Hi All!

I'm moving to Bern in a few months and want to adopt a dog when I'm there. I am a HUGE dog lover. I have 4 dogs at home and am really sad to be leaving them behind w/ my parents. I was wondering if anyone can recommend any homeless dog shelters in Bern or anywhere around Switzerland where I can go and adopt a dog.

Thanks!

Run through a translator ( or Google Chrome browser )

http://www.tierdatenbank.ch/

( Pet Data Bank )

Select the location and kind of pet and it will yield the desired search results.

Don't forget that you must first do the SKN theory course BEFORE you adopt a dog. Most shelters and breeders will not entertain your application until you show that you have done the course.

(This is assuming that you have not already owned a dog registered in Switzerland. If you have owned a dog in another country - not just lived with a dog as a family member - you will need to present your proof of ownership to the cantonal Veterinaramt in order to be excused from the theory course.)

The database of trainers accredited to do the SKN courses, searchable by PLZ, can be found here:
http://bvet.bytix.com/plus/trainer/

There are many threads discussing the SKN, a quick search will bring up a good selection.

And don't forget that once you have successfully adopted your new doglet, you have 12 months to do the practical SKN course.

Best of luck to you and your future four-footed friend!

There's also lots of info on this thread. Don't forget to share your experiences.

I am expecting groans for this but I don't care.
You are willing to leave your dogs behind now so what happens with the next move? Dog gets left behind again?

Most of the pet owners I know will do or have done whatever it takes to bring their pets with them. The expense can be horrendous. I know many who can't move because of their pets (import restrictions or health reasons).

There are many dogs needing homes but they need homes with owners who see a pet as a lifelong companion. I know people who did not bring their pets with them and most are devastated. They have also not acquired another pet here.

You have not said why you are not bringing your dogs. Is there a reason?

Mrs. D, the OP did say leaving her pets behind with parents, I guess that is not too bad IMO.

I left both my Rotties behind with my parents in Brisbane, as I simply could not bring them over, for reasons best known to me.

I get it. I know a few people who have left pets behind with family, in some cases as the stay here was temporary, in other cases they knew their lifestyle and housing situation here would not be suited to dog ownership. But these people didn't go out and get a new dog. Expats rarely have the option of leaving the dog behind here with family and that is my point. What happens when it is time to leave?

Furthermore, many companies are not willing to pay for a pet shipper or any costs involved for moving a dog.

But that is not all. A single person, working full-time, who wants to own a dog has many things to take into consideration. Will suitable housing be found? What will it be like for a dog to be left alone all day while the owner goes to work? Can the owner find a dog walker/dog sitter? Leaving a dog alone for more than 6 hours is not allowed. What if the dog becomes ill? Can the owner take off work to see to the dog?

A "dog lover" is someone who puts the best interests of the dog first.

I know there are owners who go to work and leave dogs alone at home but in many case these are dogs who have lived with them for years, many are older, and often there is more than one dog. Most have houses with fenced gardens, in some cases dog doors, in other cases large outdoor kennels. If you leave a dog outside there are strict rules concerning housing.

I am tired of seeing so many dogs needing new homes. The shelters are filled with dogs needing new homes. Sometimes the owner has passed away. We tried to adopt a dog from that situation, and we were told that this not a common reason why the dog is in a shelter. In Switzerland it is legally possible to stipulate your wishes regarding your pets. Some breeders will always take a dog back, as will shelters. That is what happened in the case of the dog we wanted to adopt. He was 11! The story is here.

The good news is that the screening process to adopt from a shelter is strict, and hopefully dogs find a permanent home. But many dogs have no chance at all.

If I could bring my dogs, I would in a heartbeat, but not only are they old but they can't be without each other. To give you an idea of how old they are.. the oldest is 17 years old. Snowy can barely hear, see, let alone eat. Flying them over and expecting them to adapt to the new environment would be cruel of me. And I can't just bring one dog. My dogs are like sisters and brothers to each other and separating them would be breaking up a family. So please don't think I don't love my dogs.

I'm moving to Switzerland for a period of time, 2-3 years. I plan on adopting a puppy so I can bring him/her back with me when the time comes. Younger dogs can adapt easier to big moves compared to older dogs.

Many people have flown with older dogs, it is the health of the dog that matters. A younger dog with medical conditions may not be able to fly. I have clients who have flown senior dogs here from a considerable distance. The dogs were fine.

