Hi all,
This is a Topic for anyone concerned with getting their dogs to BG and sometimes back to the UK. We have a member who is well conversed in this subject and wants to start the ball rolling. Dave Smith, knows many of us love our dogs and want the best for them. So this is the place to pass on any info you have regarding this topic. Dave has asked for a forum for this subject. So here it is Dave and all the best.

Best wishes to all

Nice One! Look forward to Dave's postings here.

I have to say, when we moved here from France five years ago we went through all the procedures required at that time (Pet Passport, Micro Chip, Certificate of Bonne SantÃÂ, Rabies Jabs, Other Jabs, Blood Test to ensure Jabs worked, certificate of Pedigree, blah blah blah).

I wasn't so much annoyed at the fact that this took a fair bit of time and money to acquire, I was more annoyed at the fact we then drove from France, across into Italy, down the length of Italy and jumped on a ferry to Greece, arrived in Greece, crossed into Bulgaria and drove up to Sofia ... and ...

... Not one person at one border crossing asked for any bits of paper for the dog!

Even though our massive German Shepherd was sat in the back of the Jeep, in full view, giving the customs guys the evil eye.

Or, maybe that's the reason why they didn't 'bother us' :lol:

This is part of a post by Dave Smith,

I've started a New thread for him to write on, so here is his start;


By Dave Smith

May I also say that over time, I have seen and
heard so many variations about bringing and taking animals to and from BG.
There are NO variations folks! There is only one way! The legal one! As this is
my speciality,please feel free to ask anything you are not sure about, and I
will do my best to help out. To date, I have prepared 24 dogs and cats for the
UK, and have personally delivered 10 of them to their owners in the UK. The
rest are in the process as I write. Come March 2010,these too will be on their
way.


The process for getting animals from here to
the UK is rather complicated,and must be done in a strict sequence. Freinds of
mine took their dog back with them,but didn`t do the homework correctly.The
result? The French Authorities confiscated the lovely pet and euthanaised it!
Please dont let it happen to you.Having to leave here is happening to so many
people,for various reasons.To finish up losing your pet must add to the trauma
tremendously.



Dave Smith

Thank-you for starting this thread off.

Hi everyone,
Believe me,this subject can be a nightmare,and so many people get confused.
I could have 50 people in a room,and get 51 variations on this subject.
This is one of my fields of speciality,and you can trust me to tell it as it is,and not how some people think it should be.
Let me say from the start,i do actually take prepared animals back to the UK by road in my specially equipped vehicle. This i do at a negotiable cost to the Pet owners. So anyone interested can contact me on my Mobile 00 359 (0) 89 74 74 185 or, if you prefer,i have a Landline 00 359 (0)5115 319 You can email me [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].........I am on Skype as..........pepidog2003........and i have a website too..........www.varna-kennelsandcattery.com
I can also offer a Boarding service for anyone should they require it,whilst their animals are prepared.I can also prepare the animal for you without Boarding.The Ultimate package is for me to Board,Prepare,and then Transport to any destination in the UK.
I am well conversant with the whole proceedure,and work with an excellent Veterinarian,who,like me,knows the correct way it should be done. We dont Duck and Dive,its all done legally.
To start,i will work on the assumption you animal has had nothing done at all. ie Microchip/Passport etc etc.

So here we go!

Fido/Tiddles needs Worming and Tick treating first of all.
Then it needs a EU approved Passport. All the animals details are entered in it,plus details of the Owner.
The next step is to have the animal Microchipped,the Microchip is scanned,and the Number is entered in the Passport
ALL FUTURE PROCEEDURES REQUIRE THE ANIMAL TO BE SCANNED PRIOR TO ANY FURTHER PROCEEDURE!!!!
The animal needs a Vaccination against Rabies as the next step.The details of the Date/time/Batch number are entered in the Passport.
Now you wait a minimum of 21 days,and do no further Vaccinations etc!
At the end of the minimum 21 days,the animal can the have a Blood sample taken for analysis.
This Blood sample,(with animals i prepare) then goes to a DEFRA approved Laboratory for testing. Mine go to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in the UK. Quite a lot of paperwork is now done,to get the sample ready for transporting to the UK/Courier service etc.
After the sample is taken,the animal can have its other Vaccination against Parvo/Distemper etc etc.This is called a DHPPi+L. In the case of a Cat,it has CRP Vaccination.
I dont do this Vaccination until AFTER the Rabies Vaccination,to ensure the Rabies Vaccination takes well.
Now you wait for the result of the Blood test from the VLA,which in my case,i get a faxed copy,from VLA,so i can work with it.Later,i get the Original by post from them.
IF the test result is a "
PASS"
,the animal can enter the UK 6 months from the day the Blood sample was taken.
IF the test result is a "
FAIL"
the animal has to be retested,and the 6 months start over again!
OK,i will assume a "
PASS"
.
I will also assume the animal is travelling to the UK by road vehicle.
24 hours before your pet leaves here,or the UK,it has to examined by a Veterinarian.The declaration in the Pet Passport has to be signed and Stamped by the Vet,stating that the animal is fit for travel to its destination.
A minimum of 24 hours,and a maximum of 48 hours BEFORE the animal arrives in the UK,it has to have Tick and Worm Treatment.This has to be done at an Approved Veterinarian. (In my case,i do it en-route in Germany) The Vet enters the details of the treatment in the Passport.
On arrival at the Port of embarkation to the UK,(ie Calais/Dunkirk etc), the animal undergoes a thorough paperwok check,and is Scanned too.
IF all has been done according to the British Authorities Rules,the animal is allowed to travel.
All the above Proceedures comply with those Rules!
No further checks are made once the animal is on British soil,they are all done prior to its entering the UK.

NOW! The only 3 European Countries that require the Blood test are: The UK,Switzerland and Malta.
So any animal coming to Bulgaria from the UK, DOES NOT need a Blood test. Dont let your Vet con you into a very expensive Proceedure!

There you are folks! Easy aint it? Yeah Rite!
Get it wrong,or try it on,and your pet finishes up costing a lottery win! Your animal can be Quaranteed for a 6 moth period,at horrific cost to you as the owner.It could be confiscated until such times as you can prove all is well with the Documentation.Once again at your cost. Then again,like my freinds who didn`t do their homework,you will have to hand the animal over for Euthanasia. The French don`t take prisoners i`m afraid. It will probably be those people you will be dealing with.We all know how much they love the British!
If you decide to fly your pet to or from here,thats a scenario i dont have experience with at the moment. The same Rules apply,except that the animal can be Tick and wormed here in BG prior to its flight.

Any help i can be, i will.

Happy Passporting!

Dave Smith[u]

This sounds like it would interest a lot of those who are considering making their move to Bulgaria who have pets a lot easier as I think a lot of them don't have a clue and it's either that they are to afraid to ask or as in most cases just don't know where to ask?
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Good afternoon Netsniper,
Anyone wishing to have their animals over here could possibly liase with me for my return trip.But at the moment,i am not due to deliver anything to the UK until March 2010.But as its takes quite some time to prepare animals in the UK too,maybe they have the option to use my services. A lot of preparation and planning goes into my trip,and i would need consulting all the time if someone should need me to bring their pet/s here for them.
Dave Smith

your info is great and very helpful as we will be bringing our dog out to bulgaria this year. Know anything about bringing horses to bulgaria?