Illegally imported dog seized.

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
Another sad story, reported by the 20Minuten:

https://www.20min.ch/story/das-macht...d-527049323833

A woman bought a puppy in Germany. The puppy was chipped and had a national vaccination card - but had not been vaccinated against rabies.

At the Swiss border the woman paid a fine, and was allowed into Switzerland, with instructions to go to a vet asap. The Zollamt informed the Veterinäramt.

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That the woman cannot prove the country of origin of the puppy, the Veterinäramt has seized the dog. As required by law. The puppy is in quarantine for 120 days, at the cost of the dog owner. As per law. If the owner cannot pay the cost of quarantine - CHF 8800 - the puppy will be euthanized. As per law.

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Heartbreaking all around. I feel for all involved, most obviously the poor, poor puppy.

The comment in the article that struck me most was:

Sie gesteht ihren Teil der Schuld ein. «Ich habe mich bezüglich der Einreisebestimmungen zu wenig informiert. Ich konnte aber auch nicht wissen, dass der Erstverkäufer ein Hundeschleuser war.»

Roughly:

She admits her part of the blame. "I didn't inform myself enough regarding the entry regulations. But I also had no way of knowing that the first seller was a dog smuggler."

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The woman thought she was doing the right thing based on what happened at the border, this seems to be a case of good intentions but lacking the necessary information.

This is why we bang on and on and on about learning all relevant regulations surrounging importing and keeping a dog in Switzerland - before you start your search for your dog.

And why we bang on and on and on about learning the signs of a dog smuggler - before you start your search for a dog.

Buying or adopting a pup is emotionally fraught. doG knows once you've seen those big puppy eyes it's easy to lose your heart. Which is why the ground work of research and information gathering must be done well beforehand, with a cool calm head. And we need to keep talking about the consequences of not following regulations.

Bottom line, Switzerland seems to be taking an increasingly hard line on illegal import of unvaccinated animals. When you are considering buying or adopting from outside the country, please - take the time to learn what needs to be done, and do it right.

For your dog's sake.

2
setup web-donation site , promote on EF and else . Collet 8kCHF, see who wants a dog , give a dog away into good hands , request to provide pictures every now and then for price of 'free dog' and enjoy feeling you have done something good

3
https://dualdiagnosis.org/support-gr...ine-anonymous/

HTH

4
Some scientists say dogs evolved these big eyes to manipulate humans (resemblance of human child) :-)

5
??

Cocaine Anonymous Meeting ??

6
Looks to me more like a CS Client Relations support meeting.

7
Had no idea puppy is addict and is in for possession and barking under influence.

8
Apologies. I just assumed that your post was written in the midst of a coke binge.

Edit: username checks out

9
Why did I just know it would be a Frenchie or a Pomeranian before even clicking the link?

I would quite happily sign a petition to make owning extreme toy sized or brachycephalic subject to taking a course on the health risks and challenges of these breeds before being allowed to buy one.

She says she wasn't aware of the risks but found herself able to go through the process of buying a puppy in another country during a pandemic? She wanted a designer dog at a bargain price and now the poor animal has to pay for her stupidity. I hope someone pays for the little guy but not to give him back to her, she doesn't deserve to own a dog. Not sure I'm confident about her abilities as a parent either...

10
Thanks Meloncollie for highlighting the risks of buying a puppy abroad and understanding the vaccinations needed for entry to Switzerland.

My heart aches for that puppy! And as you state, every potential owner needs to research entry requirements regarding their specific breed to Switzerland.

What a shame on all levels...

11
I don't understand these situations still occur, with so much information available on the internet. I've moved several times to different countries with my dogs but every time did thorough research and for every country, it was very clear what the requirements were.

Why do people not properly do their homework??? The poor pup....

12
It's pretty sad indeed the length that people go to for a designer dog.. Expensive accessories ..

We have a frenchie adopted through a reputable rescue assoc .. They are always looking for new homes for these breeds often because people just don't want to get their issues treated or just can't be bothered any more.

And no we didn't particularly want a frenchie, we just looked a bunch of adoption places and this one worked.

13
Adopting a Frenchie is a very different situation than actually encouraging a breeder to continue creating more Frenchies. They are cute in a pathetic sort of way and you can certainly hear them coming a mile off, but just like I would never, ever buy a Persian or Exotic Shorthair Cat, I have very few good thoughts about the sort of person who buys a brachycephalic breed without extensive research, ensuring that it is as healthy as possible or the will to pay for the medical costs involved.

So good on you for giving the little snorffler a good home, it's not the animal's fault that they were created to feed someone's missguided status aspirations.

