CanadainHereford

After reading through several old threads and the wiki page hosted on this site on how to export dogs to Canada, and people's personal experience completing such task (super helpful!) I'm still stuck when it comes to shipping my dog home.

As a Canadian living in England, I was hoping to send my british born dog home with my Mom when she comes to visit at the end of August so I can travel the continent for a couple weeks guilt free and return home to Ontario to live afterwards, worry free about Razz while I'm travelling.

All research I've done up to this point and what I've read here confirms that it's quite simple. DEFRA form signed by vet, fit to fly and volia, puppy on plane.

Insert problem, because there's always a problem.

I would ideally like to get Razz on my mom's flight, for simplicity's sake, as well as hers. I've spoken to Air Canada, they are worried about space due to it being summer season, and say she cannot travel as excess baggage, but for a higher fee, she could travel live cargo, which is not ideal, but I don't mind. So then I have to book her space on the plane with cargo. While here's the problem. I get the same ****ing woman both times I've called, who's exceptionally rude stating that they only accept animals if they're through a pet transport agency. Which I priced out and is ridiculous, 1000GB to send my dog of less than 10kg one way across the atlantic. No thanks. I've tried to explain that I am doing it myself to this woman, and she just says I'm not allowed, end of story.

Has anybody else encountered this problem? I have to call after work, my mom is going to try to call tomorrow at a different time to get somebody else on the phone. I realize I'm cutting it down to the wire, but it seems so simple that I don't see a problem with it. If all else fails I'll take Razz to Manchester or Birmingham and fly her with air transat, they seem a lot more user friendly, but I thought I'd see if this is a real problem, or a bear of a woman who is just being ornery.

Thanks so much, sorry for the novel. Any advice is so appreciated, this has me stressing big time when I just want to relax and enjoy my last weeks in the UK!

Piff Poff

I think you ought to change a particular word in your post, it's very offensive

CanadainHereford

Done - VERY frustrated getting off the phone just now. This was not supposed to be hair pulling out difficult!

Siouxie

Air Canada (and British Airways I believe) only accept dogs handled through a pet export company as has been mentioned several times on the forum.

If you want to arrange transportation yourself then you need to contact Air Transat and fly the dog out as excess baggage - but that could mean your Mother needs to fly out with AT as well - or cargo, you would have to contact them to ascertain if that is a requirement.

Welcome to BE, by the way!

As a family friendly forum, swear words are a no-no - per site rule 2.

CanadainHereford

Really? I haven't seen that anywhere in what I've read, and it wasn't mentioned when I spoke with the AC reservations department, or the entire Canadian side of things. I'll go double check previous forum threads now. Fingers crossed my mom can get somebody a little less rude on the phone tomorrow.

CanadainHereford

PS thanks for the welcome, read other threads of people loving my country makes me so happy!

Siouxie

If you are flying them out Cargo with AC, I understand they require you to use a pet transport company.

You said that the woman from AC told you twice that you need to use a pet transportation company - so how is that not being mentioned?

idontlikestrikers

You may find it is the airport and not the airline that has this restriction. I read on Air Canada's website a whole lot of info about transporting pets and it was different rules from different destination and arrival airports depending on time of the year. It is not just holidays but potential heat/cold/noise on the runway whilst your pet is waiting. Air Canada also has a restriction of 4 pets on any one flight. You may find that as you are the owner and you are not flying with your pet but your mother is that is adding complications. When the owner is not on the same flight the pet must be flown cargo, maybe change who the owner is.

In general I am very impressed with the way our pets get looked after at airports and airlines.

We have recently transported our dog and our research showed Air Canada lets you take pets as excess baggage but BA does not.

CanadainHereford

Not mentioned elsewhere was what I meant.

In the "Travelling with dogs" thread, Tootlepootle wrote on July 30th 2013 "We brought in a French bulldog in early June with Air Canada. It cost £175 plus an defra export cert" for example.

CanadainHereford

Did you use a pet transport agent then? I think it must be a Heathrow problem I've run into, rather than a UK/Canada one, seeing as others have had recent successful experience transporting their dogs for less than a grand.

Siouxie

That is because they flew her in as excess baggage, you would be sending your dog as Cargo.

CanadainHereford

They flew in summer too though, no? When I've been told is peak season and she must go as cargo, rather than excess baggage? I would much rather save myself a couple hundred and go excess cargo, by all means.

CanadainHereford

It was not my intention to start a thread where I would constantly be needing to refer what I've read previously or have my own words used against me. I've started this thread to see if anybody is able and willing to share recent experiences of exporting dogs -and if anybody has hit a similar roadblock as mine, is there a way around it without having to use a pet transport agency, with prices that are in my opinion ridiculous.

Siouxie

With respect, you have already stated that Air Canada cannot accommodate your dog as excess baggage due to the amount of dogs booked on the flight and have offered you an alternative sending the dog as live cargo.

So, in answer to your question - if you have to send your dog on Air Canada as live cargo then you will have to use a pet transportation company - there is no choice.

If you wish your dog to travel as excess baggage - and able to do it yourself without using a pet transportation company - then you have the choice of either changing the day of your Mothers flight or changing to another airline.

CanadainHereford

With respect, I never stated AC cannot accommodate my my dog due to amount of dogs on that specific flight, because I never got to that point with the woman I spoke with on the phone. I never even told her a flight number. The woman I spoke with told me point blank she would have to go as live cargo due to busy season requirements, and that she must be shipped through a pet transport agency.

But, having read through threads on this forum, it seems that others have had successful transport experiences recently from the UK to Canada, without having the added cost of a transport agency.

If anybody else has shipped their dog recently and successfully independently, please let me know. I really don't mind sending her on another day, if possible, nothing is really set in stone other than I want to go home this fall.