Dangerous Dog permit in Geneva, Switzerland - Page 1

A friend of mine, from the USA, is moving to Switzerland and owns a dog that is on their Dangerous Breed list and will need to get a special permit to take the dog into Geneva. Here are the links to the policy:

http://geneva.angloinfo.com/information/family/pets/dog-ownership/

http://geneva.angloinfo.com/information/family/pets/dangerous-dogs/

Its says the owners needs to take a class with the dog and then take a written exam as well, but, its not clear what that entails or what qualifications/titles will be accepted.

Would a BH, issued by an SV, IRO or DVG judge meet this requirement? I'm not sure if there is much IPO going on in Switzerland, but I do know from a relative that they have quite a few IRO clubs (Rettungshunde). It is my understanding that the BH is required to do the more advanced RH titles in Europe.

I'm going to bump this up top for you.

Nobody has ever done this?

Moved from USA to Switzerland with a dog on the dangerous breed list?
Nope, I'd say a lot of people have not :-)

@hntrjmpr434

I though someone on the forum may have gone to the IPO world championship, in the past, which has been held in Switzerland before.

So, with that in mind, a person attending that event, would have likely stumbled upon the same issue while researching travel options.

I made an account so I could respond to your post. I also happen to be involved with SchH/IPO (USCA member).

The one thing I can honestly say about Switzerland and some of the other European countries (been over there many times over the years) is that their rules look quite intimidating on paper but in reality things are quite smooth because many people follow the rules. For example, Dobermans are completely banned in the Swiss Canton of Valais. Not very happy about this, I contacted a municipal office there. Scared that they would lose my tourist dollars (well, Swiss Francs), they told me that I could come if I stayed for less than 30 days and required that I keep my dog leashed and muzzled in public areas. Funny how we go from "banned" to "allowed with restrictions" in just one E mail.

I don't believe a BH is going to cut it. Although unclear, I am sure that they have their own organized system/program that your friend will have to follow. If the dog already has a BH, then it should be easy. I was told that a BH goes pretty far in Germany.

@DerDobermann

Thanks for replying, it is my understanding that a BH earned in the USA, under a WUSV judge, counts, in at least, France and Germany for meeting the various "certificates of competency"

It would seem to me that the WUSV member club in Switzerland has not done the same outreach to government officials as the other WUSV members in neighboring EU countries. Seeing as the BH is accepted in France and obviously all over Germany.

One other thing, just found out that the dog does not have an ISO compliant microchip, BUT, all the dogs papers have been tied to this non-ISO compliant, USA issued chip. How do they rectify this? Considering the dogs papers, DNA tests, health screenings, etc., are all tied to a USA non-ISO compliant mocrochip.

@momosgarage

I think I read something last year on a Swiss government website about it being OK to have a non-ISO complaint microchip to enter Switzerland as long as you have your own microchip reader, which as you probably know is expensive. After entering Switzerland, they might require the dog to have a ISO compliant microchip implanted and then do some type of paperwork transfer with the updated microchip number. The good news is that they will be willing to work with your friend as long as he seems like a decent person. This is how western Europe works though they can sometimes appear to be snobbish towards Americans (more bark than bite).

I was just talking with an Austrian IPO practitioner today and learned that things can get complicated. For example, in the US we all know that a dog has to be 15 months old in order to qualify for the BH test under FCI rules. In Austria, it's only 12 months and he showed me the documents proving it. How is that possible when FCI is the umbrella organization that sets all the standards? (scratching my head)