Taking To France!

Hi Chaps, I only found out from my vet at the weekend, after enquiring about a dog passport,that the French are not happy to accept Staffy's in without being kennel club registered! I have been trawling the forums trying to find peoples experiences, I have a rescue Staffy, my Vet is happy to write a letter confirming in his opinion that my dog is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Here are a couple of questions:
Is there anyone on here that has taken there Staffy over without kennel club papers and what have there experiences been!

Do the camp-sites have problems with certain dogs!

And if you have been questioned about your dog,how to the authorities check the Kennel club paperwork,just on face value? would they know what they were looking at?

I have looked into it, Harlou a member here does and I will do if I ever get round to it Xx

Hi we take olly there for 5 months a year he is a rescue like yours ,staffordshire bull terriers are not classed as cat1 or 2 on the french lists so his passport should state staffordshire bull terrier, i will copy the 2010 ruling on dangerous dogs which states staffies are a companion dog ,a letter off a vet will do weve never been asked for his papers or pedigree ,we were stopped by the gendarmes once but told them he was a staffordshire bull terrier and showed a copy of the ruling they apoligised and fussed him ,you will find the french love staffies and you can take them everywhere hotels,bars ,cafes etc you will have a great time will post the ruling for you as soon as i copy it

Thanks Harlou
Thats way laid my initial panic! do you still muzzle Olly over there!

Sorry this isn't something I can help with, we do have members who have been to France with their dogs though. I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction.

NO he doesnt need one cos hes not on either category to the french he is a companion dog ,unless hes a bugger with other dogs !

Just found this thread on traveling to France with your dog which you may find useful:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t5541-staffys-to-france?highlight=travelling+to+france

Cheers Harlou
That's good news that you don't have to muzzle then!! as that's really what I was asking! as heard they are supposed to be muzzled in public! over there!

Hope this works[img:c606]https://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k615/harlou1/scan0002.jpg[/img:c606] as can be seen in remarque staffordshire bull terriers arnt classed as dangerous ,hope this helps everyone going to france

This is the other page!!!!!!!!!!!!1 i hate computers

Sorry its upside down

As you can see he came allover this is St Brieuc it was really hot and we had a great day

The biggest problem is if you don't have any proof that your dog is a full breed staffordshire bull terrier. Stafford crosses are classed in France as 'types' as they can be here in the UK. If the authorities want to be really picky they can insist on documentary proof that the dog is a full staff. Officially the only proof is the registration document from the Kennel Club.

I accept that the chances of being asked to prove it are very low, but the chance is there.

If you have an unregistered stafford then the minimum you should do is to get the pet passport made out as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and not as a Stafford cross. This may or may not be acceptable.

the passport MUST state staffordshire bull terrier,i went through this before taking olly my last two dogs were staffy crosses the passports said cross breed we lived in france for two years and holidayed WITH the dogs for 7.

I think the upshot of it is by French Law if you cannot prove your dog is a staffy by registration papers etc you take a risk, that risk is hopefullly as Caryll says minimal. Big question is do you take the risk or do you go by the law. I've not seen a single post stating a problem experienced but you have to bear in mind it is a possibility and a passport stating Staffy may well be good enough but to be bombproof you have to have papers, but again as Caryll says it depends on the feeling on the day.
What is 1000% clear though is that unless you have an incident the dog will not be taken from you and you will be asked to leave the country with said dog (this may mean you only get as far as entry point of France or your holiday could be over)
Personally at the moment I would love to go though I am reserved because there is a risk and would hate to be turned away before I got there.

The Forum can only guide you on rules and regulations and we do not state that there is no problem with doing it

If you want to be picky the french only recognise their own ssc so the most important thing is the passport ....................................

harlou wrote:If you want to be picky the french only recognise their own ssc so the most important thing is the passport ....................................

whats ssc Harlou , I'm only going from the previous posts and there was a letter from a French Embassy it was something from another website , sure you have read it

This is the letter and the link

http://gowen.org/staffie-to-france-non/

“Dear Mrs Gowen,

I am afraid the legislation in France does not allow entry on french
territory to dogs of the 1st category (so-called “attack dogs” -
staffordshire bull terriers, american staffordshire, bull mastiff and
Japanese tosas) without a pedigree certificate from a national registrar such as the Kennel Club.
This legislation was enacted to curb the import of pit bulls, cross
breeds of molossoids frequently trained as fighting dogs. Personally, I
consider this is obviously unfair to staffies, usually friendly and “big
softies”, and to the people who own them, and frequently have them
rescued from the RSPCA refuges. The law, however, is very strictly
enforced due to a series of unfortunate accidents in the recent past.

