Bringing a Puppy to Ireland?

[Katieg123]

Has anyone brought a puppy to Ireland from the UK, NI or Mainland Europe? We're starting our search for our next dog but since brexit it seems you cant bring a dog over until theyre 15 weeks (same with Europe and Northern Ireland). Does anyone have any experience with this or knows of any ways they can be brought over younger? Our last dog was brought over from the UK pre-brexit and I think he was only 9 weeks.

Alternatively Does anyone know any good FlatCoated retriever breeders in Ireland?

 

[stormox]

No, they have to have rabies jab, which they can't have until 12 weeks, then it's 3wks until they can travel. They also need tapeworm treatment (by a vet) between 1 and 5 days before travel.
They are strict on this, there's a vet at customs who checks chips and passports.
It's for a good reason, to try and stop puppy smuggling.
It was different before pet passports were introduced, no checks either side.

 

[stormox]

You could try the IKC for a list of registered flatcoat breeders.

 

[Clodagh]

If they come from a good breeder 15 weeks should be fine. And if it’s a good breeder much of the socialising and house training headaches should be underway.

 

[druid]

Short answer, must be 15 weeks with an Animal Health Cert., long answer is all checks at Belfast port are suspended and you can move an 8 week old puppy via Belfast-Liverpool or Belfast-Cairnryan without issue.

Irish breeders - Eimer Wright/Lacsar kennels are the only ones I know of but her dogs are fabulous (dual purpose)

 

[stormox]

Short answer, must be 15 weeks with an Animal Health Cert., long answer is all checks at Belfast port are suspended and you can move an 8 week old puppy via Belfast-Liverpool or Belfast-Cairnryan without issue.

Irish breeders - Eimer Wright/Lacsar kennels are the only ones I know of but her dogs are fabulous (dual purpose)

I'm not so sure about trying to smuggle puppies into ROI, I was sent to customs to get my dogs chip checked only last week, and DSPCA regularly seize pups from unscrupulous people.
It is much stricter coming from UK to ROI than going from ROI to UK. It's just not worth the risk for the sake of 7 weeks.

 

[druid]

Stormox - it's not smuggling, it's perfectly legal through Belfast while the checks are suspended. There is no customs and any welfare checks disregard passport as it is UK to UK travel.

I travel Uk-Ireland frequently with dogs for showing and trials as do my clients. While Dublin and Rosslare do spot customs and welfare checks, Belfast isn't enforcing customs which is what would be needed for the passport enforcement. I'm an Irish based vet who specialises in export/import work so do know what I'm talking about.

 

[stormox]

Stormox - it's not smuggling, it's perfectly legal through Belfast while the checks are suspended. There is no customs and any welfare checks disregard passport as it is UK to UK travel.

I travel Uk-Ireland frequently with dogs for showing and trials as do my clients. While Dublin and Rosslare do spot customs and welfare checks, Belfast isn't enforcing customs which is what would be needed for the passport enforcement. I'm an Irish based vet who specialises in export/import work so do know what I'm talking about.

But it isn't legal to bring a puppy to ROI before its had its rabies jabs ad been issued a pet passport. (Or health cert/traces if commercial).
Just because there is no "border" or checks are suspended doesn't make it legal.

 

[druid]

Depends if the poster lives in NI or ROI but as there is free travel between North and South there has never been any issue bringing a dog in, the IKC will register the puppy without issue as will your vet clinic. The border legislation has never been enforced with NI to ROI travel and there is no indication it will be in the foreseeable future.

Thankfully, customs and the DSPCA/USPCA are happy to concern themselves with dealing with the much bigger issues of commercial puppy farming and smuggling than with legitimate puppy buyers traveling home.

 

[stormox]

I hope they do enough checks in Belfast to stop the illegal or legal puppy trade.

 

[druid]

Sadly I think many slip through the cracks, when we've got these ridiculous puppy farms with licenses for 300 bitches you have to wonder where all the pups go. It's an awful reflection of the lack of concern the government has for the dogs that they even issue those licenses.

OP - apologies for derailing your thread, I hope you FLatcoat search goes well!

 

[stormox]

IMHO, if its perfectly legal and not smuggling to take pups over the ROI/NI border and export them to the UK from Belfast, it isn't cracks, its a gaping great hole
It's absolutely dreadful the amount of bitches these puppy farms are licensed for.
They will never stop puppy farmers in the forseeable future if this carries on.