But what are you going to do with this puppy you intend to adopt while you are at work all day?

Snowy, Logan, Tiger, and May would have a very difficult time adapting to the environment there. I'm moving to Bern in January. First of all, where I am from, there's no snow. Second, Switzerland doesn't have 24 hour dog care services. Older dogs need a lot of care and attention. If something goes wrong to any one of my dogs, I'd feel helpless because I can't give them the treatment they need.

It's not like I'm just throwing them to my parents. I live w/ my parents and my dogs.. so my parents know my dogs very well.

Not only am I moving to Switzerland for this job, but also because my boyfriend is Swiss. The two of us will love this new puppy as if it was our own kid.

Puppies are no different.

Dailingling, a link/phone number to keep on file- The Tierspital Bern, the animal hospital connected to the university:
http://www.dkv.unibe.ch/content/kleintierklinik

The clinic offers 24 hour emergency care. You will also find similar excellent emergency/specialist care at the Tierspital Zurich and the Spezialistenklinik in Zug.

Additionally, most local vets offer a cover rota out of hours: the vet and several colleagues in the area band together to take care of emergencies after business hours - one of the group is on call each night.

Switzerland is not a 24-hour country, certainly. But in an emergency there is help at hand. Once you get here you'll have a chance to familiarize yourself with what is available, where, and how it works - and feel free to ask questions here.


ETA:

I just saw that you will be working. I would strongly recommend against a puppy; a puppy needs someone with him 24/7 during the critical development, socialization, and training phase. It's not fair to the pup to be left alone - and most shelters will not rehome a puppy to a family where the pup is left alone.

Rather, I would encourage you to consider an older dog - one past the puppy/teenager phase, who is indeed able to be left for some time. I'd also recommend that you start researching doggy day care - either a dogwalker or on-site day care - as a dog of any age will need a piddle break and human interaction during the day. Most rescues will ask about what plans you have made for the dog while you are at work; best to do a bit of homework before you start looking for your dog.

You'll also need to check if your landlord will allow dogs, and if so, if he will allow a dog to be left alone. Sometimes conditions are written into a lease forbidding a tenant from leaving a dog unattended. But these are things that will be covered in the SKN theory course - I'd make that a priority once you get here.

And I'll second what Mrs D says - it is important that you have thought about what happens after leaving Switzerland. I was grilled about my long-term plans by each rescue I've adopted from while here. One even went so far as to speak with my vets in Chicago and Hong Kong, and to the animal shipping firm who facilitated my dogs' travel to Switzerland. The rescues all wanted to know that my dogs had a home for life, even if I were to leave Switzerland.

All the best...

Mrs Doolittle, time to back off, I think. The OP has obviously thought this through very well - frankly I think her dogs are better off not being moved at their age. The only differnce in staying where they are now, is that there will be one person less in the household. And why shouldn't she aquire a new dog here - She is obviously very experienced with dogs and she has said that the new puppy will move with her if she moves away. I can't see any problems with this.

Thanks for link and the information everyone!

And @Mrs.D - I understand your concern for these dogs. Thank you. My decision to leave my dogs in California hasn't been the easiest decision for me. But I believe my bf and I can give the best care and love to this new puppy. After all, I've raised Snowy and my other dogs, who were all homeless before I brought them home, since they were a puppy. And now, Snowy is 17 turning 18 in December. I've been raising dogs ever since I can remember and raising another in Switzerland with my boyfriend won't be new to me.

The age of all 4 dogs has not been given, but if they are all too old to travel for medical reasons, so be it. If that is not the case, I am not convinced separating them and bringing those that can travel is so terrible because the dogs staying still have human companions they know. Dogs adapt quite well to new surroundings. Our dogs had never experienced snow before and they are fine with it now. In fact, one loves to play in the snow.

I see lots of problems with wanting a puppy here unless the Swiss boyfriend is staying at home. Or maybe he lives at home and there will be his parents there to look after a dog, similar to the arrangement the OP has now. An older dog may make more sense but then in a few years, the same problem of repatriating the dog will surface. No one can anticipate if a dog develops medical problems that could prevent flying. Knowing there will dogs to come home to in a couple of years would be reason enough for some to hold off getting another dog here.

