Importing and Exporting
As Hamiltonstovare are a rare breed in America, in order to bring in new blood into the gene pool, this breed relies on good imports. I have often said to my close friends that if I had more disposable income, I would bring at least 5-6 more dogs over from Sweden and Norway that are completely unrelated to my guys. I also wish I had more disposable income to bring in frozen semen from at least 4 dogs yearly. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Currently, I'm doing the best that I can to bring over frozen semen from just one dog this year for a breeding later this year.
To those interested in breeding this breed in America, I encourage you to import as many dogs as you possibly can. The import process is to bring dogs over from Europe for private ownership is relatively easy from a regulation standpoint. The key points that the dog needs to have is a rabies vaccine and valid health certificate from a licensed vet within that particular country. The main thing that I cannot stress enough about importing a dog is to make sure that ALL registration transfer information is done prior to import. That makes things go so very smoothly. In order for AKC FSS registration, the dog needs a three generation pedigree either by the country of origin (UK: KC pedigree, Sweden: SKK pedigree, Norway: NKK pedigree) or a 3 generation pedigree issued by the Hamiltonstovare Club of America, 2 3x5 photos (1 of the front including head and 1 of the dog in a side view), and a completed AKC FSS registration. The AKC FSS registration can be done prior to import as well. Hamiltonstovare can only be imported if they are old enough to receive their Rabies vaccine or 14 weeks old if they come from a rabies free country.
The import process can be a stressful one but if you have a good breeder then things will be easy. In the UK, there are 2 options to bring a dog over, one is to fly over and travel with the dog on the return flight. This works well for young puppies and generally costs between $300-$500 extra to the plane ticket. The other option for the UK is to utilizing a shipping agent, this is done for dogs traveling alone and for dogs older than 6 months. When I brought Alice and Rolo over, I used a wonderful shipping agent called Ryslip. Ryslip is very familiar with the breed and can get things done in a stress-free and efficient manner. As I have never brought a dog over Sweden or Norway, I can only go off what others have told me. Those that have brought dogs over from Sweden or Norway either travel with the dog, use a shipping agent, or work directly with the airline. Working directly with the airline puts a lot of things up to chance as you have to get all of your paperwork in order alone. If you travel with the dog, some of the paperwork can be done prior to travel, such as the vet information and customs paperwork.
The main concern that I've heard regarding import is the cost. Import is done by weight, so the smaller the dog, the cheaper the cost. The average for an import from any country is around $3,000 per dog. The difference between flying with the dog or going alone is about the same if you include the cost of your airline ticket. I did not include the cost of the dog from the breeder, in the UK it is about $1,000-$1,500 for the puppy cost. In Sweden and Norway the puppy cost starts around $700 and goes up from there. The safe budget is about $5,000 per dog with all expenses. Now for frozen semen, the average is around $2,000.
Export works generally the same way but care needs to be taken to follow that country's regulations. Currently by a ruling by the Hamiltonstovare Club of America, exporting to Australia is banned, any breeder that holds membership with the Hamiltonstovare Club of America and exports a dog to Australia will be banned from the Hamiltonstovare Club of America, if you are an international member and you export to Australia you will be banned as well and reported to your country's Hamiltonstovare parent club and kennel club. For more information regarding that ruling, contact me privately.
As the breed is very rare in America all exports need to be taken very seriously. I generally will not export unless it is to send a puppy to a stud owner or to a show home where a breeder wants to start a breeding population in their country.