Barnabys Law

Dogs Trust have recently started a Bosnian foster program with the intention of rehoming dogs locally. This is a HUGE step in the right direction but will only work if supported internally! They need volunteers in Sarajevo to foster dogs for rehoming in Bosnia. If successful, it will be rolled out across the country. It will take time but it is a definite step in the right direction. NO ILLEGAL activists can volunteer as fosters, they recognise the illegal exporting of do gs and do not support it so anybody involved in sending dogs illegally need not apply. Fosters will benefit from : Food for the foster dog; Complete veterinary processing and treatments; All necessities for the dog, such as collar, lead, blanket, food and other available accessories; Support by Fostering Coordinator; Support by Dogs Trust Dog School and behaviour experts; Special education in positive motivation training. If any of my Bosnian followers are able to support this effort help with fostering, please ...

Following on from the illegal pensions in Serbia are photos of similar pensions in Bosnia!! Before the international trade in dogs began, these places did not exist, now there are hundreds of them and they are all funded by donors and sponsors who believe they are helping. How many dogs are sent here then never heard of again? They die of parvo or distemper of neglect but not to worry, there is always another to take it's place. How many "dog catchers" are paid to collect spe cific breeds of dogs, regardless of whether they are pets or street dogs as when taken to the pound, they are then sold to rescuers. This also provides an amazing photo opportunity for said rescuer as they are seen "saving" these dogs from a horrific city pound. This week, two pieces of land where offered to UK donors, one already permitted and authorised, no rent payable just help with infrastructure. The other with everything in place and ready to be licensed as a shelter, rent 10...

I try not to post GRAPHIC images but this needs to be seen so please be warned, they will haunt you. PENSIONS!!! No doubt you will have seen the posts by individuals and groups, £500 needed for this month pension fees, £3000 pension debt this month. The word conjures up an image of kennels or a dog hotel when the reality is very different. Most are simply barns or basements in a villagers garden with 20-40 and in some cases, 70 dogs being housed there, if you can call it housed. Parvo and distemper is rife, this is confirmed by many involved in rescue in Serbia and Bosnia, there is no disease control, no isolation areas and in many cases, dogs are barely fed so immune systems are weakened. The reality is, some of these dogs would have a better chance of survival on the streets but we in the UK and the West have created a lucrative business for many out of these dogs. From Romanian, to Serbia, Bosnia and further afield, we have allowed a monster to grow and subsequently, contribut...

Many people have contacted me over the months saying they don't understand the procedures for cats and dogs entering the UK. To try and help, I have made up some simplified info sheets. The first three I will post tonight and the others (registered facilities and useful contacts) as soon as I get time. They focus on the basics and don't include less typical scenarios but will hopefully prove useful to some. For those against exporting animals, I'm sorry but until the current system changes, it is better that those involved are aware and can not claim ignorance. First explains which countries are EU, Listed and Unlisted. Second is procedures for commercial imports and finally, the correct usage of the pet passport scheme. Click to fullsize.

But it's all in the name of rescue! Is this what a registered T2 transporter taking dogs from a registered facility to the Croatian BIP looks like? No! This is what an illegal transport taking the Bosnian and Montenegrin dogs from an illegal Bosnian shelter to Hungary or Romania looks likes!  Lots of room in there for the dogs to stand up, turn round and note the state of the art aircon and heating system with thermostat.... No, I can't see it either! DEFRA, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA please start a public awareness campaign to help end this.

A prime example of why people in the UK have to stop thinking they are above the law and that regulations do not apply to them. Picture 1 shows the dogs newly arrived in the UK. Courtesy of the same transporter who brought Barnaby in and on a Romanian passport by the same trace unit that sent Barnaby. Picture 2 shows the dogs departing Bosnia, not in a T2 registered transporter but a car to hop across the border to Hungary. No CVED, No Croatian traces and no declaration for i mport duty or VAT. Picture 3 shows the rescuer, a few days after the dogs left taking one of her dogs to the vet where it was diagnosed with parvo virus. Picture 4 shows her cuddling the dog with no protective clothing, I hope she changed and disinfected her clothes before coming into contact with any other dogs! Were this a registered facility and a case of parvo was reported, the facility would be quarantined and prevented from sending dogs until given the all clear. Dogs who had recently left the ...

