Wa7 Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Does anyone have any real knowledge of dog checks on the journey to the uk ?? Reason being I am looking at taking dog to uk but he looks bit like an am staff terrier type dog and I am aware that these types are banned in uk simply because they "resemble" pit bulls ( talk about a lazy/vague law) has anyone took a dog through etc apparently some airlines won't even take Staffordshire bull terriers!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I don't think Staffies are banned in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wa7 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 I don't think Staffies are banned in the UK. Hello there, you have mis read it apparently some airlines won't even allow a staffie onboard even tho they are legal in uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 One of the pet carrier companies on this forum may be able to answer your query. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I would give dogtainers a call and they should be able to advise straight away. I haven't heard of airlines banning dogs due to this - only due to medical issues. However, rules change regularly. We were supposed to fly ours with Malaysian when they announced a week before his flight that they wont fly Chihuahuas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 He will be checked by vets repeatedly. They have to have a rabies injection 21 days before flying, then are checked by a vet the morning of flight, then when they change planes, then when they land at heathrow. If he looks like a banned breed, I would get a letter from the vet stating what he is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Some breeds are banned from travelling by the government maybe contact Defra at Carlisle by email to ask Some breed are banned by airlines not the government We have a Shar Pei a brachycephalic breed Emirates won't fly his ' type' of dog in their summer as its too hot on the ground in dubai Airlines or some of them have stopped flying British Bulldogs or Frenchies because of the high risk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wa7 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 I have contacted defra and got the stock standard that they can't say either way blah blah basically dogs are judged on "appearance" no science involved what a joke you can potentially pay out $$$$ and then be told at Heathrow dog simply looks aggro even tho dog is a softie and what happens then??? The law is so vague. This is why I am hoping some people on here have done it with a terrier type breed and how it went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobPetairUK Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Hi, Dogtainers will know the scoop on this the best, but yes a pit bull type is not allowed into UK. the best advice i have is to get pictures of the dog and any back up documentation and email them to the animal reception centre at heathrow. And ask them for advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Does anyone have any real knowledge of dog checks on the journey to the uk ?? Reason being I am looking at taking dog to uk but he looks bit like an am staff terrier type dog and I am aware that these types are banned in uk simply because they "resemble" pit bulls ( talk about a lazy/vague law) has anyone took a dog through etc apparently some airlines won't even take Staffordshire bull terriers!!! Staffies are definitely not banned...bloody hundreds of them about .....neither are English bull terriers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wa7 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 Staffies are definitely not banned...bloody hundreds of them about .....neither are English bull terriers Thanks for replies, in my post I say am staff terrier by this I mean American staffy terrier type it's a slightly taller/heavier version of an English staffy. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Staffies are definitely not banned...bloody hundreds of them about ?.....neither are English bull terriers English Bull terriers are not in the banned dogs list for the UK but some airlines have banned them because of the deaths during the flight because they are a Brachylpetic breed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I have contacted defra and got the stock standard that they can't say either way blah blah basically dogs are judged on "appearance" no science involved what a joke you can potentially pay out $$$$ and then be told at Heathrow dog simply looks aggro even tho dog is a softie and what happens then??? The law is so vague. This is why I am hoping some people on here have done it with a terrier type breed and how it went. Is there any way a DNA test would show what his breeds are ? Is that possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wa7 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 (edited) Is there any way a DNA test would show what his breeds are ? Is that possible Dna tests can be done but i don't think I could trust this because of this " type" word they use, if dog happened to be spotted at Heathrow ( which may not happen ??) it would open a can of worms because dog looks aggro but isn't, ideally I would love to have dog assessed here by an aqis vet or similar who can then inform defra uk that dog is or isn't aggressive but this can't be done to my knowledge, it would make it a lot simpler. Edited March 17, 2016 by Wa7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Dna tests can be done but i don't think I could trust this because of this " type" word they use, if dog happened to be spotted at Heathrow ( which may not happen ??) it would open a can of worms because dog looks aggro but isn't, ideally I would love to have dog assessed here by an aqis vet or similar who can then inform defra uk that dog is or isn't aggressive but this can't be done to my knowledge, it would make it a lot simpler. AQIS can provide a letter - in fact they are sometimes required to - of what breed he is. This can be sent to the ARC at Heathrow and the airline. I really would give Dogtainers a call though. You will have to use them or another company to arrange the shipping anyway. The airlines wont let you arrange it yourself when going Australia to UK. You have to use an agent. I found them incredibly helpful and they answered loads of my emails and phone calls before I even appointed them as the agent. They will probably be able to tell you straight away what if any complicating factors there are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wa7 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 AQIS can provide a letter - in fact they are sometimes required to - of what breed he is. This can be sent to the ARC at Heathrow and the airline. I really would give Dogtainers a call though. You will have to use them or another company to arrange the shipping anyway. The airlines wont let you arrange it yourself when going Australia to UK. You have to use an agent. I found them incredibly helpful and they answered loads of my emails and phone calls before I even appointed them as the agent. They will probably be able to tell you straight away what if any complicating factors there are. Oaky dokey, I have looked into this in the last few years and been told it can't be done but rules change etc so will re visit this option and see if you I can get dog assessed here and have a set in stone guarantee that there will be no issues or I take a chance and he just Passes thru Heathrow or sadly has to be left here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogtainers Pet Transport Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 We are happy to talk this over with you if you need some advice or assistance you can call 1300 135252 for you local office or 1800 13 52 52 for our head office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 