Was talking with OH about how great it would be to have a dog from an amazing kennel like Del Bagio to show over here and he got me thinking, can you trust someone fully if you havent met them (or even if you have) or outside the country?

Prob not making myself clear lol! Scenario:
I want to import a dog from a kennel from Europe. I visit, am happy with everything and pay deposit. Breeder keeps the dog for the quarintine period and the price of pup is paid in full (you've paid shipping costs etc). Breeder doesnt ship dog What can you do in all honesty?
I know some will say complain to the country breed club or KC but what would it do, and what if you were importing a yet "unrecognised" breed?

I know it sounds daft but it could happen.
How do you know you can trust someone fully when paying for a pup to be imported, what do you think?

__________________

I've heard horror stories about the condition dogs are in when they've come over . & I mean from the apparent top kennels in europe - the worst of which when the importer had to take the dog to the vet to say the dog was that skinny when she got her in case she was reported to the RSPCA . It also took her 10 months to get the dogs coat in order before she could be show - shes now a champion and one of the top dogs in that breed. Mind i've heard some wonderful stories too .

A few friends of mine paid up to imoport cats from america & canada, the place shut down, never see or heard from the person again!!

then you get great breeders who import and its all fine, it is hard to trust people though, Im not sure what I would do! maybe ask for refs??

__________________

I would have wanted to have struck up a friendship, and possibly hear from people and see dogs from people that have imported from them to. we have been asked a few times to send our puppies over seas - havent done so mind, as from a breeders point of view - you also need to fully trust and believe the buyer, its not as if you can pop in for a coffee and home check - although I have known breeders fly out with their puppies to their new homes.
I know someone that have imported dogs and were not to pleased with the dogs, they were well kept, just not the type the pictures showed or breeder explained.

Like with any selling/buying you need trust - I just guess its made harder when over seas - if you want a dog bad enough, just do all you can to make sure you dont get fooled.

My goodness just been chatting about this with another person..lol not to myself..

And it seems you can't know who you trust some people just know the correct answers to the questions..

__________________

I think if I wanted a particular dog bad enough to consider shipping one over from another country, I'd go and collect the dog myself and fly back with it. Probably the only way to get around it. Plus it means you get to check the dog first to make sure it's what you do want.

__________________

Makes sense - do you know - until the OP posted this thread - I'd never even thought about it

A friend and I have talked casually about shipping a dog in from a top kennel overseas one day - but I think it will stay just that - dreaming - it's more likely that we would ship in semen to use on our bitches, and then we would be taking advice from UK kennels - i.e. people we know and who are involved in this area.

I've had one of my pups go overseas, but I knew that person, and we met up in Dover for her to take the pup back - and I've got someone in Germany waiting who I don't know - but if they do proceed, they will come here to visit and collect the pup.

__________________
What you need to know before buying a Labrador puppy

i contemplated importing a bitch from France, if i had gone ahead with it i'd have wanted to go over and see it every so often .Photo's are great but can hide a multitude of sins if taken at certain angles.As mention you need to build up trust with the breeder over a long time .

__________________
love me love the dogs

That's fine in theory, Aurelia, but a breeder will expect you to pay for the puppy at around 8 weeks, when they could have sold it to someone else, and will also have expected you to have paid for its keep - food, insurance, possibly show entries etc. And all this will need to have been paid for until the pup can come over under the Pet Passport scheme - unless you're planning on putting a pup in quarantine?

Hmm, a difficult one. I think DD has hit the nail on the head - the best thing would be to get talking to other people who have bought/imported dogs from this kennel - shouldn't be too difficult in this day and age of internet communication!

Going to fetch the dog may or may not be an option - some breeders may be happy for you to do that, some may prefer just to ship the dog, some may actually want to bring the dog to you. The breeder of our bergies has flown to several places around the world to take dogs she has bred to various buyers - and once she took a puppy to Scandanavia and immediately brought it back with her. The people had seemd ok on the internet and telephone, but when she got there she didn't like them and their set-up and wouldn't leave her pup there.

__________________
Bergies and borders - what more could anyone want? Siamese and maine coons, of course!

From the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:
The Moving Finger writes, and, having writ,
Moves on, nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
(But you can always edit your post, of course )