SERBIAN DOGS. Please, if you know anybody planning on bringing dogs in from Serbia, advise them them to ask the following questions: 1) the dogs microchip number. Then check this number here  http://www.paster.org.rs/favn_test.php  to confirm the dog has been titered and passed. 2) ask for the name and registration number of the authorised facility that the dog has been "quaran tined in". If they claim the dog is in another Balkan country, ask for the phone number of the facility and photographs of the dog at the facility. 3) confirm that the dog will arrive with a CVED and health certificate clearly stating the country of origin and the registered facility that the dog left from having been certified as healthy and correctly documented. If the rescue or individual can not provide these or is evasive, walk away. If they give you a sob story of how there is no legal way for the dogs to leave the country, their government doesn't want the dogs leaving and the do...

People in the UK were warned about this woman and other "unscrupulous rescuers" by Bosnians, before it was reported by the Bosnian media. The reality is, she is one of many in Serbia and Bosnia who take donations from the UK and whilst they might help some dogs along the way, the donations provid e them with a lifestyle  that they could not otherwise afford. These people are living off the backs of the dogs and whilst doing so, the problem of stray dogs will never end. People need to waken up to the fact that by donating to these people, not only are they encouraging the import of dogs that could potentially spread diseases to the animals and people in the UK but they are also supporting criminal activity as many of those involved are linked to corruption and organised crime. If you wish to help dogs in Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia then contribute to spay and neutering campaigns or help improve shelters in the countries of origin along with spay and neuter campaigns...

Bulgarian passports and microchips found and seized by customs being smuggled into Serbia. What would these be used for?  To chip dogs so that they could be smuggled illegally across the border and then put on EU traces. Hopefully people will start wakening up to the fact that this is illegal and stop trying to justify their actions. Perhaps it will take a few here being charged with trafficking before people start thinking with their heads instead of their hearts.  Dogs can be brought legally from Serbia and those who continue to foster and adopt illegal dogs risk £3000+ quarantine charges and a criminal conviction for dog trafficking. KURIR.RS ŠVERCOVALI PASOŠE ZA ŽIVOTINJE: Carinici zaplenili 30 blanko dokumenata za kućne ljubimce i čipove (FOTO) Carinici su na ulaznoj strani prelaza Gradina, sprečili krijumčarenje blanko pasoša za kućne ljubimce i čipova sa iglom, koje je putnica krila u ceradi automobila, saopštila je Uprava carina...

I am slowly losing the will to live!! In Bosnia there is no "registered facility" for cats to spend the required 21 days before export.  There are currently no transporters collecting legally from Bosnia and yet this is just one example of a an illegal trafficker who regularly sends cats to the UK. Do those involved in the export and import of cats realise that cats are not quarantined here? If discovered to be illegal, they will immediately be PTS, how does that constitute animal rescue or welfare!  

Dear EliPet, Claudiu's post, copied below has left me aghast! You are considered to be one of the better transporters from Romania and yet you provide such inaccurate information to your clients! I would like to give you this opportunity to discuss the "legal terms" that I seem to find so confusing and I can provide you links where you can update yourself on the correct procedures as your information could lead people in the UK to believe they are bringing dogs in legally when they are not and if dogs are seized, that liability would lie with yourself. In particular, your understanding of the pet passport scheme is troubling considering your line of business! An owner can not take a dog to Romania using a pet passport for it to be put on Romanian traces as part of a commercial consignment! Pet Passports are for owners exiting and re-entering the dogs country of origin and can never be used if the purpose of exit is change of ownership or sale. Check the Bosnian notif...

Dear Sir/Madam, I write in reference to the international animal rescue industry, with particular focus on imports to the UK from the Balkans and non EU countries. The situation is similar for imports to Germany, France and other EU countries. My concerns cover three aspects of this industry; animal welfare, potential health risks to the UK and support of corruption and criminal activity. Animal Welfare: Rescue animals must enter the UK as commercial goods and therefore transported by a T2 type transporter. They cannot enter under the Pet Passport Scheme. The illegal, non EU dogs are first transported to Hungary or Romania, many do not survive this journey as proven by the Bosnian 5 who died in July this year. The animals are then put on a transporter with up to 60 animals for 2-5 days during which time they are subjected to containment in a crate in which they must urinate and defecate. Many of these animal have recently been spayed or neutered and have open ...