Have you ever adopted a dog from abroad?

[Nikhedonia]

Has anyone got any experience of adopting a dog from Cyprus, Bulgaria etc?

I've tried adopting in the UK but most rescues don't seem to have puppies and aren't allowing me to adopt a dog with a young child. The minimum age they ask for always seems to be 8 or 12.

I dog sit for a dog from Spain sometimes. He is so nervous that my friend can't leave him alone for more that 2-3 hours, so if they need both to be out I usually go and stay with him.
He is lovely but needs a rigid routine. He seems to be getting better, less barky when someone comes to the door, but my friend's life is ruled by his needs.

wolfiefan there's literally no point in this. You've made your mind up about my intentions and have decided I'm a cheap, impatient, irresponsible person.

@Mistymonday

Two lovely Romanian dogs, no trouble, all paperwork in order and I would definitely do it again. Dogs are nervous but it has been a delight showing them a good life. Not for someone who is not up for learning about dog psychology and training them properly. Choose the rescue wisely, I did a lot of due diligence beforehand.

That's really interesting, thank you. How old were they when you rescued them?

I've dogs from Cyprus in the past. They had full health clearance, full passports, jabs, all required treatment, etc. They had been in foster homes, who had made good starts on training & teaching them to live in a house.

You can't get them here before 16 weeks, I think it is? As they can't have the rabies jab before 12 weeks, and then have to wait a number of weeks after before being cleared to travel.

The rescue we used (and it is a rescue, not a business, based on a pound) does send a questionnaire, talk to you thoroughly, and also do a home check, and they do have some rescue backup in this country.

Our dogs have been wonderful, but very different from each other. And a fairly big learning curve. I have seen others struggle more than we did, but that seems to be mostly with those who have taken on older street dogs, rather than pups. I think being in a foster home in their native country before flying helps too.

Would I do it again? I'd certainly consider it. Our reasons for doing it were sound, and if the circumstances lined up that way, I'd go that route again.

I'd also say it's not a cheap route to get a rescue dog - we ended up paying several hundred pounds per dog, which covers the flight.

@Thedot90 yes! I have two dogs from Wild at Heart, they're my children. Perfect angels and gorgeous too. One from Cyprus and one from Romania

We adopted a dog from Romania via a charity. There were extensive checks to ensure we were suitable. He was found on the streets but was a friendly little soul. We have had no issues but many of the dogs are more troubled. The rescue centre is very honest about this and they do work with dogs to help behavioural issues. They do also rescue puppies but I'm not sure what age children is considered safe. I wish you luck and hope you can be matched with a dog that will make you as happy as we are.

@Nikhedonia my rescue who is older (rescued at 6 years) is the most gentle. Babies pull her hair and play with her and she is so loving and careful.

My puppy is like "fuck off"

@Junobug this is a very uneducated opinion

I would never have a dog from the U.K.My dog is fromRomania,I had him as a 20week old.He was neutered,vaccinated,chipped,vet checked in Romania and here in the U.K.He is nearly 7now.

@Wolfiefan is talking absolute rubbish.Clearly has no idea about adopting a dog from abroad.

I was also home checked by the rescue,would adopt from abroad again in a heartbeat.

I think pedigrees / kennel club are far crueler than importing a rescue. People are super naive.

Ive had more rescue back up with my spanish dog than ive ever had from any other rescues. So tested negative for all the mediterranean diseases before she even cane over

I don’t think it is uneducated. I think overseas rescue is a minefield. Far too many dogs with issues or illnesses. Few properly assessed. People picking a dog without ever having met it.
I have bought dogs from a breeder. I chose carefully and don’t believe it’s unethical. What I do think is unethical is saying you will only have a puppy. Refusing to pay a decent breeder. And funding overseas “rescues” so you can take the moral high ground over those who paid a decent breeder.
Yep. Made my mind up.
Refusal to wait.
Refusal to cast the net wider in the U.K.

Refusal to consider anything other than a pup.

The last few posts have been really useful, thank you for sharing

I have a lovely dog who was rehomed to us from Spain. He came through a charity who did a homecheck before he arrived. He was a much loved family pet and I am still in touch with his previous owners who were unable to keep him. He is a very long haired breed and much happier in the UK, particularly when it snows!

Honestly, your posts are just boring now Wolfiefan

There are just some people here who think that their way is the only right way and anyone else is irresponsible. Just ignore em.