With dog ownership there are housing issues. There have been far too many threads about all the problems associated with dog ownership in Swizerland, and even home owners with their own fenced gardens can have problems.

Fortunately the screening process to adopt a dog is quite strict, as MC has pointed out, there will be many, many questions asked and a dog will only be placed if the shelter feels this is the right situation for the dog.

In my line of work I have seen how complicated it is to move pets around the world. I see situations where there are no easy solutions and it is heartbreaking. I can tell you that many, many people never imagined being faced with tough decisions.

Anyone on a short term assignment needs to seriously consider if acquiring a pet makes sense. There are so many ways to spend time with dogs (or any pet for that matter) without ownership such as shelters where volunteers are needed, or other dog owners who need help and would welcome an experienced dog owner's offer of assistance.

Dalingling would never find an apartment here with FOUR dogs, it is very hard looking for accomodation with only ONE dog! Top marks for trying to adopt a Swiss homeles dog!

You can expect a tough grilling before they give you a dog, and a few visits, so be prepared.

I am sorry, but sometimes people do not seem to be able to win regarding pets. If the OP had asked for breeders someone would have told her to go to a shelter...

Frau Doolittle, whilst I have considerable respect for all your posts, I really do think that in this case that the OP does not seem to be making rash decisions, and has been very well mannered with her justifications.

She is only here for 2-3 years and I think it is cruel taking pets back and forth, especially when they are well cared for in their familiar environment.

Whilst my mother was preparing to move to Europe, she would come over 3 months of the year for each of these years, and the dog was left with a family friend who had a farm in Australia. We called it "doggy boot camp". but now that the move is permanent, he was immediately brought over.

I think it makes sense to have one dog in 3 years time adapting to a new environment, rather than 3 dogs adapting to the new environment, and then having to re adapt. And I would not even like to think of the costs of that.

Sorry, that was a ramble, and I am sure people on here know better than I regarding such matters, but I don't think that the OP was looking for a dressing down on dog ownership, rather pound suggestions .

I would also suggest that you think about an older dog. Puppies should not be left home alone for long periods of time.

Mrs D, you have made at least two comments with regards to how hard it can be to travel overseas with a dog, but at the same time you seem to be advocating that the OP brings (some of) her dogs, instead of leaving them back in the USA, in the house they know, with the people they know. You have also commented that dogs seem to adapt well to new surroundings. If that is the case, then I don't see any problem in the OP coming, being screened and presumably being accepted as a potential dog owner, before perhaps moving elsewhere with that dog in 2-3 years time. Who knows? She may actually still be here in 40 years time - she does have a Swiss boyfriend It sounds like a win-win-win situation for the OP, her current dogs and the dog that she would be rescuing from a shelter and giving a new home to.

Threads like these, posts like this, really hit home for me. I've bemoaned my trials with my dog and my mother enough that some who have been around a while know my feelings and my story.

I came with the expectation that it was temporary and I'd go back to my dog, with the ability to bring her with me when it was permanent. I left her with my mother who didn't see her as a family member the same way I did, so when she had something come up, she left her with my brother and his wife who REALLY don't see dogs as anything close to how I see my Harri. So, it is with a hard heart these years that I've resigned myself to the fact of Harri not being here with me.

I've also resigned myself (unwillingly, and mostly, but not completely without hope) to the very probable fact that I won't have a dog while I'm here. I can not have faith that any dog I get here will be able to go with me if / when we move and with the other things that have happened here, I just can not go through leaving another beloved behind.


Meanwhile, by now, having had the fortune to come to this thread after dalingling has had the chance to explain about her dogs, I can see it is obvious that she made the choice to leave her existing dogs back in the US for their own good, rather than for her convenience.


Dalingling, there are many pet shelters within communities, as well as (I believe) "rescue" places who look after specific breeds of dog. Also, near the borders, it seems (sorry if is unfair to say) "particularly" the French and Italian borders, there are dogs in desperate need of adoption as those countries seem to have different (less favorable for the animal) animal rights and protection laws in place. You may find your forever friend within Switzerland, or maybe just across the border (be aware though that altered pets - dogs with docked tails / clipped ears and I think declawed cats - are NOT allowed in Switzerland unless you already owned them for quite some time prior to arrival).

So, good luck in finding a new member of your family who will fit with you and you them.