Dogs on Restricted Breed List

Hello,

I am new to the forum, my husband and I (along with our 3 dogs) are looking to buy a business and an interesting opportunity has come to our attention in Turks & Caicos. One of our first steps in researching new countries/opportunities is always to look into policies regarding bringing our dogs. T&C has a list of breed restrictions that would disqualify one of our pets and in other forums people suggest having your vet list the animal as a "mixed breed" on all paperwork as a means of getting around restrictions. This seems sneaky (though our dog is a mixed breed) and like a scary tacttic.... What if we arrive and are denied based on the dog's appearance?

I am hoping to find someone with knowledge of bringing in "mixed breed" dogs.

I'm sure we will have dozens of other questions should we be able to find a satisfactory way through this first hurdle.
Thanks in advance for your time and help!

My husband and I have been researching a number of business opportunities across Central America and the Caribbean, we have 3 dogs so finding countries with dog friendly immigration policies is near the top of our list of criteria when considering our options.
In researching T&C I see that they have restrictions on "aggressive" breeds of dogs. One of our dogs is a pit/lab/pointer mix that would be barred entry based on the country's breed restrictions. I have seen in other forums that if paperwork states "mixed breed" you may be able to skirt breed restrictions. But this seems VERY iffy to me. Would the dog be denied entry if it's appearance favors the restricted breed? Does anyone have experience with bringing in a mixed breed dog or a dog that was on the restricted breed list? He is a registered service animal, though that doesn't seem to have any impact on the restrictions from everything I've read so far.

Thank you in advance for your time and help.

Kind Regards,
HC

Pit bulls are quite popular here.  It is however illegal to import them.  Given the mixed breed status of your dog I would just drop the pit park of his mix.  Importing a dog is difficult but not impossible.  They have just recently changed the list of restricted breeds so make sure you are looking at the latest list.

You will need a veterinarian health certificate, the dog must have a rabies test and 30 days later must have a titre test done.  You will also need a certificate from a government vet.  Check with environmental health for details.

HankCrosby, I brought in an English Mastiff around 10 years ago.  My vet refused to change his breed even though they had him incorrectly listed as a Bull Mastiff.  At the recommendation of the local officials we listed him as a Dane mix and he came through just fine.  Good news is that the restricted breeds list has been updated and split into restricted and prohibited breeds.  You can go to tciyellowpages and look for local ordinances.

Bad news...These days we have a horrific government vet who is extremely unreasonable.  Some of the locals that work under him are very nice and can be helpful. The process to bring in a dog is difficult and requires lots of paperwork.  You must get preapproval; the upside to that is that you will know in advance if they will let him in.  But be careful--if every thing isn't done correctly, they will euthanize your dog.

Hello everyone,

Just to inform you that 2 posts have been merged to this thread on the Turks and Caicos Islands forum so that you may get all the infos on one thread.

All the best,
Bhavna