The question, if you want to bring your staffie with you, is that of
identification. What is the breed mentioned in the Europeaan Pet
Passport ? If it is Staffie cross, this will obviously not be accepted.
Another formulation could possibly be acceptable (does your dog look
like a boxer or bull-dog cross ? those are not 1st category).

It is also a question of morphology. Does your dog have the typical look
of the staffie cross (typical “stop” between the muzzle nose and eyes,
proeminent jaw on the sides, thin whip-like tail ? If she does not look
like that, the dog could also be acceptable.

Finally, your dog will in no circumstance be put down just because it’s
a staffie cross – French people are animal lovers too, even if staffies
are not as frequent – and popular – there as in the UK. The only risk is
that you might have to curtail your holidays and bring the dog back to
the UK.I am really sorry for the bad news, but I would like you to have an
exact view of the situation. Should you wish your companion to be with
you during the holidays, remember that 1st category dogs are usually
kept on a lead and muzzled in public places, and on public transport.

Yours very sincerely,

Jean-Pascal CODINE
Customs Counsellor
French Embassy, London”





Sure I have seen the original letter (photocopy somewhere but can't lay my hands on it at the moment

This letter is over 10 years old !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harlou,
reading other posts I see you say that french campsites are funny over letting in staffys ? was thinking about touring and camping! will I have trouble finding a site!

Sorry for late reply download the docs ive put here keep them with you in case they think hes an amstaff ( highly unlikely),its very rare for campsites to say anything about any dog.All i can say is keep his passport with you and the docs and you wont have any problems ,I dont know why people keep saying staffys need to be KC reg ,i wonder wether ive only dreamt of being in France.

Sorry for late reply download the docs ive put here keep them with you in case they think hes an amstaff ( highly unlikely),its very rare for campsites to say anything about any dog.All i can say is keep his passport with you and the docs and you wont have any problems ,I dont know why people keep saying staffys need to be KC reg ,i wonder wether ive only dreamt of being in France.

Cheers Harlou, Yep have got the letters printed! vet is happy to put Staffordshire Bull Terrier on passport with a covering letter! so will be going! probably June, will post my experiences when I return!

Thanks again for your comments and the letters!

harlou wrote:I dont know why people keep saying staffys need to be KC reg ,i wonder wether ive only dreamt of being in France.

Nobody's saying you've dreamed about being there! All I'm saying is that the only legal proof accepted by the French authorities is the KC registration document. Now, obviously, most of the authorities will accept the passport as proof as long as it states Staffordshire Bull Terrier & not cross breed, but they could insist on the KC Reg. Doc. You just need to be aware that it could happen, that's all!

This seems to be the latest official document - http://agriculture.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/170611-circulations_transfrontaliere-tableau_recapitulatif_chiens_dangereux-V2.pdf

SBTs, not amstaffs, aren't even in the list. Cross-breeds might be more problematic as they're looking for types. I assume that not being listed as Pitbull x or amstaff x will help in this regard.

Mani wrote:This seems to be the latest official document - http://agriculture.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/170611-circulations_transfrontaliere-tableau_recapitulatif_chiens_dangereux-V2.pdf

SBTs, not amstaffs, aren't even in the list. Cross-breeds might be more problematic as they're looking for types. I assume that not being listed as Pitbull x or amstaff x will help in this regard.

But that's the whole point. If you have an unregistered staff the authorities could say it was a cros & therefore a 'type'. The only documentary proof would be the KC reg. doc.

The 'type' description could apply to almost any of the staffs I've met so far:
"Petit dogue de couleur variable, ayant un périmètre thoracique entre 60
et 80 cm ;
Poids : de 18 à 40 kg ; hauteur au garrot : 35 à 50 cm
Chien musclé, à poil court, d’apparence puissante ; avant massif avec
un arrière comparativement léger
Stop peu marqué ; museau de la même longueur que le crâne mais
moins large ; truffe en avant du menton
Mâchoires fortes avec les muscles des joues bombées"

I give in

harlou,

the letter you posted says that dogs without a pedigree whose physical characteristics are similar to a pitbull or an american staffordshire terrier. I'm doing this trip myself on the 18th of December as I'm going back to Portugal for Xmas so I hope I get a nice person at the douanes to look at my dog and consider it's not a dog that raises any problems.