Originally posted on https://uniquegundogs.com/puppies/importing-a-puppy/

Importing a puppy – 2018

Importing a puppy is a daunting task and hopefully my account below will help you if you are interested in importing a puppy.

My journey started in May of 2018, when I decided my next puppy would be directly from France.  I began by searching Facebook and the Internet for Braque Francais breeders in France, and thanks to google translator this was easier than expected. Facebook messenger did not do translations (BUT NOW DOES!), so I had to go back and forth between Google translator and the messaging app.  French Breeders are great and love talking about their dogs and litters. Next I started contacting breeders in the USA, including board members from Club du Braque Francais North America (CBFNA), which is a great group of dog loving people.

French Connections

While I did not have very many contacts over in France, I had met Franchi Ange at a CBFNA UKC trial event in April of 2018.  Ange is a dog trial judge from France.  He helped me navigate which breeders could be trusted and which litters I should consider.  When we picked out a litter, he even suggested which 2 dogs I should consider picking.  Ange was a life saver and it would have been even more nerve racking and stressful without him.

One thing to keep in mind is that things move slower in France…. A lot slower….

Breeder

I started conversations with the breeder I ended up purchasing 2 puppies from in June of 2018. Its important to build a relationship and comfort on both sides, although the language barrier makes it a bit tough. Through the months he guided me to litters other breeders were having that his stud dog had sired, but we decided to wait until his championship female had her last litter.  Optimus Des Secrets D’une Reine was born on November 18th, 2018.

Transportation

Transporting puppies from France can be difficult. You can either fly over and bring the puppy back in the cabin of the airplane, or you can ship the puppy via an airline.  There are specific companies that specialize in pet transportation over-seas, which our breeder engaged.  We chose to ship the puppies on AirFrance, which has a very good reputation in pet transporting.  Puppies can be shipped at 10 weeks old, and you can put more than one in the kennel.  We decided to import 2 puppies, so they would have each other and the long flight from Paris to Chicago would not be so traumatizing.

We picked up the 2 puppies from ORD on January 29th, 2019.  As expected the kennel was soiled and the puppies were ready to get out and play.  I thought they would be timid from the long flight, but I noticed no different from other 10 week old puppies I have seen.  You also get a big discount on the shipping costs for the 2nd puppy.

We have not seen effects (long or short) from the flight.

Costs

Puppy

The cost to import a puppy from France is not as much as you might expect, although it is more than purchasing one in the US, and is highly dependent on the exchange rate. The exchange rate was $1.13 when we imported ours. French breeders charge anywhere from 800 to 1200 euros ($900 to $1,350 USD).

Transportation

Our shipping costs were about 900 euros per dog or $1000 USD.  If you were only importing 1 dog, I suspect that the cost would go up by about $400. The cost to fly over and pick up a puppy can be cheaper than shipping depending on the time of year.  This is the best method if you have the time to do so.

Total

You can expect the total cost to be around $2,400 and $3,000, but can fluctuate greatly based on the exchange rate.

Final Thoughts

Importing a puppy can be a good option when looking for a Braque Francais if:
1) You are looking to get a puppy quicker than you could from a local breeder
2) You are looking to increase the genetic pool in the US.

Please contact me if you want to discuss this option.Contact Us

Thanks,
Jeremy Jameson