Interesting question......
When I moved here June 2010, after several months and looking after friends dogs on occassions, but more noticeably, realising dogs were everywhere i.e. trains, restaurants, shopping centres, I said to myself, I am getting a companion.

I bought the dog, travelled to Austria to get him as the Swiss do not like selling dogs to Auslanders, and I have had him for 10months, and what a joy to my life he has been.

The interesting thing is, I was enormously surprised that despite my initial impression Switzerland was very dog tolerant, i mean any country that allows a dog to be taken on trains, trams, to the pub, for a meal, has got to be liberal on the dog front right? Well, the only place I have had issues with my dog is in my own home. Go figure that one out.

The dog police, and neighbours, can be the only issue. Ive heard stories about the dog police, and read my thread about my neighbours. Your neighbours may take it upon themselves to dictate the welfare of your animal, irrespective of the facts whether it effects their lives or not. Thats the only issue I have encountered, but in terms of being out and about and taking it places, there is no limit to where a dog can go, apart from supermarkets and some petrol stations.

she is gorgeous and I'm sure would be very loyal to a nice family, considering the previous owners..
And 2 dogs is not really more trouble than one

JordanBarr, I did read your thread about the trouble with neighbours and how people were using your dog to get at you (he is a cutey). What a horrible situation to be in.
I do need to know what the expectations of people here for dog behaviour - I know people in the UK and France expectations, but it could well be different here.

I've replied to the email from the shelter guy (in terrible German!) trying to say that what we were looking for.

I totally understand where they are coming from. One of the breeders refused to entertain me because my German wasnt up to scratch and she thought I wont be able to cope with dog school / conversing with the vet.

The Swiss breeder I got my dog from had worse English than the first one but she only sold the dog to me after gruelling me on my plans (how long we planned to stay in this country etC) and assurance that I found an English speaking instructor for dog school. We still ended up taking the SKN course in German as there just werent enough English speaking members to start a class.

I think as long as you are sure of your longer term plans and prove to them that you have thought out the dog's needs in detail, and that the dog will be well taken care of, they will be ok.

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Remember when someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown, BUT it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and b****-slap the mother-f***er upside the head.

Terramundi,

People's expectations are that they will not be bothered by your dog. No more no less, really. What that means to an individual might differ a bit.

Try to get to know your neighbor's 'dog tolerance' level. Hopefully you will be lucky and your neighbors will fall in love with your pooch. Likely you'll hear a lot of 'Jöööö hääärziiig!" as you walk with your muttley through the neighborhood.

Assume that you need to train your dog not to bark - this is the thing neighbors object to most of all. As you probably know the standard for neighborhood quietness is somewhat different than in other countries - noises that would be considered a normal part of living elsewhere send folks to dialing the police here. When your dog is normally quiet, if he then occasionally lets out a woof or two you'll be excused.

Especially do not allow your dog to make noise during quiet hours. Before 7AM, between 12:00-14:00, after 10:00 are official quiet hours here, but 'neighborhood etiquette' may expand those hours, say if there is a baby or an elderly person within earshot. And of course your dog should be as quiet as the rest of the family on Sundays.

Because I have a breed that is naturally vocal, what this means for me is that I don't allow my dogs outside during quiet hours, and the 'Belltie', my problem mutt, only goes out in my garden on lead.

Don't leave your dog unsupervised, even in your garden - simply because if you don't have your dog in sight you can't counter any accusations.

Make sure your garden is escape-proof, for your sanity as well as for your neighbor's sake.

If neighborhood cats come visiting, be aware that cats have as much right to use your private garden as your dog does - sounds crazy, I know - but cats have the right to roam. If you can teach your dog to be friendly and share his space with trespassing cats, great. If your dog is not cat friendly, always check the garden and shoo away the cats before you let your dog out.

Never allow your dog to approach another person or another dog without that person's or the owner's express permission.

Always pick up after your dog, even in your own private garden.

Don't leave your dog home alone if he tends to bark when you are away - and be aware that general sentiment is that a dog should not be left alone more than 4 hours. Many dogs can indeed be left longer than that - but be aware that some neighbors like to put their oar in. If you need to be gone for a long time, consider getting a dog sitter in.**

And of course it is expected that you know and follow federal, cantonal, and local dog regulations.

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When you get your dog, write a friendly light-hearted note to the neighbors explaining that your dog is young/new and will be going through training. Apologize in advance for any disturbance, and assure the neighbors that you will be working hard at training. Ask then to come to you directly if they have anything to discuss. Include a small gift, say a bottle of wine or chocolates if that kind of thing is normally done among your neighbors. Sending a pre-emptive note around sets the tone - as long as neighbors know that you are a responsible dog owner they tend to be more tolerant as the dog is learning how to be a good Swiss citizen.

Don't be too worried - just be aware and respectful of others.

I've written about the mobbing we face; because of the nastiness the younger dogs and I will leave Switzerland after my fragile ancient guy heads off for Valhalla. But mine is an exceptional case: I have multiple dogs, a cardinal sin - and one neighbor who is a vicious thug. There can't be many like him around.

When I lived in Kt ZH, everyone loved my dogs, they were the toast of the neighborhood, people were so very nice, I made so many friends through the dogs - I thought Switzerland was a Hundeparadis. Here in SZ I had similar good relations with the neighborhood up until three years ago - and then I had five dogs. (I now only have three.) Everyone either loved or at least was politely tolerant of the muttley crew, life was good back then. It wasn't until a new couple moved in that the problems started.

