Adopt a dog from abroad

Are you thinking about adopting a dog from abroad? Perhaps you have already fallen in love with a four-legged friend and are now waiting for him to come to Germany. Maybe he is already in a foster home and you want to take him over from there. Either way, you're bound to have a lot of questions running through your mind.

I'll tell you now what you should pay attention to if you want to adopt a dog from abroad and how you can recognize a reputable animal protection association.

Adopting a dog from abroad

I can understand the desire to adopt a dog from abroad. My everyday life is also enriched by two former Greek street dogs. In some southern and eastern European countries, they still lead a difficult life. They are not only threatened by disease and starvation. Some people see them as a nuisance and deliberately lay out poisoned baits. The risk of car accidents is also high for many strays.

Moreover, the animal shelters are usually bursting at the seams. It is impossible for the few employees to do justice to every single dog. And the private animal protection organizations are often at the edge of their capacities. There are simply too many animals and too few interested parties in their own country.

If you want to adopt a dog from abroad, you should take a close look at the organization. Unfortunately, there are black sheep in this area too.

You can recognize a reputable club by:

The organization requires a permit according to Section 11 Paragraph 1 Clause 1 Number 5 of the Animal Welfare Act.
A protection contract is concluded and a protection fee is charged. The association also provides transparent information about what it uses this fee for.
A contact person is available for your questions, who you can also turn to after the adoption.
The dog will be described to you as precisely as possible. This includes pointing out difficult behavior.
The club is interested in you and your life situation. This is the only way he can find out if you and the dog are compatible.
The dog has been thoroughly examined, dewormed, microchipped and vaccinated.
The association's website has an imprint.
The association is committed to improving the situation on site and does not just focus on the placement of animals.

Costs for adopting a dog from abroad

There are also costs associated with a dog from abroad. Finally, he needs to be fed, vaccinated, vet checked, treated for worms and vaccinated. Some dogs are also neutered before they are handed over and there are costs for transport from the respective country to Germany.

The club has to cover all of that. Donations alone are not enough. Therefore, a nominal fee is usually charged for adopting a dog. But this also has the purpose of ensuring that the animal is not acquired thoughtlessly.

Whether and what costs are incurred differs from club to club. As a rough estimate for you: they can range from 150 euros to 400 euros, but also more. The club should be able to explain exactly how this nominal fee is made up.

Transporting a foreign dog to Germany

There are different ways to get the dog from abroad to Germany. These depend on the country from which the animal comes. Dogs from distant countries like Asia can only travel by plane. The distance is too far for transport by car.

Some four-legged friends travel from other European countries by car with organized transport. Others come to Germany by air. In addition, animal protection organizations regularly look for flight sponsors who are willing to take an animal with them. Flight sponsors are private individuals who book a dog on their ticket so that it can fly with them. The costs for this are borne by the animal protection association and can amount to several hundred euros, depending on the size of the animal.

The animal protection association takes the dog to the airport on the day of departure and takes care of all the formalities with the flight sponsor. The dog then flies as hand luggage or in the hold. Arriving in Germany, the flight sponsor usually hands the dog over to the foster home at the airport, where it will live until it is adopted.

If you are thinking about adopting a dog from abroad, it is the task of the animal protection association to organize the transport. This is hardly possible for you as a private person due to the associated regulations.

Legal requirements:

The dog needs an EU vaccination card
He must be at least 15 weeks old
He must be vaccinated against rabies and microchipped. The rabies vaccination must be done at least 21 days before departure and entered in the vaccination certificate together with the chip number.