bigguyinpasadena

I have a friend whose work is asking him to take a long term assignment in London. He is thrilled about this except for one thing, he has a Pit Bull Terrier and apparently they are on the "Bad Breed" list and thus banned in the UK.

I have met this dog many times and you could not find a sweeter more lovable dog.

So is there a work-a-round? My friend has decided if he cannot bring his dog than he will have to say "no thanks" to this opportunity.

TIA

aceman

well, he could try registering it as something else if it looks similar, like a staffy.

But if he gets found out, it will get seized and likely put down.

Markie

This is the UK Government advice and I am afraid Pit Bull Terrier is top of the banned list - https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/banned-dogs

swiftaw

On that page it does say "Index of Exempted Dogs (IED)
If your dog is banned but the court thinks it’s not a danger to the public, it may put it on the IED and let you keep it."

Of course, there is no mention as to how one can proactively try to get a dog on the IED.

ysolde

I would pass on the job. Too much of a risk for the pooch.

Markie

I suppose you could call the police on yourself!

MSPeconomist

If pit bulls are banned, will an airline even transport the dog?

irish_goat

As suggested already, your friend could register the dog as a staffy but there is nothing to stop someone reporting the owner to the local council and if the dog warden suspects the dog is a pitbull they are within their rights to seize it.

A local family in Belfast had a big drama with the council last year over their "pitbull lookalike". http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ne...-34920530.html

Raffles

Our experience in the UK is that everyone says that, right up to the point where the dog kills a small child. That's why they are banned.

Ldnn1

^

WorldLux

^

stc

Long term as in months or years? I know a couple of friends who had to go to London for about a year and they found a friend to take care of their pets who would stay in the USA for that year. If this dog is sweetie, finding a friend to take care of it might not be that hard.

bhomburg

Pit Bulls are indeed banned in the UK. And registering it as something else is a BAD idea. Even if he manages to get the dog into the country (the animal inspections at the Eurotunnel are rather superficial) as all it takes to get the dog taken away is one complaint or one overzealous LEO. Appearance is everything there. See this document for details: https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...-enforcers.pdf

However, there's case-by-case exceptions (the IED list mentioned earlier). The procedure is outlined in detail here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2...0150138_en.pdf. Doing this in advance from the US seems not possible.
I`d contact DEFRA (the UK government body dealing with importation of animals - email [email protected]) and inquire.
There's several thousand pitbulls in the UK, most of them in the London area, all of which are placed on the exception list. So it's not impossible.

As far as getting the dog in to the country is concerned - UK regulations require animals arriving by air as manifested cargo. This is expensive, and a point to consider when negotiating the relocation package with his employer. UA PetSafe or Delta cargo charge about $1,100 for a dog the size of a pitbull from the US to the UK. The alternative would be flying to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam on an airline that allows pets as checked baggage (AA, KLM, Air France, cost ~$200) and continue the journey by car from there.
Don't try flying the dog on LH Group airlines - they require specially reinforced crates (essentially custom-made crates used for zoo animals) for pitbull-type dogs, which are not available in common pet supply stores and VERY expensive.

David-A

^

Yep. They are banned for a very good reason. Please do not try to bring it in.

SaturdayKid

Sorry but your friend is going to get zero sympathy if they try and bring a Pit Bull into the UK. Here is an example of why https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/325596...itical-latest/

Don't even think about it.