But dont you think that UK dogs deserve a chance to find a home? Rather than having that chance lessened greatly by bringing even more dogs in, when we are already struggling to find homes for dogs currently here? I just think the dogs here should be found homes for before others are brought in... i just dont think it is fair for the dogs already here to miss out on homes coz people want to make an already desperate situation even worse.

I also agree that other countries should step up and sort things out for themselves... sadly, its the dogs who will suffer until they do, but they need to get their act together... we cant help every other country in the world...

For your last point, yes those dogs do deserve help... but wont that be up to the authorities to save those dogs? Rescues cant just wade in and take them... Fighting dogs will be PTS the vast majority of the time, and dogs bred for eating or fur probably wont be willingly handed over... the authorities would, i think, need to be the ones to take them and that would probably depend on the laws in those counties... It is heartbreaking for those dogs though.

What a great quote - its so right

Yes it makes sense
But I dont think it is quite as linear as that. Sometimes a person who had no intention of taking on another dog has their heart touched but a cruelty case or that special pair of eyes and they make room for that one extra
You cant save them all - but sometimes you need to save that ONE - its not more deserving than all the rest - but for some reason it just touched YOU and you cannot see it die

I know you are not - but I hate it when people suggest I was wrong to bring Mia from ireland
I spent 2 days in tears about her

What about northern ireland??


Also I am sure rescue centres have busy and quiet times
Would anyone object to rescues importing dogs at a quiet time when they have spaces in their centres and people are unable to find the dog they are looking for so go elsewhere (knowing how impatient SOME people can be if the right dog isnt there the firdt time people look they will often go elsewhere - to a litter of pups in a paper?)


In an interesting side issue
Since having Mia it has opened up lots of disscussions with people

often people ask if my 2 are brother and sister
I say no - Mia actually came from ireland

Responses to that have varied from a 7 year old giving me a lecture on being careful about puppy farms in ireland and I should make sure and see the mum of the puppy

From people asking if there is a problem out there

From several people just hugging her tight

All mine are rescue. I've never bought a pedigree dog from a breeder (though as a family we did have a mongrel from a byb before we knew better (the pup died of suspected heart failur) and a mongrel from a friend who's bitch jumped a 6ft fence and came back pregnant.)

With the amount of dogs available in this country, I'd be gobsmacked if the ONLY dog that matched requirements was an import from abroad...I'd be looking at exactly what the criteria was.


I didn't because like Julie, I wasn't aware of the issue at the time. However of my own rescues:
1 was a cruetly case taken from her previous owner.
1 was found as a stray by the dog warden
1 was thrown over the rescue's fence in the middle of the night.
1 I fostered to save him being pts as he was a failed worker.

So, no i don't think any of them were imports,

For my next rescue, I will ask (though the rescue I am likely to go to I already know that they wouldn't do this because they know there are more than enough local dogs to look after).


To me, yes, on the basis that I believe you could save more than 240 dogs in this country by not importing these dogs.

I've only read it quickly but I couldn't see that they were bringing them to the rescues in this country? Yes, the have a charity asking for uk donations, but I've already said I have no problem with that because its very clear where the money is going.

Yes, in theory, as NI is the UK. Though to me its still a question of best use of resources and I don't see the point of moving dogs from one place to another only to have dogs in the region their moving to being pts in their place.

And once again, no-one has said that only dogs born here are worthy of homes.

I've already provided my argument as to how not bringing in imports may actually save MORE dogs here. On the basis that all dogs' lives should have the same value, isn't saving more better?

I would prefer that they contacted all the nearest council shelters and/or other rescue organisations in this country to see if anyone was in desperate need. If there was honeslty NO uk dog that was in danger of being pts through lack of rescue space, then no, I would not object to them bringing in a few (though that could still mean a UK dog being pts if the stray numbers picked up before the Irish dogs had been rehomed).

You do know NI is part of UK ? Or did I not say before that dogs from UK should be given priority ? Although unless NI does some thing soon I may change my mind - same with Wales and the puppy farming issue.

Quiet times at the rescues I have dealt with meant one dog per run/kennel and only 2 fosters to each fosterer. So unless it could be guaranteed no dogs needed a home then I would still say we are too full.

I really dont want this thread to turn into a fight - as we are ALL passionate about this subject

Hali - yes I agree if saving 1 imported dog means MORE dogs die then that is not right

Really I cannot meaningfully debate here because I just dont know the facts
I think we would have to ask places like the dogs trust WHY and WHEN and on what criteria they import irish dogs

we need have some ideas of the numbers we are talking about and the expense

Just now it is all specualtion


and it would be better use of all our energies to see what we can get done to try and reduce the amount of puppies being born all over the world rather than condem anyone who is trying to help give some of them a chance

I understand that, but i wonder of all the dogs who are brought over here just how many are rehomed in such circumstances? I would expect it to be small.

The 2 dogs I was talking about in the beginning were funded personally by people, but then had to subsequently find new homes over here as the people who had imported them could not (for what ever reason) provide the right home for them (each case was unforeseeable).

Sorry - answer to the rest of your post.

I have no idea what led her to that decision - how many people have asked on here - only to be turned down by a rescue for various reasons (Kids/gardens/work hours) - if they want a dog they have to go down the puppy route.

This lady had very specific requirements and a good idea in her mind as to what she wanted...she was not rescuing just for the sake of rescuing, she had a specific type of dog in mind (the dog is now 9 and she is 87) maybe with her age she could not find a rescues centre who would home to her? However - she was looking at rescuing initially.

If you ask me each week I will have a different dog I am looking for a home for....someone has asked me through work, or via the charity shop, or a friend of a friend, or the vets etc....but it is often hard to match up those dogs with people who are looking, because, so often, people have an fixed idea of what they want. (or maybe more specifically, what they don't want)
I have no issues with that - and I agree, I would certainly not rescue a dog just to rescue it. It has to fit in with what I want.