spouse of scouse

The bloody robbers That's the same as it cost us to fly a 45kg golden retriever (Murphy) from Australia to the UK, including absolutely everything. That was 5 years ago but still!

The pet relocation service was run by a vet, he did all the paperwork, came to the house three times to give Murphy his vaccination, worming treatment and pre-flight check, then came again and picked him up at 3:30am to take him to the airport, flights with Emirates included with a 16 hour stopover in Dubai kennels after the first 11 hour flight for a break, picked up from Manchester airport and brought to our door in New Brighton. Price also included custom made crate which the vet left with us for 4 weeks before Murph's flight, so he could get used to it.

that you find a good company with reasonable prices.

Lion in Winter

My guess is that companies that are US based are all keeping an eye on each others' prices. I wouldn't want to go with one that was "cheap for a reason", but 3k does seem a bit excessive.

Also, the Little Lion's girlfriend is from Birkenhead, just down the street from where you were.

Kooky.

I think part of the problem at the moment is lack of flights - depending where you are and where you are going of course. We're looking at a possible move (remote working FTW) and getting some silly numbers that can only be treated as estimates, as things are changing by the day.

Lion in Winter

Could well be true. We aren't looking at a specific date yet at all though, I'm just doing potential budgets for decision-making purposes. I plugged in dates in April of 2021 just to get the quote.

Kooky.

Sounds like we're going through similar processes. Ours is basically "Where in the world can we legally live and work? Can we take the cats? (And move them on again.) How much?"

(Barbados is looking very attractive right now.)

Lion in Winter

Close. Mine is more like "can we manage to get back to the UK, what would it cost us to do that, and how would our income stretch there as opposed to the US, and If I get a job offer from the UK what would it take to get there and the cat absolutely has to come too". Barbados sounds lovely, but part of our goal is to get Little Lion and us into the same country.

Kooky.

I hear you. This year has certainly shown me that there is value in being in the same country as your loved ones.

lauraloulou

Ooh I don't know! I didn't pay extra to get the health records from the vet as have pretty good relationship with my vet and they're great. I may have to pay to get my pup delivered as nervous about being quarantined and being sent to stay in my house for 14 days! My goal is to fly the day before my dog, which is great in principle but not sure that it works from a standpoint of the quarantine piece.

freebo

Could you let me know the name of the company please? We have a 40kg Golden Retriever (Rufus) and are planning to do a similar trip. I must admit its the thing I'm most worried about on the whole move back!

spouse of scouse

I'm just off to the shops but I'll send you a PM when I get back. Unfortunately though if you're on the Gold Coast it's not going to help much, because the company I used is a 'stand alone' local one in Perth. Happy to talk about other aspects of moving a nervous nelly Goldie though


Edit: On second thoughts I'll put the quote here in case anyone else is travelling from Perth, although it's from late 2015 so prices may have changed. Might give people an idea anyway.

The company was Pet Travel Specialists/Pet Travel Clinic in Willetton Perth
The company is owned by Angus, who is a vet and does all the hands on vet stuff himself.

Total cost was AUD4,130. The vet came to our home on 3 different visits to give Murph his rabies vaccine, worming treatment and vet examination, and then again in the middle of the night to transport him to Perth Airport.

This is a breakdown of the quote:

 Rabies vaccination required for entry into the EU – please note that the vaccination needs to be given at least 21 days prior to travel.
 Worming treatment required for entry into the UK.
 DAFF approved veterinary examination.
 Airline compliant travel crate with Stay-Dry fleece bedding.
 Transfer from the Pet Travel Clinic to Perth Airport on the day of the flight.
 DAFF health certification.
 Export Permit.
 Airfares and airline booking fees to Manchester (MAN) with Emirates transiting via Dubai.
 Rest stop in Dubai catered for by Dubai Kennels and Cattery on behalf of Emirates.
 All clearance fees due on arrival at Manchester.
 Delivery from Manchester airport to residence in Liverpool.

