Collecting puppy

blackcob said:
Going a bit off topic here but I used Eric Gillie once to collect a pony from WHW and I was in stitches when the chap let down the ramp, the lorry was chock full of the most polished and expensive looking racehorses/eventers/showjumping type things... and then this hairy gremlin at the end. ?
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haha! Snap!

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In normal times I would have seen 'is anyone going/has anyone arranged transport from x to y and have they room to bring a dog from a to b for me please?' on Facebook. Obviously no one is saying it now but I imagine it is still going on in private groups.
 
I did something similar, handover in driveway, no contact with the breeder directly and wore some gloves as well. The breeder placed the pup into my travel crate and I picked her up and put her in the car
 
It makes no sense Covid risk wise to use a courier. The journey is exactly the same and their vehicle could break down just as much as yours. In addition you’re adding an extra person into that equation and one that is handling multiple other animals from multiple other people increasing the risk of exposure. It’s just nonsense.
 
I think people are missing the point that it isn’t the potential contact with the breeder that is the issue - it’s the long journey there and back, with the potential for breakdowns/accidents which would put others at risk?

I find it amusing that I got so much flak on here when people thought I was making a 10 minute journey to walk my dogs, but it seems that a lot of people think this is ok because it is to pick up a puppy.

It’s still a non-essential journey, and quite honestly if the breeder can’t manage to look after the pups, large as they are, on a small holding there is something wrong there....
 
Levrier said:
I think people are missing the point that it isn’t the potential contact with the breeder that is the issue - it’s the long journey there and back, with the potential for breakdowns/accidents which would put others at risk?

I find it amusing that I got so much flak on here when people thought I was making a 10 minute journey to walk my dogs, but it seems that a lot of people think this is ok because it is to pick up a puppy.

It’s still a non-essential journey, and quite honestly if the breeder can’t manage to look after the pups, large as they are, on a small holding there is something wrong there....
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The journey is no different whether you do it or some other person does it if you take that view then it shouldn’t be transported at all. I never gave you any flak and the rule about not driving anywhere for exercise has been withdrawn so you can do what you like.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
The journey is no different whether you do it or some other person does it if you take that view then it shouldn’t be transported at all. I never gave you any flak and the rule about not driving anywhere for exercise has been withdrawn so you can do what you like.
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I wasn’t aiming this post at you? There are a few people who have said on the thread that they think it’s ok to collect the puppy, if I’d been replying to you specifically I’d have quoted you ?
 
Sussexbythesea said:
It makes no sense Covid risk wise to use a courier. The journey is exactly the same and their vehicle could break down just as much as yours. In addition you’re adding an extra person into that equation and one that is handling multiple other animals from multiple other people increasing the risk of exposure. It’s just nonsense.
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Agree with this. This lockdown and the subsequent measures that will follow have no timeline. We simply don't know when life will return to normal again. Once the pups are ready to be rehomed, it's in the interests of the mother and pups to go to their new lives.

Unless a buyer buys a new puppy every day, a single journey to collect an animal cannot be compared to a daily outing to a beauty spot in a car to walk their dogs.
 
Nine pups in this litter. Nine journeys if breeder can't drive.
That's just one breeder, I imagine there are lots of other litters on the ground and more in planning. So a lot of extra journeys.
Again, this is a case where people could start thinking smart, minimising journeys, pooling resources/money, help take pressure off emergency services and help small and medium businesses survive rather than always thinking in terms of individualism and exceptionalism.

I'm still really interested in how this breeder got at least one very large dog to the vets for x-rays/health tests when they cannot drive :) where there's a will, there's a way and all that.

ETA I love driving, in normal times I think nothing of doing ten hour round trips to train, but that's not going to be happening for a long time. A seven hour round trip fills me with dread right now!
 
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I’m interested that we have so many experts on the forum who know so much about how puppies develop and what is in their best interests when they reach 9 weeks old ?
 
i drive less than 5 mins to find somewhere level for me to walk as the hills are too much for me and my old dog is also struggling. as far as i understood the rules we are allowed to drive LOCALLY and not hours away to have a jolly on the beach..and i would put collecting a puppy in the non local section and not a necessary journey, so a courier is the best way to deal with this although not the most desirable..
 
Levrier said:
I think people are missing the point that it isn’t the potential contact with the breeder that is the issue - it’s the long journey there and back, with the potential for breakdowns/accidents which would put others at risk?

