - or they were last time I checked.  What breed is Tio again?

The PP part is easy Kim :) 

Microchip and rabies vaccination and check for up-to-date requirements when you decide to move on any flea and tick treatments (legislation can change if there are new developments etc) however I'd add ensure that the rabies titre test and 6 months period has lapsed before going in case you decide after a few months that it doesn't suit you as without that time frame your dog woud need to be quarantined in the UK if you returned early.

As for moving to another part of the world it's anyone's guess how it will go - we each have different expectations and aspirations in 'the homeland' so needless to say each adapt differently to new places and cultures.

My niece moved to Dubai almost 18 months ago - complete with black Lab ;) - and adores it but feels it's not her forever home and maybe in a few years time will look elsewhere.  That said she has no inclination to return to the UK at all whereas my daughter visited her very recently and adored it too - but very definitely only for a holiday :)  These two are very close, always have been, and appear to have such similar tastes and feelings in a multitude of areas but clearly not in such a drastic lifestyle change.

Possibly just muddied the waters now but the intention was to help you see things clearer!
Teri

he's a bullmastiff, and such research is in the offing :)

i have actually only spent 1 day in germany before, but we were supposed to be going for a fact finding holiday but then my surgery came up so we will be going in april.

the plan is to go over, work for a year to polish the language then undertake our studying. i don't think it will end up a forever home for us anyway. given the careers we are both interested in geneva might be a better shout :)

Tio is already chipped, is everything else he'll require the rabies + titre and fleas and ticks? that seems remarkably simple.... just to check he needs the rabies shot, a titre at 6 months then can come back and forth after that? is there a time limit after the titre in which he can go or does he just need regular titres after that

(asking you guys as i feel you all make more sense than government info :))

Everything you need to know is on this page :)  If you don't plan on going for a year or so keep up to speed with any possible changes in regulations as if there were to be an outbreak of anything serious here or abroad then naturally rules could change and obviously you wouldn't want your travels (if any) with Tio to be curtailed whether in the UK or Germany :)

No a rabies shot then a Titre level a month later and the earliest you can bring him back INTO the UK is 6 months from the date of the Titre. But you need to check the conditions required for PP in Germany as that can vary from country to country. Good Luck

ah i see. thanks

ta teri will have a good look :)

I am in Germany so if you have any questions ask away.

Have Germany's dog laws changed since the ban on the bull breeds?  I think at one time anything with "bull" in the name was prohibited - I'm hoping it has changed as it was a very unfair and foolish law.  Fingers crossed for you!  Hopefully the economy will start to pick up in a year, I think many of the EU countries are in the same boat right now.

http://www.london.diplo.de/Vertretung/london/en/06/other__legal__matters/Dangerous__dogs__seite.html

There are 3 attachments at the bottom of this page which gives a list of banned and prohibited breeds...
Seems to vary from region to region too within Germany...
Worth a look

Yes it can vary a lot depending on what part of Germany you are living in. In my area which is Lower Saxony the following dogs are banned - Pitbull Terriers,American Stafordshire Bull Terriers and any cross breeds from these 2 breeds. You would need to check which the local authorities to find out if you would be ok.

Excellent link Tessies Tracey, thanks for that.

no worries.. hope it's helpful :-)

what amazed me is that Dobes and Rotts are both on the list - both national breeds for Germany! oh and the fact that you can take your Pit on holiday but if you stay for more than 4 weeks it suddenly becomes a 'dangerous dog'
Chris

We live in Germany  have done for the last 8 years  (Nord Rhine Westfalia) and as we have a large breed do have to be certified by our vet that we are competent in handling them, if you do not meet the requirements then they can and will stop you bringing the dogs into the country, dog owners are also advised to take our third party insurance for their dogs in case of litigation.

thank you, thats really helpful (or will be if i can get the pdf's to open, stupid pc)

> as we have a large breed do have to be certified by our vet that we are competent in handling them

what does that entail? i do have my concerns about tio and this as he is dog aggressive.