You very likely won't have any problems - as you can see reading the pet section of the forum most dog owners here are delighted to live in Switzerland.




** Speaking of sitters, start looking for responsible pet care now - it's hard to find. Be aware that dog care is regulated; if you hire a dog sitter who is working 'commercially' that person must have certain educational qualifications; these vary depending on the business model. And business model dependent, some sitters need to be registered with the cantonal Veterinäramt. If someone is looking after your dog in your house, your Privathaftpflicht likely covers that person - if someone is looking after your dog in his/her house, the sitter should have professional insurance. This is important, should there ever be an accident.

None of this applies to a friend who is caring for your dog as an unpaid favor - it only applies to people who offer dog care commercially.

The biggest problem is that lots of people offering dog care services are working illegally - and that could boomerang back on you. Actually, that's not quite the biggest problem - the biggest problem really is that too many people working in dog care do not take their responsibilities seriously. Interview any candidates carefully. A reliable, serious, ethical, responsible, trustworthy dog carer is worth his/her weight in gold - which is pretty much what you should expect to pay, should you find this treasure.


All the very best to you and your future Fido.

We have Bassets, they are not very popular here and often end up in rescues as owners don't understand from the start the character of this dog.

They can be stubborn and it can be frustrating. However, they are completely trustworthy with children.

I think that assessing one's own situation, as you have done, is essential to determining the right dog to fit into your lifestyle.

Good luck and I hope you find your new 4 legged family member soon.

Hey did the shelter get back to you? They have a new one you might be interested in:
http://www.pfotenteam.com/?a=1&t=799...=0&v=page&o=&s=
No info yet unfortunately.

Well thankfully, after a chat with my neighbour above, and a little understanding from her after reading my 4 page A4 letter and gaining a better understanding of my side of the story, we are now on good terms. Next door, and the instigator of all complaints has kept quiet since me and above neighbour made peace.

I wouldnt definitely agree with an earlier posted comment about 1. Ensure your landlord if applicable are ok with dogs, obviously if you own your own home then thats not an issue. Likewise, your neighbours could be powerless if they had an issue, potentially. But I would certainly recommend checking with the neighbours about your plans and intentions, see what their objections if any are, and note them accordingly.

I wouldnt let a neighbour objection putting you off, but its good to be aware of what you might be up against.

I've heard several times from the guy who runs the website - apparent ly he hasn't had any info about whether the westie is available still because the shelter's boss is not there - I did ask whether I should try to contact the shelter directly but he said it was better if they did it - it's political(). Anyway,,he also sent me a whole load of info and I'll drip him another mail later I think just to remind him.
That new one's a lovely looking terrier - I might just ask after him too.

We'll I heard back from the pfoten team and apparently the puppy's owner was cotacted and said they might pick her up last week - which didn't happen. So, the tierheim is keeping her for another week and then if the owner hasn't picked her up will put her up for adoption.

I'm staggered that someone would do this quite frankly. It look Ullainga as if you were right when you thought it might be someone who had decided that a puppy was 'too much work' - what a shame

I just dont understand some people!

I mean, I fell in love with my little boy the moment I met him. His cuteness knows no bounds. Sure, in the first couple of months there was some stressfull, frustrating times but every single day he makes me feel so glad I bought him.

Even though they are charming and cute, they are very demanding and I don't think they would be a good match for younger kids because of their size and weight (have you ever had one standing on your foot - ouch!) and they can quite literally love or play you to death. Ours has knocked me down twice playing...

Yep me too. Speechless.

I hope it works out for you and the little puppy terramundi. He/she deserves the best and from the sounds of it, your family will be able to provide the stability and love it deserves!

C'mon Jordan... full disclosure... tell us about the time he peed in your tennis shoe.

Haha, thanfully he has never peed in a shoe. Couple of accidents in the house sure, but not on any item of clothing or other

He got trained up very quickly, particularly given the fact the bulldogs can be rather stubborn and difficult to house train so i hear.

The only trouble I have with him lately is this love of jumpin in the fire place and being covered in black soot, he somehow gets through the cage. Thats my bad for not crate training him, I let him roam.

But you cant stay at angry at that face for long

Certainly looks like it. If my dogs ran away and ended up in the shelter, I certainly would not wait a week to collect them!

So you still might get to adopt her

Sounds like you've done your homework. I have previously had Rottweiler, Doberman, and German Shepherds and would not recommend any of these breeds, but Golden Retreiver or Airedale Terrier (full size for sure, not sure of minis). I have known them to be great family pets with relatives, friends, and the pet store owner who counseled me through training my big dogs had an Airedale in the store- said it was the best pet for children any family could get. (I was single at the time, and took in "problem dogs").

What about a poodle? Not the super-mini toy poodles, but a normal one. They are very intelligent and good family dogs too.

We got our dog, mixed, probably bichon friser and a terrier, from the SPA at Strasbourg a year ago this month. He is one year old and after a bit of settling in has turned into a much loved family member. Great place, loads of lovely dogs to choose from, especially lots of big ones. Have a look on line http://www.spa-strasbourg.org/index.php. There is also the spa at Mulhouse. Do take a look as they all need loving homes.

oh look, in Strasbourg: