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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

in thinking my friend is being incredibly naive?

98 replies

ImNotYourGranny · 21/08/2019 12:02

My friend is very excited as she's getting her 2 new Westie pups this weekend. She's invited me over on Sunday to meet them. I love Westies and have 2 of my own.

She's just mentioned that they're coming from Spain. They were rescued after being dumped in bin. She has to pick them up from the airport on Saturday, having paid £300 for each of them. I looked like Shock this when she told me.

It's a scam isn't it. How the fuck is someone flying 2 puppies in for £600. When I emigrated here (not UK) it cost over £3000 to have mine flown over and that was 10 years ago, and doesn't include the cost of vaccinations, pet passport, vet inspection etc. Plus who dumps valuable pedigree puppies in a bin?

She's either going to get poorly, smuggled puppies or they'll be held up at customs and she'll have to pay more to get them through, only to then find out they don't exist.

She thinks I'm being ridiculous.

OP posts:
Cheeserton · 21/08/2019 12:37

Which airport is this alleged to be be through? There's basically only Heathrow where this is possibly authorised...

AryaStarkWolf · 21/08/2019 12:42

Doesn't sound good but hopefully it's legit and the puppies are ok

pnppr · 21/08/2019 12:43

I did this and it wasn't a scam...

pnppr · 21/08/2019 12:44

wait unless you count my perfectly healthy puppy's absolute inability to stop being a clingy bastard.

Cheeseandwin5 · 21/08/2019 12:44

I live in Spain and very much involved in many dog charities. The dog pound hold thousands of dogs of all ages and types.They are seriously overcrowded and many of the dogs die due to the conditions. Over the last month I have heard of 3 different litters being dumped by the bins- it is a very sad state of affairs.
The cost of the dog is not just for transport, it is also for them to have their jabs, to be taken examined and neutered.
There are many reputable charities who deal with rehoming dogs, I would caution against getting one from a private person as this may be open to abuse.

Original poster
ImNotYourGranny · 21/08/2019 12:45

Which airport is this alleged to be be through? There's basically only Heathrow where this is possibly authorised...

We're not in the UK. I know the airport being used does receive pets as it's the one our animals came in to.

OP posts:
gwenneh · 21/08/2019 12:45

Most of your points are valid, and I can't understand why she wouldn't get puppies from a reputable breeder in the UK, but it cost me only slightly more to get my (non-EU) dog into the UK and that includes passport, vaccinations, and all of the paperwork. Given that, her price seems reasonable (but that's the only thing that does.)

I didn't even pay £3k to get my horse into the UK, so I'm guessing you used a service.

BeanBag7 · 21/08/2019 12:46

Wouldnt imported animals have to be had in quarantine for a period after coming in?
At the very least I would suggest to your friend that she takes them to a vet asap to get them checked over.

Huskylover1 · 21/08/2019 12:47

Absolutely loads of Rescue dogs from abroad around here (Central Scotland). Mainly from Spain and Romania. All cost about £250 to £300 to import. So there's every chance this is totally legit. I'm amazed you haven't met any of these imported dogs yourself? And just for the record, I work in the industry.

The question is, how did she pay? If she paid by Credit Card, Debit Card or Paypal, she is 100% covered if the dogs don't exist. If she paid by Bank Transfer, she has no protection, and will have lost the £600. (Ex Bank Manager).

Fresta · 21/08/2019 12:47

Can people not read? OP is NOT IN THE UK!

Original poster
ImNotYourGranny · 21/08/2019 12:48

I didn't even pay £3k to get my horse into the UK, so I'm guessing you used a service.

We were going out of the UK. We had to use a service as the airline only accepted animals from approved services. We couldn't do it ourselves.

OP posts:
messolini9 · 21/08/2019 12:48

She thinks I'm being ridiculous.

Nope.
"Ridiculous" is buying a pup without inspecting its mother, its home environment, & its vendor/breeder.

Oliversmumsarmy · 21/08/2019 12:50

I am amazed you think.this is a scam. Overseas rescues are quite common.

I think they have flourished because our own rescue centres can be quite restrictive in who is eligible to adopt.

