Importing a pet dog from Uruguay

musicinmouth

Hi,

We have a new employee at our office in Cork who has joined us from Uruguay. She has a pet dog, which she loves, but is now still in Uruguay. The dog has all the necessary shots and microchip, but I am just wondering if anyone has any advice as to whether the dog has to be quarantined in Dublin for 6 months, or is there any way around this?

My colleague finds the thought of her dog traveling so far and then having to be quarantined in Dublin for upsetting. Is there a way to quarantine your dog on your own premises perhaps?

I'd be grateful for any advice!

Thanks!

Alun

Here's a list of countries that are eligible for the Pet Passport scheme and Uruguay isn't on it (although Chile and Argentina are strangely enough).

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/pets/qualifyingcountriesterritories/

So it's quarantine only I'm afraid, and I've only heard negative things about the only quarantine kennels in Ireland (Lissenhall), and I wouldn't put any pet of mine in there. I believe there is a way of quarantining a dog on your own premises, but you effectively have to build the equivalent of a mini quarantine kennels on your own property, get it inspected and approved etc. etc, and it's not really a practical proposition for most people.

Maybe he knows someone in Argentina who could take the dog in and import it from there? (Assuming you can transport dogs between those two countries with no hassle.)

Wisco

Also, the price for quarantine at Lissenhall is MASSIVE. So I'd also advise keeping it in Argentina or another suitable country while doing the rabies vac + serology bit if possible.

musicinmouth

Thanks a million for your replies. I wonder if anyone in Cork has built such a mini-kennel that someone could pay to keep their dog in?

I will also investigate the Argentina possibility. Thanks for all your help.