I've got a Cyprus rescue dog and I would do it again in a heartbeat. She was incredibly nervous when she first arrived, and she's not there with house training (our fault for being inconsistent). She is an amazing, funny, clever, happy little dog and she has a great life with us. She's currently laying on my head snoring in my ear. The dogs have to be tested for disease before they come over, and they're vaccinated and wormed before they fly

As others have said, this is a very divisive choice. I think the point is that you want a puppy from a rescue - not an older dog who will possibly be traumatised.

In my experience a puppy would be fine and a lot of ex-street dogs either give birth in the rescue or come into the rescue with puppies. The main problem would be that you don't get to see the pups with their mum (temperament), you won't know who the dad is (size and temperament) and you won't know what breed they are so won't know what to expect (again, temperament).
I've got two rescues from abroad. One is an angel, the other was very traumatised. But they were older dogs with bad experiences and in getting a puppy you won't have that. I can recommend Romanian Rescue Appeal but be prepared for your heart to be broken if you go to their website and see all the sad dogs looking for new homes. Good luck!

The other problem with puppies from abroad is that they will be past the socialisation window by the time you come, assuming they have got legitimate vaccinations and paperwork. . If you’ve got young children it really doesn’t seem sensible.

Here's my video of our local municipal kennels - lots of lovely dogs looking for a new home through no fault of their own. There's a group on FB who arrange transport to the UK;

We got our 5 year old dog from a Spanish rescue 2 years ago. We are very lucky with him as he is an amazing dog. I'm currently pregnant with our first and know he will be brilliant with our child. If however we had the child first, I don't think I would've adopted from abroad as you don't really have an opportunity for them to meet before taking them home, and to see how the puppy will react. Like I said, we're really lucky and our dog is the most chilled out boy ever (although dog reactive and has developed a few protective behaviours since I fell pregnant, however this something which we are constantly working on). We were very lucky that he was toilet trained on arrival, but we didn't know this before hand, and it almost concens me how well toilet trained he is, and what someone did to him to before he joined us to stop him from toileting in the house. That's something to take into consideration as well, even with a puppy you don't know what they've experienced in their short life, they could find something in their new home quite triggering. I do however disagree with the previous poster who says it's a business. Our boy was neutered, tested and vaccinated against rabies, as well as tested for leishmania and other common diseases. Our fee covered these costs, and then his travel through another charity from south of Spain, to Scotland. When you add up all these costs, there isn't any room for profit, and any leftovers go straight back into their kennel facility to feed the dogs who haven't been adopted yet. That's just my thoughts on the matter, I'm happy we adopted him and I wouldn't change him for the world, however if I had a young family at the time, I don't think I would've adopted from abroad I'm sorry to say

My friend got a young dog from Romania. But sadly she had to be returned to the foster carer as she had emotional problems. So I think some of them can be quite traumatised.

People will do what they want to do; and I do have some qualms about the degree to which UK rescue's screen potential adopters. I have been a volunteer for one of them for 10+years, and my "job" is working with dogs that need some behavioural support.I have registered qualifications for this. But I wouldn't be allowed to rehome the kind of dog that I would want - and which I actually already own! UK rescues have gone down a tick box approach that pays more attention to systems than it does to realities.

That said, as an adopter I might equally want to carefully consider why rescues abroad don't have such stringent measures. There needs to be a balance, and my advice would be to consider whether there is. Simply because they are desperate to be kind and to rehome dogs does not mean that it is a good idea or that the dogs are appropriate to the particular home. Being "kind" doesn't always equate with being sensible.

I would also point out that there is no guarantee that a puppy is any more suitable for adoption. Behavioural patterns can be set very early, and bad experiences can influence that from a very, very early age. Genetics is also critical, and whilst that is true of any rescue where parentage is unknown, the qualities that allow dogs to survive in some other qualities or exactly the qualities that would be undesirable in the UK for pet dogs.

I'm not as opposed to the idea as some people seem to be, but go into it with your eyes open - it isn't and shouldn't be a "get around" for making good choices or appropriate decisions.

That should be "the qualities that allow dogs to survive in some other countries are exactly the qualities..." - I need more coffee!

I hate the line that breeders are the problem. If more people went to breeders, who look after their dogs, love their dogs and vet the future owners, then there would be far, far less dogs in rescues, who were brought in haste and because they were cheaper. And I'm talking about proper breeders not puppy farms and whatever cross breed is currently in fashion.
You have ultimately decided to bring in a traumatised dog from another country, after completing a questionnaire about your suitability, in to your family home. A dog that you have never met and know nothing about.