[doganjo]

Item in local paper today. Rabies alarm over illegal puppy sales. An 8 week old Yorkshire terrier was purchased at Thainstone mart Inverurie at the car boot sale, he is part of a litter that has been smuggled into the north east from Lithuania. When taken to the vet it was discovered he had not been properly vaccinated and the vet had informed the police. The puppy has been seized from a property in Fraserburgh and is now in quarantine till a decision is made on what will happen to it. BIG QUESTION WHERE IS THE REST OF THE LITTER.

Buy from a responsible breeder, with health tested stock and not from a car boot sale.  For heavens sake we will have rabies here in no time!

[ferretkeeper]

Oh I saw a thing on this with the animal health lot at Heathrow, Animal Airport? Anyway they were going all over London tracking down illegal puppies, sold in pet shops but brought in from abroad. They took the puppies from the unsuspecting new owners to be quarantined but then gave them back after, the inspector lady was as upset as the new owners.

Rabies could well be a problem here in future if this isn't sorted out, I can see how they'd get in, border crossings like ferry terminals aren't particularly thorough...we declared our cats and dogs coming in from Europe, they were all chipped and passported. BUT had we decided to hide an animal under a layer of our belongings, they wouldn't have known. They didn't ask me to unpack the car or trailer at Dover and I could have easily smuggled stuff in, like a load of duty free booze I had stashed away at the front of the trailer cos it was over my entitlement 

 Do we need vehicle scanners or heat detectors?

[suziequeue]

It's always been easy to smuggle animals into this country. I remember the rabies adverts in the 70's showing how to smuggle dogs in on the ferry!

[doganjo]

It's always been easy to smuggle animals into this country. I remember the rabies adverts in the 70's showing how to smuggle dogs in on the ferry!

That doesn't make it right - if stupid people didn't buy puppies from illegal sources then there would be no trade.

ONLY ever buy from a reputable breeder who has done the ALL the recommended health checks for the relevant breed - AND even cross breeds.(health checks for both parents, even if different breeds)

[suziequeue]

I'm not saying it's right but the idea that "we will have rabies here in no time" is - IMHO - a bit hysterical since people have been smuggling animals onto this island for a long time.

[doganjo]

I'm not saying it's right but the idea that "we will have rabies here in no time" is - IMHO - a bit hysterical since people have been smuggling animals onto this island for a long time.

But don't you see it could happen at any time? - one puppy from that litter mentioned could be carrying it now!  They don't know where they are!

[Old Shep]

We shouldn't be importing litters of pups when we already have far too many dogs in this country!  Over 8000 strays a year are killed in pounds :-(

[jaykay]

Exactly Shep.

[doganjo]

We shouldn't be importing litters of pups when we already have far too many dogs in this country!  Over 8000 strays a year are killed in pounds :-(

I was going to say that too but thought I'd get shot down off my soap box again.  High time we had a better system for regulating dog breeding.

[Mammyshaz]

Sometimes we need to import fresh blood into the country to keep breeds good and try to correct hereditary problems with small breed pools so I'm all for importing good quality stock.
The stray kennels contain mainly unwanted dogs brought about by clueless people trying to make a quick buck. I worked in one for 4 years and had a house full because of it 
Now I just nurse the dogs which belong to such people and try to explain why it's not a good idea to breed from such animals 

Going back to the rabies subject, I became very worried about the Borders being opened to dogs coming and going. There have been a few instances where rabies has been brought in but contained 
Just waiting for the inevitable now 

Edited as Id just like to say I always listen, Doganjo. Don't always totally agree but love to listen. Dogs are a subject I can talk and listen to non-stop   

[Old Shep]

Now I just nurse the dogs which belong to such people and try to explain why it's not a good idea to breed from such animals 

  well done for trying.
I quite agree with importing good quality stock for improving breeding lines, but there should be a few  "hoops" to go through first.  The trouble is most of the imported puppies will not be of this ilk - and have been raised in puppy factories.  Its bad enought that we can't seem to get closed down those d*mn places in this country without letting pups in from abroad. 
 

[jaykay]

And then there are people who try to do the right thing.......

The former owner of my new-to-me pup (a Golden Retriever) visited the breeder, saw the pups with their mum. All good so far. Didn't know enough to know about hip scores etc (their first ever pet) but they'd researched the right sort of dog for a family, gone to a breeder and were given a pedigree.

And the pedigree is indeed full of kennel club registered dogs.......they just happen to be Shih Tzus!

(I've contacted the Shih Tzu society and told them I thought they ought to know!)

I've just got my fingers crossed that she's ok, though my last rescue GR wasn't and we still had a happy life together. Would be nice to have a hill dog this time though. We'll see how she goes.

[doganjo]

The only safe way is to ask the Kennel Club for names of reputable breeders. ANYONE can call themselves a breeder!

Just breed your bitch to next doors dog and you can be called a breeder. 

An Assured breeder is a different thing.  I don't breed just now but when and if I decide to do so I will renew my membership of the Assured breeder Scheme.

[jaykay]

Well of course. But you have to be reasonably in the know, to know that that's what you should be looking for.

Maybe the RSPCA, instead of hassling smallholders and carrying out neighbour's grudges for them, could do an education campaign?

[sh3ph3rd]

ONLY ever buy from a reputable breeder who has done the ALL the recommended health checks for the relevant breed - AND even cross breeds.(health checks for both parents, even if different breeds)/quote]

How's that work for someone like me, who isn't interested in purebred or crossbred, but rather prefers out-and-out mongrels? And also likes to breed on with my mongrels... And not with purebreds either.

On the topic of regulating dog breeding, I saw an interesting article recently, don't know if it's 100% true but they reckoned in Sweden it's illegal to desex your dog for non-medical reasons and so 95% are undesexed, but they don't have the issues many other countries do with overpopulation etc because there are such strict breeder laws and the breeder's financially responsible for their pups for the first 3 years of life. Now that sort of law could make a lot of breeders think twice.

Around here a lot of folks farm small fluffies in their backyards as money makers. (I say small fluffies because a lot of them are custom mongrels, like shar pei X shih tzu X maltese X jack russel X chihuahua etc... The list goes on...) They sell for up to $800 a pup. Just not right to see dogs kept like rabbits. Bizarre; and many are not trained or anything, and I know they don't all go to 'forever homes' as the RSPCA calls them because there would be far less demand if people were keeping them for normal dog lifespans...