I can't say that Murphy loved the experience because he clearly didn't. We expected that though, he was always nervous just being in a car. His head was down when he arrived in his crate and he was very quiet for a week or so after arriving in Liverpool, but he picked up after that and was back to his old self. He enjoyed all his usual activities (eating, going for walks, sleeping, eating, eating) and all the new experiences including squirrels and snow.

Murph was almost 10 years old when we moved to the UK so we asked his regular vet for advice regarding his fitness to fly. If he'd advised against it, we wouldn't have gone. But he was very healthy and although the vet agreed that he probably wouldn't like the flights much, he said that he'd probably fret for a short time and then just go to sleep. Both he and the travel vet advised against any kind of sedative as it can depress breathing.

I entirely understand Rufus being your biggest concern, we were exactly the same. All I can say is that although putting Murphy in that crate and seeing him leave for the airport was really hard (husband had gone ahead to the UK to be there when he arrived), it all worked out fine in the end. Happy to answer any other questions if I can.

Edit of an Edit! Just checked the company's website, they're actually linked to a national company (excuse the advertising speak)
Pet Travel Clinic is Perth's only dedicated veterinary preparation service for pets travelling internationally, and as part of the Jetpets family we offer a complete pet travel service.
Our uniquely integrated service includes Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources accredited export veterinary preparation, and a complete pet travel service with Jetpets people and operations across the globe.
http://www.pettravelclinic.com.au/

freebo

^Thank you, that's really helpful. Tough to hear the dog was down when he got there, ours also is no fan of car rides, funny how similar GR's seem to be.

Rufus is currently 3 and will be 4 by the time we travel.

I'll check out your links and save your post as I may come back to you later.

Thanks again!

spouse of scouse

I should have explained a bit better, Murphy's head was drooping when he arrived, but when he saw my husband and I is was the full on 'it's you! where's my dinner?!'. When he got out of his crate it was the obligatory whizzies and almost knocking us over in his enthusiasm. I put his quietness in the first week down to unfamiliarity with the new house, as long as scouse or I were in the room with him he was fine.

After a couple of weeks he'd taken full guardianship of the house. Our front garden was a bit higher than street level, Murphy took to hiding behind the wall when he heard someone walking along the footpath then springing up and barking just as they drew level with him Everyone in the street knew him by then, and he was such a beautiful good natured dog that they forgave him for scaring the shite out of them.

Rufus is only young, he'll weather the trip better than Murph did. Honestly, he'll be fine.

Goldies are almost clones of each other, I'm convinced of it

lins and Stef McLachlan

Personally, I would take her on the plane. When I flew my Lab in 2010, she showed absolutely NO signs of any stress, I think when they are travelling they get bored and go to sleep....she was certainly very sleepy when we picked her up. No-one was on her flight. My husband dropped her off at Heathrow four hours before her 8am flight. I picked her up from Windsor Ontario airport at 4.30pm. Not only had she landed in Toronto, but she had been put on another flight to Windsor. Showed no signs of stress and she didnt have jet lag either, I think because she slept through most of it.

However, given the age of your dog, you need to be prepared for the unlikely case that she might not make it, but not because of stress and trauma, but simply because it was her time and if that happened you couldnt blame yourself for wanting her with you. Thats the downside of having an old dog, you never know when. So sorry I had to add that, wasnt meant to upset in any way......just needing to talk about the what if scenario.

excpomea

Our plans for returning involve a transatlantic cruise aboard Queen Mary 2.
Our 2 dogs will travel with us on the ship.
Should be a stress free journey.
Getting from Florida to NY, that may be a different experience for them both.

Reply

lins and Stef McLachlan

We did look at this when we came here in 2010, but space is limited and the spots had sold out well in advance. Fast forward ten years, can I ask how far in advance you booked and how much it cost for you and your family to travel...presumably one way? How many of you and how much per dog. I do know that they have their own kennel staff and a whole deck to themselves, so travel in doggie luxury. Going into Southampton appeals as that is my ‘home’ area. What was the difference between the sail v fly option?
Thank you fir your reply.