14
The dog didn't have the Grundimmunisierung (fundamental vaxxes), aren't these two jabs to be given at 8 and 11-12 weeks of age?

It must have been older than that, as evidenced by the fine for the lacking rabies jab, AFAIK that's expected at age 12-16 weeks.

What would have been the use of the border guards, even though they're not veterinarians and probably lack the knowledge, informing her about the problems she's causing? The customs are not an animal shelter, nor could she have taken the dog back to the seller.

Her only additional option based on that information would have been to drop off the real victim somewhere in the German woods or by the Autobahn

15
We know her type: "das chammer ja nöd wüsste!" (It is impossible to know that, said in a petulant tone).

Doch, Luana-Cheyenne, mer chan. (Disagreeing while using a typical name of someone whose parents only enjoyed a very basic education).

People like this woman is why I am absolutely in favour of not only bringing back the mandatory owner / dog training but actually making it stricter. You should have to do it before getting a dog and it should include breed knowledge and care.

16
because they wanted to find "the deal". I am sure these people googled and found a swiss herder, and it was too expensive, and then moved on to looking at offers abroad. Bad educational background, stupidity, or a combination of both, combined with avarice-induced delusion, prevent people from profiting from the wealth of information that is available.

This requirement unnecessarily punishes and taxes dog owners who know their shit though. I don't like it. Pre-dog examination test could make sense for prospective dog importers though.

17
A thousand time this.

I am saddened, but not surprised, by how far we have backtracked in just the few years since the abolition of the SKN.

I see a growing lack understanding of what constitutes responsible pet ownership in general, let alone a growing lack of knowledge of specific Swiss issues.

Sure, the information is out there. The problem, at it's root, is that too many people don't know what it is that they need to know - and so don't know that they need to look for that information.

The old SKN, while certainly flawed, at least tried to address the 'Do you know what you need to know' problem.

As so often happens, the SKN was a good idea but poorly executed. Sadly, rather than fix the poor execution the Powers That Be decided just to throw it all out. I am still mystified by the reasoning behind that decision.

Heck, I'd go a step further. I'd like to see X hours of Hundeschule required every Y years. The legalities around dog ownership can change. And certainly, canine behavioral science is ever evolving. A good Hundeschule is the easiest - and most enjoyable - way to ensure that you stay on top of knowing what it is that you need to know.

Towards that end, I urge all dog owners and would-be dog owners to read:

The BLV on import regs and general ownership:

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/de/home...ung/hunde.html

The Tier Im Recht Foundation's summary of the 26 sets of cantonal dog law:

https://www.tierimrecht.org/en/legal...onal-Dog-Laws/

And for everyone, Canton ZH's excellent compilation of basic information, the Codex for dog owners, non-owners, parents and children, teachers:

https://codex-hund.ch

These three sites can be browsed in a short time - a pretty good start to understanding the scope of the important 'what do I need to know' question.

18
This is really a heartbreaking story, mostly because the Dog didn`t have any fault in all of this. And I find completely sad that the dog, that probably lives a happy life has to be euthanize. Why not take the dog and give it to a dog shelter, fine the women for whatever amount of money youd like, but the dog its not at fault. Geez. Sometimes I think what kind of world are we living.

19
I have no sympathy for this lady and her excuses... we are going through the process of getting dog for the family and we are on the wait list with a breeder for a few months now. The process, whilst quite long, is actually enjoyable since we have been up to the breeder's site a couple of times and have created a bond with the locals.... having said all that and playing a bit devil's advocate:

the first time we called the breeder she was extremely rude over the phone and without even meeting us discouraged us from dog ownership. We live in a house with a garden and have 2 kids but her first reaction (and assumption) to us was that dogs are not suitable for apartments, they are a lot of work and that "her dogs" are not suitable for 1st time dog owners (despite her not knowing my wife has had dogs previously in our home country). We insisted and asked politely if we could come visit her and she ended up being much more friendly face to face (all bark and not bite )

I understand this was probably her way of vetting who is really interested but I think it might also backfire and make people who are met with such an initial response search the black market which again I totally condemn

20
The first post clearly states that the dog will survive if the owner pays the costs of the quarantine: 8'800 CHF.

The whole issue is to keep CH rabies free. Only a month ago there was a thread about one guy who got bitten by a dog while riding his bike. Everyone told him: don't worry, all dogs in CH are vaccinated against rabies . https://www.englishforum.ch/family-m...ts-advice.html

I guess the rabid free and don't worry about a dog bite only exist because the hard approach to dogs without a rabies vaccine.