You will run the risk of having you dog 'seized' as a pit bull type. The Am Staff is not an official breed in the UK and based on looks is likely to arouse suspicion at Heathrow. If they decide it is of 'type' they will seize your dog & it will most likely be put down or if you are lucky you may have the chance to have it released after a lengthy/costly court process under certain restrictions ie neutered, muzzled in public, insured and registered on the index of exempted dogs. You may be lucky and waltz through but it is a huge and expensive risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wa7 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 I don't believe the dog is a am staff he is simply a staffy cross - bull mastiff or similar so he should be fine technically but this pathetic rule / law based on appearance has caught my attention and only takes one biased person who dislikes anything that isn't a Labrador or springer spaniel ( said tongue in cheek ) and they could cause major issues. At the end of the day I would prob leave him behind if and when we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grecia Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Does anyone have any real knowledge of dog checks on the journey to the uk ?? Reason being I am looking at taking dog to uk but he looks bit like an am staff terrier type dog and I am aware that these types are banned in uk simply because they "resemble" pit bulls ( talk about a lazy/vague law) has anyone took a dog through etc You probably need to speak to an expert on the Dangerous Dogs Act. I would say these people know more about it than anyone else: http://www.ddawatch.co.uk/ If they can't advise you then maybe their lawyers can: http://wheldonlaw.co.uk/ It says they offer a "free telephone consultation"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Does anyone have any real knowledge of dog checks on the journey to the uk ?? Reason being I am looking at taking dog to uk but he looks bit like an am staff terrier type dog and I am aware that these types are banned in uk simply because they "resemble" pit bulls ( talk about a lazy/vague law) has anyone took a dog through etc apparently some airlines won't even take Staffordshire bull terriers!!! Personally unless you use one of the DNA companies and see if they will accept this as proof, I wouldn't take the risk. I worked alongside the government and council in identifying pit bulls as by law any that came in to our veterinary hospital that were not owned had to be put to sleep immediately. Here is an abstract of a study that was done which shows that the professionals often get it wrong. Shelter staff and veterinarians routinely make subjective dog breed identification based on appearance, but their accuracy regarding pit bull-type breeds is unknown. The purpose of this study was to measure agreement among shelter staff in assigning pit bull-type breed designations to shelter dogs and to compare breed assignments with DNA breed signatures. In this prospective cross-sectional study, four staff members at each of four different shelters recorded their suspected breed(s) for 30 dogs; there was a total of 16 breed assessors and 120 dogs. The terms American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, pit bull, and their mixes were included in the study definition of 'pit bull-type breeds.' Using visual identification only, the median inter-observer agreements and kappa values in pair-wise comparisons of each of the staff breed assignments for pit bull-type breed vs. not pit bull-type breed ranged from 76% to 83% and from 0.44 to 0.52 (moderate agreement), respectively. Whole blood was submitted to a commercial DNA testing laboratory for breed identification. Whereas DNA breed signatures identified only 25 dogs (21%) as pit bull-type, shelter staff collectively identified 62 (52%) dogs as pit bull-type. Agreement between visual and DNA-based breed assignments varied among individuals, with sensitivity for pit bull-type identification ranging from 33% to 75% and specificity ranging from 52% to 100%. The median kappa value for inter-observer agreement with DNA results at each shelter ranged from 0.1 to 0.48 (poor to moderate). Lack of consistency among shelter staff indicated that visu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I don't believe the dog is a am staff he is simply a staffy cross - bull mastiff or similar so he should be fine technically but this pathetic rule / law based on appearance has caught my attention and only takes one biased person who dislikes anything that isn't a Labrador or springer spaniel ( said tongue in cheek ) and they could cause major issues. At the end of the day I would prob leave him behind if and when we go. If you want to send me a photo I can offer my personal opinion based on my experience identifying them in Victoria, BUT, as mentioned it depends on the person taking your dog at the other end. I can tell you that when I worked in the quarantine in the UK we had Asian leopard cats imported as F4 Bengals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I don't believe the dog is a am staff he is simply a staffy cross - bull mastiff or similar so he should be fine technically but this pathetic rule / law based on appearance has caught my attention and only takes one biased person who dislikes anything that isn't a Labrador or springer spaniel ( said tongue in cheek ) and they could cause major issues. At the end of the day I would prob leave him behind if and when we go. Exactly, it's all based on looks ( which I agree is ridiculous!). Lennox was put down for being pit bull type when he was an American bulldog x Labrador. But his litter mate was assessed as not pit bull type. The law is an ass. I wouldn't risk my dog being put down at Heathrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wa7 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 Yes it's a joke and not a very funny one, I don't know how they are allowed to create a ruling or law that actually is not based on much more than someone's 'opinion' of what a dog looks like...............astounding, and if you can't nail it down then atleast go on its temperament. An aggressive dog will soon let you it's true colours with a stranger or near another dog and then there you go "dangerous dog" mind you an aggressive Labrador or Rottweiler would still be allowed thru................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grecia Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Yes it's a joke and not a very funny one, I don't know how they are allowed to create a ruling or law that actually is not based on much more than someone's 'opinion' of what a dog looks like...............astounding, and if you can't nail it down then atleast go on its temperament. An aggressive dog will soon let you it's true colours with a stranger or near another dog and then there you go "dangerous dog" mind you an aggressive Labrador or Rottweiler would still be allowed thru................. What gets me is that DNA evidence is considered reliable enough to convict somebody of murder, but not reliable enough to determine what breed a dog is - for that you apparently need a policeman with a tape measure :confused: (But I guess that's better than the other way around: DNA determining dog breeds and a copper with a tape measure determining if you get banged up for life or not...) Still, if it's any consolation, the rest of us now face a criminal record and huge fine even if someone so much as "feels threatened" by our dogs - even in our own homes. I've got 2 big ones, so I made sure they both got their Kennel Club Good Citizen awards, and I've got DDA Watch's number on speed dial just in case. When my OH's friend came to stay for the weekend I wanted him to sign a disclaimer - but my OH vetoed that! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.