doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - impoorting a dog from Europe, has anyone done it

I may have an opportunity to get a Kleine Munsterlander pup from someone I know in Switzerland next year. She is a hunter and her whole familiy are hunters and they run KM's.I met her [censored - come on man!]. very nice dog, perfect size, super friendly and according to my friend, a hell of a retriever.

A pup must e 12 weeks old to travel out of Switzerland. no other s restrictions to US.
my concerns are the traveling part. it seems like airlines wont let me buy a seat for a crate to sit next to me.

so, my worry is the trauma of being in a cargo hold for 8+ hours. Swissair has a special section, air conditioned, temperature controlled for dogs in crates. But I would rather have her in cabin in a crate.
what are your experiences and suggestions/advice?

There are "dog people" and "it's just a dog people". The two categories don't understand the other. Meet "Snap" aka Uma De La Source d'Hannahatchee. My 75th birthday present. Picked her up on June 24th at Hannahatchee Kennel in Lumpkin, Ga. She upgrades the MuttPak 2.0 dogware of Abby and Willa, 12.5 and 9 years old, to version 3.0. A French Brittany joins my two American Brittanys. Will Rogers nailed it. Gil

Gee, that is an easy one. Far more quality for your dollar if you are an educated shopper buying used English VS a new CSM Fox.

I do not disagree with finding the best bird dog you can anywhere on the planet, that is logic which I can relate to

OK, we've got AZXMike and eightbore as "not dog people." To each their own. Your shotgun won't keep you warm at night.

Bruce

I read an observation recently on another forum, it may have been a repeat by an author, but it went something like this: "If I got to the hunting grounds and realize I forgot my dog, I go back and get him. If arrive at the hunting grounds, but with my dog and I forgot my gun, we hunt." Gil

Why put yourself and a pup through all that stress and aggravation?

A lot can happen on a flight that can traumatize a little puppy.

You can find better dogs from that breed in North America.


OWD

As a general rule Dogs are rather stoic..adaptable...and tolerate their situation (albeit less than desirable in human eyes). My experience showed them to just "switch off" during flight and they mostly ignored any other activity on the cargo deck. While there is no guarantee that people do not try to fuss them or try to stimulate play or activity during transportation these same events can happen when out walking your mutt and a stranger wants to call your dog and fuss over it ....Aaaaargh !! BACK OFF !!
If the dog shows temperamental and/or behavioural issues after the transportation period then the likelihood is that the pooch had them before shipping.

Too much money and emotion are tied up in pets, bird dogs.
My oldest had a fine German Wirehair, about 5 years old--he took him to the vet with a mobility problem and didn't bring him home.
Another son had a fine Pointer pup around 9 months old, a grass awn entered her nose and ended up in her lungs--you guessed it dead with an infection. A buddy had a fine Setter pup running in the woods until a branch speared her in the chest! These accidents are tragic but the financial loss and emotional trauma adds up to be a big deal. Working dogs have always been tools for sport, their useful lives are finite and fairly fragile. Invest emotion in your family not your animals, this isn't a Disney movie!

Well done Gil!
May the two of you have many wonderful seasons together.

Well put me in the dog column. If you want the dog just do it. Life is too short to hunt with a bad partner, be they two legs or four, or have an ugly girlfriend. Unless she has 400 acres nobody hunts and you can tell everyone she is a great cook and has a good sense of humor. . I have retired several working dogs for one reason or another and cried when I had to put more than one down.