Dog breeder issues warning after import problems led to £10,000 bill

Martyn Poole from Normanton bought the two young Boxer dogs from the Ukraine in the summer, but due to problems with missing paperwork, both have been placed in a licenced quarantine facility, which he has had to pay for.

After alerting the authorities to voice his concerns, including the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), he was told that it was possibly part of a scam to bring the dogs into the country before they reached the legally-permitted age.

But he was angry after being told the dogs then must be isolated, despite having spent months in Britain already.

He said that a simple blood analysis, known as a Titre test, could easily determine what antibodies the dogs have had and subsequently what vaccinations they have received.

“I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the back,” said Mr Poole, who has been breeding dogs for 25 years.

“I contacted them (APHA) otherwise, they would not have even know these dogs existed or even be in this country.

“Being a good person I contacted them and supplied all the information possible, the registration number plate of the courier who delivered them and all the bank details.

“I am utterly disappointed, devastated and disgusted with the APHA’s decision to do this, especially with all the information provided.

“None of this is the fault of the purchaser and APHA should be finding these criminals.

“If the dogs had just come into this country, then fair enough, but they have been here for seven weeks already and have been socialising- I’ve got four other dogs.

“Yet the quarantine length is still four months.

“If they had something, it would have shown by now.

“It’s not in the dog’s best interests, but they just said it’s protocol.

“I’m sure there will be more people out there who will be caught out.”

Mr Poole says he regrets not meticulously checking the details when the dogs arrived, but was confident after regular contact with the breeder in the Ukraine.

He has already imported Boxers from Russia and Slovakia in the past without problems.

The cost to have the new male and female puppies, named Loki and Bhodi, placed into quarantine in Chesterfield in Derbyshire has cost £5,000.

Once released, Mr Poole will keep the female, with the male going to a breeder in Scotland.

Because the dogs are from abroad, they often cost more than buying in Britain - around £2,500 each due to the travel costs incurred.

But Mr Poole, 53, says he would rather look further afield for valid reasons.

Because of what he sees as lax regulations in Britain, problems with co-efficiency - or inbreeding in simple terms - many dogs develop hereditary diseases as a result, so Mr Poole often searches abroad online despite costing more.

“If you get dogs from the Ukraine I can just about guarantee it won’t be related to my dogs.

“That’s why we do it, we want to protect the breed. We do not do it for financial reasons.”

Wakefield Council, which has been investigating Mr Poole’s case, has warned about the pitfalls of buying animals from abroad.

In Mr Poole’s case, the dogs bizarrely arrived with Polish passports, but no other documents had been sent with them, leading to numerous complications.

The council’s deputy leader, Jack Hemingway, who highlighted the case in a report that went before elected members, said people who buy from breeders abroad can face unexpected costs.

He wrote: “The decision to quarantine dogs is assessed on a case-by-case basis as the circumstances of importation can vary.

“However, the quarantine period could be up to three to four months, depending on the country of origin and the issues found.

“The fees attached to a quarantine period will vary depending on the length of stay, numbers of dogs submitted, and treatment required, but often runs into thousands of pounds.”

Coun Hemingway said “unscrupulous” breeders in countries outside the UK often had “little regard” for animal welfare.

He added: “Animal Health encourages anyone thinking about importing an animal from abroad to undertake extensive research prior to making the decision and to contact their team for advice.

“Hopefully this will discourage residents importing dogs with no idea of their origin, or the implications for animal health on the wider community.”