German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[Anita]

Hello. I am considering importing a puppy from Europe (Poland to be exact) but have no idea about the regulations and/or quarantine requirements. Does anyone have any experience with that? I looked at the CDC website but that is all I found:
"Unvaccinated puppies younger than 4 months of age must be confined by the importer until at least 3 months of age, vaccinated against rabies, and confined for 30 additional days following vaccination. All dogs not accompanied by proof of rabies vaccination may be admitted providing the importer completes a confinement agreement (form CDC 75.37) ( PDF version formatted for print [76 KB/2 pages]). Such a dog must be kept in confinement during transit to, and be vaccinated within 4 days of arrival at, the U.S. destination and must remain in confinement for at least 30 days after the date of vaccination."
What exactly does confinement mean? Is it safe to vaccinate a 3 month old puppy against rabies?
Sorry this got so long. Thank you for your help

[Jon]

I have experience importing dogs from Germany. Check for new regulations but as far as I know the pup must be at least 8 weeks old (requirement of airlines), have at least one regular vaccination (usually a 5 way) and have been vaccinated for rabies. This rabies vaccination must be at least 30 dyas old. IF you import the pup before it is 12 weeks old, you don't need the rabies vaccination but will have to sign a statement that you will vaccinate the pup at 12 weeks. In addition your pup will need a health certificate from a vet that is no older than 10 days.

I would not recommend importing pups from Europe unless you know the breeder, breeding lines, etc VERY well.

[cheerio]

well, here are the rules:

pup must be 8 weeks old.
If under 3 months, no Rabies vaccine is needed
If over 3 months, Rabies vaccine must be at least 30 days old (which mean the pup cannot be transported between 3 and 4 months of age) and less than a year.
+
must be accompanied by a veterinary Health certificate signed no more than 10 days prior to entering the States.

No other Vaccination records are needed but it is always best to include it.

The rules are the same for Canada with the exception that Canada does not impose the 30 day after the first Rabies vaccine.

Also, although the health documents are checked and faxed to the entry point at the time of shipping, it is a good idea to insist that your shipper tape the original documents in a plastic enveloppe on top of the crate as on occasion, customs will ask you for the original when you go pick up puppy. They technically cannot insist but it is a lot easier to comply than to fight with them!

[damayanti]

[Anita]

damayanti, I am just curious why you wouldn't recommend importing a dog from Poland. It seems to me that they have some really good dogs there that excel in both conformation and hunting. You can always e-mail me at morynia@yahoo.com
thanks
anita

[damayanti]