Transporting Puppies by Air

[Jeannie Smith]

Hello can any breeder out there give me advice on flying Puppies to far flung countries and who they use (if anyone). I have a litter and a buyer from Ajabijian but i am not keen on sending a puppy that far being concerned for its welfare. I haven't sat up all those nights to have a puppy die in a crate on a plane.

But maybe i am unduly concerned. Any advice would be welcome.

[Torie Lancaster]

I absolutely agree Silvia. 

If I let a pup go there, I would not be able to sleep at night!

[Angela Roberts]

You say 'I am not keen on sending a puppy that far being concerned for its welfare'.  If you are not keen don't do it.  I have only had 5 litters since 1997 but after careful selection of prospective buyers I have still gone with my gut reaction and doing that has saved me from selling a puppy to people who I found out later would not have given it the ideal home.  My first litter were nearly 8 weeks old before I even had an enquiry and went at the rate of about 1 a week, then I stopped selling due to Christmas and the last bitch although sold stayed with me until she was nearly 6 months as I held her for someone who were going on a long cruise and they were the ones I wanted to have her.  I would never sell abroad unless I knew them personally or they were recommended by someone I trusted.  The enquiries I have had from abroad get a one line email back from me 'Thank you for your enquiry but I do not export'.  Don't be in too much of a hurry to get rid of them, getting the forever homes is far more important. 

[Jeannie Smith]

Yes i admit that maybe we were panicking a bit. Thank you for your input

[Estelle Meiring]

"It is very difficult if someone is on the other side of the world trying their very best to do the very best for the breed - difficult not just for the exporter, but also for the importer."

I agree with Pat, there is also the other side to this; the importer's side.

I am not, for one moment, suggesting that you just ship a puppy off to Ajabijian. But automatically mistrusting (and excluding) someone just because they are from another country seems very harsh.

Let's be honest; what happened to Sumaric Scarlet O' Hara is absolutely terrible, but Susan said herself that her friend was 'hoodwinked'.  If a prospective puppy buyer is set on being untruthful about their environment and their intentions, then they will be, whether they are in the same country or on the other side of the world.

I really think that technology these days (such as Skype) allows one to get to know a person pretty well, even if you can't meet them in person. 

[Silvia Lindner-Rae]

The country is in the FCI, so someone from their KC could speak for the person and you could check with FCI in Belgium if everything is correct.

[Silvia Lindner-Rae]

Which bitch is that? I know of one called Tiny Titch that came to a Hungarian breeder but is now at a wonderful pet home in Austria, at a lady called Barbara Koch.

[Silvia Lindner-Rae]

She came from some lady that was originally from Cyprus and was in a hurry to sell her as she wanted to go on holiday. Thats all I know. But I also know that she has a wonderful life with Barbara who loves her deary.

[eva ciechonska]

I have read through all the comments and would like to add an experience my friend had.  Some years ago she received an enquiry for a puppy bitch from a man in Malta.  This gentleman had previously bought his Irish from the UK and sounded a genuine, caring Irish Setter owner.  He told my friend that his dogs lived in the lap of luxury in air conditioned kennels. My friend made further enquiries and decided that she would see for herself.  The air conditioned kennels turned out to be a large wooden shed with a fan and the whole place was (to put it mildly) not the way any of us would keep our dogs.  She was horrified but glad that she had taken the trouble to check for herself.  She ended up keeping the puppy.

I would absolutely agree with all the advice already posted on this discussion.  I would have no problem sending any of my precious pups abroad but only to someone I knew or someone who came fully recommended by a friend. 

There are many very good carriers who various breeders have used successfully.  It is not the carrier you should be worrying about.

I agree with Angela about following your gut and if you have the slightest doubt then walk away.  To say this man seemed ok is not good enough......sorry. 

[Jeannie Smith]

Don't worry we won't be sending any puppies to Ajabijian. Thanks for all your advice.

[Sheree Parrish]

I have never exported any of my pups. would much prefer to be able to keep in touch with their new owners and be within a commutable distance if I needed to get to pups new home for any reason.  There are some exceptions of people that I know of that are abroad and I would seriously consider exporting to them but only because I know of them and how they treat their dogs.  That said, I wouldn't send a pup to a country with unrest, just couldn't feel that pup would be as safe.

One thing that does intrigue me with the Irish Setters, which seems totally different to the English Setters, which are my main breed, do you not have a puppy list before mating? There seem to be an awful lot of puppies looking for homes at the moment, I wouldn't breed a litter without knowing that I had homes lined up for them.  I know that some people drop off the list for various reasons, but to be left with most of the litter would make me wonder whether I had done the right thing by breeding a litter - just an observation, not a criticism by any means.

[Torie Lancaster]

Seems to me to be a very interesting observation.  I look forward to reading replies to it.

[Jeannie Smith]

Being our first litter i guess i was scared of counting my chickens. Then had to wait to be part of the Irish Setter Association before going on Colin's website wasted another couple of weeks.