jobop

If we are lucky enough to get PR granted we will be shiping our rather large dog with us to Vancouver, hopefully she will be on the same plane as us but my question is what happens when we reach our destination?

Basically when we arrive in Vancouver where do you go to collect the dog?
Is it a place within the airport itself or would you need to drive somewhere round the corner near the airport to get them?

She is too large for excess baggage so was just wondering about the process the other end to be reunited with them?

Many thanks.

Exilelass

When we shipped our Lab. he came on the same flight as us (I believe it is always that way) and we collected him at a section of the baggage hall. It was clearly marked something like Large Items. It was where folk got their prams and basically anything other than a case. It was right in the baggage hall, no driving required.

When we left Glasgow he was taken from us and put in his crate and we collected him in Toronto for an over night before going through the same process all over again to Vancouver.

He was VERY shaken in Toronto, but seemed to have the hang of it by Vancouver. So I would suggest getting all your luggage and being thoroughly sorted out before you collect him. Then be ready to give him lots of comfort and reassurance once you do get him. There is a small area outside the main door where there is a tiny garden and he may be in urgent need of that!
Our vet suggested NOT sedating the animals as they can vomit en route and ......well, the outcome is not good.

I hope all goes well for you, it is rather a harrowing business putting themin the hold. My husband said it was like puttting one of the kids there!
But you will be glad you did in the long run as they are so much part of the family you can't leave them behind.

Good luck.

jericho

Maybe this needs a new thread, but has anyone taken their pet back to the UK with them on holiday?
We're heading back this Christmas for a couple of weeks and I'm considering taking my dog if it's allowed...

DanielM

You would need a Pet Passport for your dog.
To get this the dog needs to be microchipped, vacinated to rabies and then tested to see if it took. Even then you have to wait 6 months till he can travel.


Exilelass - Did you use a pet courier or was the dog excess baggage?

Exilelass

The airline (Air Canada) charged us Pet Rates. There was a specific rate for animals; he was neither excess baggage nor did we use a courier, but then it was a few years ago, so it may be different now.

JB0591

Hi

We are emigrating in Oct and we are organising shipping of the dog at the moment. If you take the dog with you on your flight then it will be regarded as excess luggage (from all the reseatch I have done on this) and will be in the baggage hall when you arrive.

The thing to keep in mind is you have to clear immigration before you get to baggage hall. I believe from reading the forums that this is quick...I assume provided you have all the relevant details ready (proof of funds + goods brought with you and good to follow etc).

We are using a pet shipping company as our dog will fly out 10 days after us.

Good luck

JB

DanielM

If you fly Air Canada or British airways you can take a dog for a small fee as excess luggage.

We're going to fly Canadian Affair though and send our dog through a pet courier. Even though this will cost around £600 we'll save more that that on the plane tickets.
We've been told he will be on the same flight as us, but I was wondering if it's the same procedure for collecting him when we arrive.

jobop

I'd of thought it would be more organised than that, as in someone would take your pet out of the crate you then go to a reception area and then tell them what pet you are waiting for and then they bring it out? Does someone not check over your pet before you get it back, give it water etc if it needs it?

Also we are planning on getting our dog a wooden crate and we do not want to keep it at the other end, can they keep hold of it or do they expect us to get rid of it? We would not even be able to lift something like that!!

I expect the place Air Pets near Heathrow will be able to tell us most of the info we are after as we are planning to use them to help with the shipping, was just wondering on others experiences.

Thanks to all who replied

TheThornes

Hi. We used Air Pets at Heathrow too for our dog and cat. We flew to Calgary, not Vancouver, but I would expect procedures to be pretty much the same.

We used one of the wooden crates supplied by Air Pets and they have a small water bowl attached to the inside of the crate with a funnel from the outside to make adding water to the bowl easy without having to open the crate.

We took our pets to Air Pets the day before we flew so they could arrange the necessary paperwork and vet checks for them to fly on the same flight as us the following day.