I find it amusing that I got so much flak on here when people thought I was making a 10 minute journey to walk my dogs, but it seems that a lot of people think this is ok because it is to pick up a puppy.

It’s still a non-essential journey, and quite honestly if the breeder can’t manage to look after the pups, large as they are, on a small holding there is something wrong there....
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That's a good point about the length of the journey and all the pups that went once covid 19 became more serious have gone within a 30 min radius of us, had people contacting from as far as Brighton (we are Inverness) and I said no. A couple of pups stayed a little longer get for local homes.
 
Levrier said:
I’m interested that we have so many experts on the forum who know so much about how puppies develop and what is in their best interests when they reach 9 weeks old ?
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That's the thing about forums, you never know the background of other posters. For what it's worth, mum was an A1 judge for bullmastiffs and dad was an approved breeder and president of BBL, although they've retired now from producing such big dogs.
Growing up in that environment didn't encourage me to take an interest in breeding, but I do understand about welfare.
 
twiggy2 said:
That's a good point about the length of the journey and all the pups that went once covid 19 became more serious have gone within a 30 min radius of us, had people contacting from as far as Brighton (we are Inverness) and I said no. A couple of pups stayed a little longer get for local homes.
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Be careful.... I may invite myself to stay when this is over, I love Inverness ?

Yes I wouldn’t think twice about a 30 minute journey at all ?
 
CorvusCorax said:
Nine pups in this litter. Nine journeys if breeder can't drive.
That's just one breeder, I imagine there are lots of other litters on the ground and more in planning. So a lot of extra journeys.
Again, this is a case where people could start thinking smart, minimising journeys, pooling resources/money, help take pressure off emergency services and help small and medium businesses survive rather than always thinking in terms of individualism and exceptionalism.

I'm still really interested in how this breeder got at least one very large dog to the vets for x-rays/health tests when they cannot drive :) where there's a will, there's a way and all that.

ETA I love driving, in normal times I think nothing of doing ten hour round trips to train, but that's not going to be happening for a long time. A seven hour round trip fills me with dread right now!
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I don’t think it’s likely that a group of disparate people miles in all directions wanting puppies from different litters that are ready at about the same time. In any case surely the pet couriers should be the ones to advertise that they can do this as an option during these times? Also you’re then potentially carting around a young puppies for hours while you drop them off one by one.

I’m by the way not advising people to breach the rules just pointing out the theoretical risk is no greater. Same miles possibly more driven for an individual pick up and drop off plus more people in the handling chain.
 
Oh I don't doubt that couriers still working could advertise their services better!
As for puppies being in a vehicle for hours, that's normal IMO, I know plenty of dogs imported from Europe, my own dogs are no strangers to long journeys, and lots of people are fine with adult rescues being transported by private individuals from the continent.

You'd be surprised about how many litters are out there and how many people are wanting pups, I and others are getting inundated with requests.
 
skinnydipper said:
If the person who bred the litter feels that there is a welfare issue if the pups remain in his/her care, could that person employ a professional dog transporter to deliver all the pups in the litter to their new homes?
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I agree, I think some responsibility needs to be pushed back to the breeder.
 
skinnydipper said:
If the person who bred the litter feels that there is a welfare issue if the pups remain in his/her care, could that person employ a professional dog transporter to deliver all the pups in the litter to their new homes?
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The problem with this, is that the owner is accepting a dog without seeing it or its parents on the day. What happens if the puppy isn't the one you'd chosen, or if it appears unwell ? I couldn't send it back on a return 3 hour trip.
I wouldn't trust a breeder that was ok with selling a dog to a buyer that they had never physically met either, or at best, met briefly a few weeks earlier when the pups were at an earlier stage of development.
It is possible to show the buyer the parents and the pup outside without ignoring social distancing.
 
dogatemysalad said:
The problem with this, is that the owner is accepting a dog without seeing it or its parents on the day. What happens if the puppy isn't the one you'd chosen, or if it appears unwell ? I couldn't send it back on a return 3 hour trip.
I wouldn't trust a breeder that was ok with selling a dog to a buyer that they had never physically met either, or at best, met briefly a few weeks earlier when the pups were at an earlier stage of development.
It is possible to show the buyer the parents and the pup outside without ignoring social distancing.
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It may be possible to hand over without ignoring social distancing but what about the 7 hour round trip?
 
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