AdamfromWales

This post in aimed for those who have recently moved over with a pet.

Not the ideal time granted, but we have been trying to get hold of the relevant authorities in Canada regarding transportation of a dog during this pandemic. We are in the enquiry queue and are patiently waiting.

Has anyone moved over to Canada whilst transporting a pet in Cargo? The UK side seems very straightforward but we are a little concerned over the little info re pet collection at Canada with current (human) quarantine requirements.
Did you have any hiccups with getting paperwork signed in Canada and picking up pets at the other area of the airport with the Covid complications and legislation currently in place?
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Thanks

Lichisadave

A friend of ours travelled back to the UK with her dog early on in Covid she had trouble finding a company accepting dogs Airtransat (who we flew our dog over with) weren’t she had to fly her dog separately on a BA flight and use a company to do it. I cant see a problem if they do accept pets now as we picked our dog up at the luggage collection point. Hopefully someone will be along to answer better for you.

Siouxie

Which airport are you hoping to arrive at ? Different airports will have different requirements and facilities.
How big is your dog? Can it travel in the hold as accompanying luggage (checked baggage hold) or will it need to go cargo? Checked Baggage collection is usually within the terminal you arrive at - cargo often requires you to go to a separate part of the airport - which will require transportation.
Do you have anyone who could arrange to collect your dog for you and transport it to your quarantine location -- and if you are renting a place, have you checked they will allow a dog? As you won't be able to take it out for walks every day if you are quarantined, do you have any friends or relatives it could stay with initially, perhaps?.
Air Transat are usually recommended for transporting pets to Canada ..
https://www.airtransat.com/en-GB/Tra...d-service-dogs
You might find our wiki of use https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Transporting_Pets-Canada


Completely different going the other way - you are usually required to use a Pet transportation company when returning a dog to the UK, whereas coming to Canada it's not required.

AdamfromWales

Hi there! 👋 Was going to be Vancouver. But Calgary are now offering flights again from London (Air Canada). So Calgary is first choice. Air Transat isn't operating unfortunately and WestJet doesn't allow pets on their new planes for some reason right now.

Yep, house with a large garden is planned. We do have possible contingencies re dog walking but right now we are just trying to figure how the heck we can pick up the dog from the airport in the first place after landing and border agency have replied simply saying that they are unable to advise. May have to contact Calgary airport / Air Canada to try and grip the issue before going any further.

Another option is I go over two weeks early and then pick the dog up out of quarantine. Our PR is running low on days so need to get back over before we are in trouble with it, hence the move now (otherwise I would certainly wait until later in 2021).

Thanks 😊

Stumpylegs

We've kept half an eye on it and had conversations with a couple of pet transport companies, as had hoped to move this summer even with the pandemic (and still have hopes of moving this year although they get slimmer every day).

General consensus from UK pet transport companies is it should be fine regards airport collection if they go in the hold baggage, as you'll just be collecting it from oversize luggage. if its shipped as Cargo or on another flight to yours its a no go for you to collect.

The one company (Transfur I think it was) had the option of either arranging boarding in the UK for 2 weeks so they land as you come out of quarantine, or at dropping off at your Canadian property midway through quarantine so the dog doesn't need to go 14 days without a walk.

One thing to consider with Calgary, you may struggle to get companies that will take the dogs out there much past mid October, as a lot of airlines won't fly your dog when temperature at destination is forecast to be below 7 celsius (believe some airline policies may be closer to 5 celsius) you may be able to get a waiver if you can prove you've got a temperature hardy pet. Whereas Vancouver you may even have days you can fly them out in December.

Revin Kevin

What's the reasoning for that when the holds of aircraft are heated exactly the same as the cabin?

Stumpylegs

I believe its to do with temperature on the runway and possibly not unloading them promptly. A lot of the airlines have lower temp restrictions than the pet transfer companies - air Canada is 0c (but also won't allow pets in cargo from 1 November until end of march) when I just checked, but assuming the transfer companies hedge their bets by a few degrees to stop any issues with differing forecasts etc.

AdamfromWales

Thanks all. Research is ongoing - I intend on updating this once I have found a suitable and sensible solution in the circumstances.

Stumpylegs

Keep us posted as you'll no doubt be travelling a few months before us.

Siouxie

Airlines also don't allow pets to be transferred from one plane to another, so you can't use a 1 stop / 2 stop flight; book only direct flights unless you are going to disembark (DYSWIDT)and stop over then get a flight later that day or the next. It's not safe for animals to be left on the holding pad for what could be hours waiting to be loaded.. They won't transport pets during winter months for the same reason and not all cargo holds are equal, while luggage holds are heated cargo holds are not.

ABR2020

I recently contacted a pet travel company to fly our dog via cargo on the same plane london heathrow to Calgary. they said that dogs can't fly on that route and need to stop in vancoover?
Did you get the same answer, and as well if you're willing to share, what types of prices are you being quoted? We got £2.5K for our 40kg golden retriever?? Not sure how this compares

AdamfromWales

Hiya,

It's been a while since being on here. We have delayed any move (yet again).

We do not want to be moving our pet indirectly. I would think that this would add a whole heap of complications, not to mention additional stress on the pet. Personal preference is that we will only move a pet direct. There are businesses out there who can manage the shipment to say Vancouver for example and then transport to you. I suppose the other alternative is initially arrive in Vancouver, quarantine and then when able to then drive across to Calgary (although its not a particularly nice road to drive during the winter if I remember rightly).

Please also remember quarantine can cause a lot of complications and where your dog ends up being dropped off at the airport. By using an accredited Canadian agency to collect and administer all of the paperwork, it will no doubt reduce the problems dramatically at the Canada side. In my view, this is worth the money.

I was really hoping by waiting it would settle and we would be a better position but with the UK the way it is, there is no suprise that flights have been dramatically reduced again from LHR have not been flying direct to Calgary. Fingers crossed this changes in the coming months.

Law864

Hello, we are in the exact same position. We are very low on days and need to go in Feb. We are using Petair and I do not think there should be any issues collecting our doggy at the other side, in fact they are arranging an agent to help clear her quickly and get her to us. You can still walk your dog in quarantine, you just need to wear a mask and stay away from others.

AdamfromWales

Hard times. Best of luck with the move.

I dont know where you had that information from but from my reading you CANNOT leave quarantine.

As a result, we will be looking for a house with a private back garden (i.e. a private outdoor space not shared by anyone else). We have even thought about one going over 2 weeks early so that we can collect and look after the dog separately and stay separate during the quarantine of the other person.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-heal...ion-sheet.html

Law864

You may be right, this has changed since I last reviewed. A house with a private garden looks like a solid idea. I assume you can hire a car?