ellsie

Hi Guys, well we got here and have been connected! The journey was fine, stayed in Manchester the night before and onto the flight in the morning. I went Canadian Affair with the 3 kids as it was cheaper via Gatwick and OH bad andy went Zoom as we had a tortoise and CA don't carry pets. We had to change planes at Gatwick which someone else on this forum had to do recently too, although we were told originally we would be staying on the same plane. Food was better than most flights I've been on,ie edible! Got to Van and met up with OH from Zoom flight, through immigration smoothly,no queue in the afternoon. Went to sort out goods to follow, but they don't do that anymore? Got a phone number for when container comes in. Got hire car and off to cargo to collect tortoise. To put you in the picture here as we approach cargo,I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my tortoise in. She's an endangered species and I had to get an endangered species export licence from UK. I also had to apply for an import licence into Canada, which I did. We also had to pay for a health check 10 days before leaving the country, and it took DEFRA and our vet about 5 days to check the canadian requirements and produce the correct letter as DEFRA have no form to cover this. I had been travelling for about 16 hours with 3 tired children and we were hoping to make the ferry on to Van Island. That's when we arrived at cargo and there was no tortoise waiting to greet us. they lost her. Not happy. She hadn't been on the plane, it wasn't on the manifold, it wasn't their fault etc. Bad Andy made several calls and at last Zoom agreed that there had been an animal in hold 2, but everyone thought it was a dog! Bad Andy was persistent,' no we're not coming back tomorrow, this is a live animal in a small box with a screwed down lid, we will find it now, it may need food and water.' Eventually someone went out the back to look and found her! Her box in a bigger box in a corner somewhere! Oh look she was on the plane then!!!!! But, she hadn't been through customs! What a welcome to Canada! We had to go back to the airport and BA had to get her through customs,but they had lost the paperwork en route except for her export licence! So they weren't going to let her in.'So what are you going to do with her? You can't leave her in this tiny box with no food and water' So then it transpired that there is no animal reception centre at Vancouver International Airport so no-one will be there to help look after your pet. In the end they found a vet to have a look at her for $100, and contacted Ottawa where it was 10pm, so we were lucky that someone was there on a Friday night to fax a new import licence. They decided we could take her after all. We missed the ferry as all this took nearly 4 hours,just to sort out the tortoise, and when we left they were still looking for the dog.
She's fine now and about to hibernate so although BA played a strong food and water card to get her out, she neither eats or drinks for 3 weeks before she hibernates. Don't tell them!
We are planning to complain to both governments about this appalling treatment and have asked our pet carrier to investigate where it went wrong.

sans

Lol must of been a small dog Best of Luck hope everything else runs smoothly for you. Where abouts on Van Island you going?
Sans

ellsie

I am in a very wet and soggy Campbell River.Yesterday we watched the salmon going upstream for spawning,lovely day even in the rain!

The Escapea

Welcome to the Island Ellsie - not a great time to arrive... (although I guess all this rain could make it feel 'just like home!).

Nightmare with the tortoise - it is worrying enough flying with pets anyway, let alone when the lose them . We flew out with our cat and dog in June, using BA - and they were a complete nightmare too, though at the Heathrow end not at Vancouver. No one seemed to know what the process was, or what documents were required, and we got kept hanging around being sent to so many different desks with the poor dog and cat in their crates wondering what was happening.

Fortunately they have settled in great - hope the tortoise does too!

sans

We was on the Island in september, apart from 1 day when it threw it down with rain it was glorious. Next times for good soon as house sells and i'll be their, zimmer frame an all the rate its going

sans

Hi
Did you fly to Victoria or take the ferry? if you dont mind me asking . When it happens i will need to get 4 cats to the Island, not sure if they allow you to carry animals on those short flights and ferry almost 2 hrs.

bad.andy

We took the ferry to Nanaimo. If you think about it, the ferry is probably as quick, because you can drive straight on instead of messing about at the airport with check-in and security to go through, and it's sure to be less stressful.

bad.andy (mr ellsie)

sans

Mmmm i know what your saying Will be heading for Nanaimo and ferry will take us straight their. What we like "hey", have dragged the kids half way round the world and not really thought anything of it, but stresssing over the animals lols.

The Escapea

Hi - we got the ferry too, to Victoria. I flew out the day before and got rental car/keys to rental house/cat and dog food etc. and to make sure I would be waiting when the rest of the family got of the plane at YVR. Then it was just a quick trip (after a happy reunion and a quick walk at the airport for the dog!) to the ferry. During the ferry ride to Victoria, the dog and the cat were happily stretched out on the back seat of the car (out of their crates) (I took a cat loo too!), and munching on lots of food! Cat was even purring during the crossing! Good luck!

ville303

QUOTE]
So then it transpired that there is no animal reception centre at Vancouver International Airport so no-one will be there to help look after your pet.

We emigrated August 2005...and yes...after My husband landed and went through two hours of the immigration process...he found our little wire haired Jack Russel 'dumped' in the middle of the baggage collection point...and she was barking mad...(as you can imagine with a Jack Russell!!!)...He was only just in time and got a 'tongue lashing' from someone who would have taken her away....
I landed a month later and my immigration process took 2.5 hrs...I was very 'stressed' because our two elderly cats travelled with me...and guess where they were...all dumped at the baggage collection point...with people around...wondering what was going on...YVR...get a grip please!!!!

jerry brewer

Hi
we landed july 2006, with our dog at vancouver, they were great, no problems, the dog even had his own airport security waiting with him ,until we were able to get thro' and claim him, and we 'flew' thro' customs.
Maybe it's like all things, the right time of day or the right people on shift.
cheers
jerry

sans

Thanks for your reply, hope i can be as organised

jempee

We flew with our cat in september. The first thing myself and daughter done was to get the cat while husband got the luggage then we went to immigration. While we was in there we just took it in turns to keep going outside to check she was ok. We put her box next to the wall and then put our trolleys around her so she was out of the way from all the hustle and bustle going on.
Would never have gone to immigration etc and got her last.

jempee

Ellsie, sorry to hear about your pet troubles at the airport, what a start i can only imagine the stress it caused

On a better note, welcome to the island and we hope you will be as happy here as we have been since arriving in september.

Take care.

ville303

Sorry, but my husband was alone when he emigrated August 2005 with our little dog...and I was on my own..Sept 2005...sorry did not explain that we emigrated at different times due to house sale in UK...it was horrendous!..