I couldn't find reference to this in my searches of past threads so here goes...
We have picked up a Doberman from a rescue centre in Hungary where we currently live, and the poor girl has cropped ears as well as the usual docked tail.
I can't seem to get any sense out of the relocation agency, so I was wondering if anybody has experience of relocating under these conditions?
I heard somewhere (always dangerous) that you need to show some sort of proof of 6 months' ownership prior to importation (Hungary is not known for amazing paperwork).
I don't know about the ownership, but you do need proof of needles. Some animals are not allowed due to tempers and dangers to others. Where you cannot vouch for the sanity of the animal, you may have a hard time.
She's got full EU pet passport & chipped and is absolutely fine in terms of temperament (we had to be careful as we have a 2 year old boy plus an elderly dog already; I've owned several Dobes before so "know" them as much as one might). We've already got her so picking one up in CH isn't an option.
Good thought on the vet! We will have owned her more than 6 months by the time we move...
We have 2 rescue hounds, the other been with us for 12 years, so I'm hoping they realise we are genuine and not just trying to import a snarling beast from Eastern Europe, to lay waste to the general population and to kittens in particular
hi Andrew, I can share a second-hand experience (my in-laws) who imported their dog from Hungary several years ago when they moved back to Switzerland. Their dog's tail wasn't cropped and his ears not docked, but the point I wanted to make is this: it could be worth getting in touch with the Kantonstierarzt wherever you'll be settling down, which I see from your profile is Zug.
Mr. Bartholemew wrote to the Kantonstierarzt for his parents - I mean on the dog's behalf - when they were having trouble with the federal authority, BVET, in importing the dog. This woman proved very tenacious on the dog's part, and though we never met her, she saw us through the whole process and at one point called BVET in Bern to speed up the bureaucracy and basically overrule their objections.
Perhaps its worth appealing to your Kantonstierarzt if you get a flat-out no on the grounds that - as the others rightly point out - importing dogs with cropped tails and/or docked ears is illegal. After all, she is a rescue dog, been living in your family peacably for six months, etc.
As to the paperwork proving ownership, my experience with Hungary is that you can get pretty much any documentation you'd like for the right price
My daughter attempted to import a docked tail spaniel puppy from the UK and was refused entry. She was warned that if she did manage to get the puppy past the customs without a problem she would then be prevented by the local police in Vaud form getting it licenced. She eventually imported o spaniel puppy without a docked tail.
This is because it was a puppy. Importing docked/cropped PUPPIES in absolutelty FORBIDDEN. The point is to STOP the practice of docking/cropping.
However if you already own a docked/cropped animal and you are relocating to Switzerland then an exception can be made. The dog must have been your pet before you moved to Switzerland and come in with you at the border.
You can NOT buy & bring in a cropped/docked animal AFTER you have been living in Switzerland.
We just imported our cocker spaniel to Switzerland from the U.S. who has a docked tail, just a couple of weeks ago. We had absolutely no issues. I think if he were a puppy it might have been different but to be honest, no one even looked twice at him or checked his paperwork except for the airline in New York. We flew to Geneva.
We recently imported our dog with a docked tail from South Africa, but via France. We drove them over the boarder and when we were stopped by customs we actually helped them find the website and the correct information. I don't think it is something that they deal with every day, so we found it helpful to be fully prepared and arrived with all our emails printed out. We had to be able to prove that he had been with us for 6 months, was chipped and that his vacinations were up to date. I was in touch with the national Vet her in Switzerland beforehand. Here is the website they told me to get information from: http://www.bvet.admin.ch/themen/01614/01884/01888/index.html?lang=en and her is the email address where I contacted them: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
get a paper from the hungarian rescue centre. and make sure you have your import documents ready in case anyone here in switzerland asks question (which they will). Should you require dogwalking/care-services please check www.funandplay.ch
i imported my dog this year from the US, she has a docked tail. i would say they really dont check the dog, but more just look briefly in the cage and then ask about paper work. and there seems to be a new tax on traveling with your dog, i was charged like 100chf. i just cary all the original dog papers with me, and a copy of it in folded and put on a luggage tag on the cage. i also had to point out the the US puts the chip on the other side of the dogs sholder. they tried totrick me with that.
but ithink the law says you can not import a dog (with docking) if you are a citizen in switzerland. nor can you take a swiss dog out of the country and dock them and reimport.
but really as long as you have your rabies vaccination, proof the dog is in good health and a chip, you should be fine at the border.
I have just been checking everything for the move out in September and have been reading about bring your pets. They already have a pet passport each but I've just had a panic!
Both of them are docked as they are Cocker spaniels and they were done before the docking ban came into effect. However I'm reading that they can't be imported into Switzerland cos they are docked. Please tell me that this isn't true and that there is a form we need to complete instead.
Yes, when I moved here with my Pinscher (who actually have here tail...) nobody was checking her out so much. Just briefly looked at her papers...
But, I co-own a male dog how I attended to bring to Switz too, but he is docked and this is causing me bit of worries. But if I "don't tell" - maybe there will not be problems?