Puppy to France

[Llantony]

We are setting off for France at the end of July.  Planned to get a dog when we settle in.  My husband has been offered a chance to buy a whippet at a reasonable price. (Someone who gets them from Ireland & is going over very soon.) We've always wanted one.  It would be a bit mad at this point but...

1.  What would we need to take a dog or a puppy out of the UK? 

2.  Would we have time to do this in the next 2 weeks?

 

Any thoughts?

(The cat already has his passport and we plan to come back & fetch him after a couple of months.  He will stay in our house which our son is renting from us.

 

[AnOther]

I'm sure someone who knows conclusively will be along soon but AFAIK you don't need anything to bring an animal out of UK, your problems start when you try to get it back in.

 

[Llantony]

Thanks Earnie, that's what I'd hoped.  It would mean putting it in kennels when we return to collect the cat.

[AnOther]

It's possible you might need some paperwork for kennels, don't know.

As I say, someone will hopefully be along to give you definate answers.

 

[Jacqui Too]

This is copied and pasted from another thread, This was my answer then:

Here this has been discussed before : http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/775884/ShowPost.aspx  Demios knows  what he is talking about with pet passports

This was copied from the defra site http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/factsheet/eufactsheet3_050907.pdf scroll down page to find:

(b) Taking your pet from the UK into other EU countries

To travel from the UK to another EU country, a pet must be microchipped (although some countries accept a tattoo), vaccinated against rabies (although Sweden does not require this when a pet travels direct from the UK) and issued with an EU pet passport. Malta has additional entry requirements and to enter Sweden your pet must be treated for tapeworms with a product containing praziquantel no more than 10 days before entry. Please contact the authorities (e.g. the Embassy) of the country you wish to enter to check the

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requirements. See also (d) below. For rules to re-enter the UK see parts 1, 2 and 3.

21 day wait

For EU countries where more stringent entry requirements do not apply, the EU has introduced a wait of 21 days from the date of the first rabies vaccination before a pet can enter those EU countries. However, if the vaccine manufacturer’s datasheet requires more than one vaccination to complete the primary vaccination protocol, the 21 day wait applies from the date of the final vaccination of that protocol. Your vet will advise you further.

Booster vaccinations are valid for entry from the date given provided they are given on time.

Residence

If your pet stays in another country it may become subject to that country’s rules on residence e.g. pets in France become resident after 3 months. You are advised to check with the authorities of the country what those rules are and what implications becoming resident will have for your pet. For example, some countries require resident pets to have an annual rabies vaccination.

[Llantony]

Thanks Jaqui,

I did search for this as I guessed it had been discussed before, but wasn't able to find it among all the other references.

I phoned DEFRA and they said all it needs is the microchip, worming and the rabies injection + a wait of 3 weeks.  That would get the passport and we'd have to wait the 6 months before bringing it into the UK.  My vet said the 3 weeks is to check the injection has worked, but occasionally it doesn't and has to be repeated.

Looks like it's  non starter taking a newly acquired pet to France then.  We don't plan to be back in the UK for long periods.  We'll have to get a French dog tho probably won't be a cheap whippet!

How do breeders get puppies sent abroad I wonder?