Once we arrived at Calgary, we had to sort out immigration for ourselves and then go to Customs to sort out paperwork for the pets. We then had to drive to another part of the airport to Air Canada Cargo (as that's who we flew with) to collect further paperwork which we then had to take back to Customs for them to stamp it to confirm it was OK to collect the animals. We then had to go back to Air Canada Cargo with the necessary stamped paperwork to collect our pets. We were just led to a large warehouse behind the front office and there were our pets, in their crates, on a trolley near the door waiting for us. They seemed none the worse for their journey but were glad to see us.

We obviously kept the cat crate as that is what we brought her away in but, as far as the dog crate was concerned, they were more than happy for us to leave it behind.

All the best.

samjr400

Sorry if I am being thick and missing something here. Why did you not book your pet on the Canadian Affair flight yourself and not have to pay £600??
I am asking as I am in the process of organising this for myself at the moment.

audio

You also have to have your dog checked over by a vet for a ‘fit for travel’ certificate, be wormed and have tick prevention in the period 24-48 hours before travel but please check with the link below, I may be out of date on this:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pet...avel/index.htm

On my dog’s crate, I placed a note giving the time at which last fed and watered and taped on a bag of biscuits in the event that the shipping was delayed.
Most vets advise not to tranquilise in any way.
Phone the airport in question and speak to the cargo department for any other info for pick up etc.
Good luck.

DAVIE_MAC

Animals returning to the UK CAN NOT travel as excess baggage (See DEFRA site) they must be transported as cargo which inflates the price ($2500 I was quoted by Air Canada Cargo for x2 ES Spaniels) and makes it a very expensive trip just to take it back for a holiday (depending on how long your going back for obviously) better just to put in kennels for the period.

DAVIE_MAC

Not totally correct Im affraid.

Air Canada e.g.

If there is enough room on your flight and your dog & it's crate combined are under 32kg you can pay for it to travel as excess baggage.

If the dog & it's crate combined are over 32kg then it must travel cargo even though it could be on the same flight as you which will cost you a lot more


We took our 2 as excess baggage and the were fine and by the baggage carousel when we landed.

If they travel cargo depending on the airline there could be a bit of a trip to the cargo terminal to drop them off & collect them anyone booking them cargo I would say check 100% where you drop them off, collect them and where you pay the fees on landing as I know some have gone to collect the dogs and not paid the fees and had to drive back to the main terminal to pay them then return again to cargo to collect the dog (s), a bit stressful.

daisychain

Hi Davie Mac

Do you know the size of the crates you used and the weight? I am trying to see if i can get my pooch excess baggage or if it will have to be cargo. He can afford to loose a couple of pounds but thats about it!! I did read if they go cargo they can stay with you until you board is that right?

Many thanks


DC

DAVIE_MAC

Just for info you dont need a pet passport to return a dog to the UK from a non EU country participating in the PETS scheme

You need a third country official veterinary certificate.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/...en00120017.pdf

The procedures

• Have your pet microchipped
  Before any of the other procedures for PETS are carried out, your pet must be fitted with a microchip so that it can be properly identified.
• Have your pet vaccinated
  After the microchip has been fitted your pet must be vaccinated against rabies. There is no exemption to this requirement, even if your pet has a current rabies vaccination
• Arrange a blood test
  After your pet has been vaccinated, it must be blood tested to make sure that the vaccine has given it a satisfactory level of protection against rabies.
• Get PETS documentation
  For animals being prepared in an EU country, you should get an EU pet passport. If you are preparing your animal in a non-EU listed country you will need to obtain an official third country veterinary certificate although note that Croatia, Gibraltar, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland are also issuing passports.
• Before your pet enters the UK, it must be treated against ticks and a tapeworm
  Your pet must be treated against ticks and tapeworms not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours before it is checked in with an approved transport company for its journey into the UK.
• Arrange for your animal to travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route
  Your pet must enter the UK from a listed country travelling with an approved transport company on an authorised route.

Approved carrier and routes must be used:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pet.../noneu-air.pdf