You can adopt dogs from China or Romania to name but a few countries.

I suggest you Google these charities and find out the problems these dogs face.

Oliversmumsarmy · 21/08/2019 12:52

I dont think it matters where the op is. These charities send their dogs all over the world

TheGreatestCape · 21/08/2019 12:52

It's cheaper (relatively) to fly pets in from Spain than it would be from a non-EU country classed as 'listed' by DEFRA, or from a non-listed country... but when you factor in the cost of pet passport, microchip, rabies shot, airline-approved crate, fit-to-fly certificate, transport to airport and other miscellaneous costs, it's still an expensive business.

If the animals arrive at Heathrow, they'll go to the Animal Reception Centre to be checked and have their paperwork processed. When we imported our cats a few years ago, there was a £200+ handling fee from the ARC - this was included in our pets' (exorbitant, long-haul) ticket cost, but other airlines wanted you to pay it separately on arrival.

Who is legally responsible for importing these dogs? Does your friend have a waybill and proof of ownership, or is the charity or whoever handling everything and promising to hand the dogs over when they've cleared inspection?

Usually if animals turn up and there's an issue with their documentation, they're put into quarantine at the owner's expense. Or they might not be allowed onto the flight in the first place.

Hopefully this is all being handled by a legitimate charity who know exactly what they're doing, but your friend should be prepared for additional costs (and insist on paying them to the airline or airport, not to a go-between).

Original poster
ImNotYourGranny · 21/08/2019 12:54

They're not common here. Most of the dogs we encounter are working farm dogs or hunting dogs.

OP posts:
TheGreatestCape · 21/08/2019 12:54

Aargh, ex-post. If you're not in the UK, then who knows. I should've seen that in your OP.

SusieOwl4 · 21/08/2019 12:54

I have had rescues from Spain . Cost about £290 each including travel . All absolutely fine

MagneticSingularity · 21/08/2019 12:58

There will be no puppies materializing here for your friend. It’s a known scam. They suck you in with stolen photos from breeder and shelter sites - “oh the dog’s free you just have to pay shipping”, and then something will go wrong in transit and the dog is stuck in customs or needs a vet so you need to pay more...
My stepson recently got stung in a similar scenario, saw a beagle puppy on Craigslist and he’d already paid them $300 for shipping costs when he announced to extended family that he was getting the dog on his fb, complete with pic of adorable puppy the scammers had sent him. I knew it was wrong immediately, purebred beagles from breeders here go for over $1k, ain’t no one giving them away for shipping costs. A quick google brought up the same pic he’d posted plus hundreds of similar scams. Dss got off fairly lightly, some people have been squeezed for much more. They ended up getting a real puppy they could meet in the flesh from their local shelter.

ImMeantToBeWorking · 21/08/2019 13:11

The £300 per dog is all relative to where you are based. If you are based in France, Italy etc. flights are cheap and on the continent it is easy to travel through airports with dogs apparently (as I have seen them in a number of airports when flying). On the other hand if you are in Iceland it might be a bit more expensive.

Lots of countries export dogs from rescues.

Bumbags · 21/08/2019 13:14

Marking my place for the update 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oliversmumsarmy · 21/08/2019 13:22

My stepson recently got stung in a similar scenario, saw a beagle puppy on Craigslist

With all due respect this isnt remotely similar. You cannot seriously think Craigs List is a bona-fide charity

Bookworm4 · 21/08/2019 13:23

Ask your friend the name of the rescue and check it out, pretty simple and saves speculation.

happycamper11 · 21/08/2019 13:27

Which airport is this alleged to be be through? There's basically only Heathrow where this is possibly authorised...

Simply untrue- my parents regularly flew their dog in and out of Manchester. Although it's irrelevant seeing op is not in the uk

It's a known scam

It's also a known legitimate charity process. We can't know which the OP's friend has used as OP isn't even sure

dollybooo · 21/08/2019 13:31

Charities do this.

I rescued puppies whilst living abroad & the charity arranged new homes for them to be sent to,

No idea on cost etc though.