DonnaT

Hi,

Has anyone flown to America with your dogs? Or, does anyone have any experience with shipping them. We are in the midst of trying to figure out what to do with them and just want some suggestions.

Thank You,

D

Caro

Patrick shipped his cat. He dedicated a thread to Harry's (the cat) transportation a couple of weeks ago. So, if you do a search, you should be able to get some info.

Caroline

gonecountry

www.airpets.com

are collecting our dog and cat from our house on Tuesday and boarding them , filling out the export /import papers vets certificate etc. They are booked onto the same flight as us on Friday and we just collect them from the cargo office when we get there... well i hope its that easy i don't suppose for a second that it will be!
Ginny

darrenb

ladyhaye.co.uk facilitate all pet shipping for Continental Airlines. We are using them to ship our three cats. So far they seem very freindly and professional. Its costing us £750 but thats because Figgis is one fat b*stard

For that they do just about everything.

207lonsdale

The QE2 sails from Southampton to New York and charges approx £350.00 per dog. This is an option for those who do not want to take the risk associated with their pets having to travel in the cargo hold of a plane.

Kem & I plan to take this 6 day cruise together and then travel from NY to CA.

Just Jenney

When we returned to the States after a two-year stint in Chile in 1997, we brought our dog back with us.

Just a couple of comments on our dog-transporting experience:

1) The "export permit" may just be a way for your govt to squeeze some extra bucks out of you. We had to get one of these, too. It cost about $20 and a huge headache of a trip to the airport (30 miles away with no car). As it turned out, no one at the airport in Santiago asked for it. In fact, when we showed it to the airline personnel, they said, "Oh, no -- you give that to the officials in the States." When we tried, though, we were told it meant nothing in the States, that it was something just for the Chilean govt. I'm not saying that this is definitely the case for every country, but it turned out to be a big waste of time/money for nothing.

2) DO NOT -- under ANY circumstances -- bring dog treats into the country with you!! At least not in your carry-on luggage!! We brought some along with us, just in case, and forgot about them being in our carry-on bag. When we got to Dallas, the Beagle Patrol sniffed our bag and sat down. Then the inspector gave us the third degree about why we were bringing "contraband" into the country!! DOG TREATS!! Luckily we escaped a fine because the treats were originally manufactured in the States and exported to Chile (we had the packaging they came in). Incidentally, they made such a fuss about the dog treats that they forgot to verify that Andie had been vaccinated for rabies.

3) We had a connecting flight from Dallas to DC. Since we had about a 3-hour layover, our plan was to find Andie, let her out from her crate to relieve herself, etc., then get her ready again for the final flight home. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. We asked the American Airlines staff where she was; no one seemed to know. They were very sincere but no one had a clue what was going on, least of all us. Finally, we are literally on the plane with the seat belts buckled, when the flight attendent tells us that American Airlines sent Andie on an earlier flight to DC without us!! They never asked our permission; they never checked that she met the health requirements. The poor dog was waiting at Dulles airport for 2-3 hours, alone, until we got there and let her out. The airport staff was too afraid to approach her (she's a 100lb Akita), so no one gave her any water or food, either. Ultimately Andie got home ok, but it was a very nerve-wracking experience for all of us. The moral is: Put CLEAR instructions on your dog's crate as to what airline/airport staff can and cannot do. If you don't want your dog being sent ahead of you, say so.

I'm not posting my experience to scare you, but rather to educate you. It never occured to us that dog treats would be a problem, or that Andie would be sent on ahead of us without our expressed permission. Now that I know these things happen, I know more of what to expect.

~ Jenney

DonnaT

Thanks for all the great ideas!! We were hoping to travel with the dogs as no one will be here on this end to retrieve them!
(and one is quite a coward)
Jenny,

I am glad that you told me about dog treats because my husband was going to try and bring over a bag of their normal food! Good Grief, that would have been awful.

One of the questions we have is, how much room does the dog need in the crate? The dog is not very big, but is a little tall. The crate that we have only gives him 3 inches or so when he is standing. But, the bigger size is for German Shepherds and such. He only ways 30 pounds.

Other than that form you mentioned, what else did you bring? We have his vaccination records, and a health certificate. Did you just take the dog with you to the checkin counter or take it somewhere else first?

Thanks,

Donna T

Dk767ua

I would check with your airline. They should be able to give you all the
information you need. Most airlines offer specific crates , if you can't bring
your own. If you do bring your own, make sure it is accepted by the specific
airline you are flying on. Don't get a crate too big, because your dog may end
up shifting around in it. He should be able to stand up straight in it (again
check with your airline)

good luck,

Katrin

p.s. I would also check with your local vet before travel, they may be able to
prescribe something to calm down your dog a little, in case he/she is not used
to air travel. Get your pooch used to loud noises ( i would start a couple of
weeks before travel) so he won't be completly freaked out.

darrenb

From my understanding whatever you transport your dog in must be big enough for them to stand up and fully turn around in.

As far as asking the vet to give your dog something to "calm down" I have heard that this is not recommended as having the animal suffering from any kind of disorientation can do more harm than good.

D

David Brown

My fiancé says she'll be happy to ride in the baggage compartment, she won't
even need much room, and the sooner the better!

We're too old to worry about much else. Since we only have a few years left
we'll settle for the 'dog shipping' method if it will speed things up!

gonecountry

airlines won't take a sedated dog.. they must be able to stand on their own- however so vitamin c for stress wouldn't hurt
Ginny

northspoon

Hi Ginny
I have tried to email you a couple of times but they keep getting sent back to me. any suggestions?...Lorna

Jan Alaska

I shipped my Jack Russell out to the US in October. He couldnt fly with us in May due to airline restrictions.
He was accompanied by my 18yr old son from London Heathrow to Detroit via Chicago. They flew American Airlines, he and his container cost a whopping £75.00 !!
I know British Airways has info on flying dogs on their website and that some airlines put a restriction on the time of year they'll fly animals (mainly due to temp).

Charlie arrived here happy and safe, my son said he was a little quiet when he visited him in Chicago but he was allowed out to take a walk around.

Hope this helps a bit

Jan

Jan Alaska

Oh Oh forgot to mention .....within a week of flying a letter from your vet certifing fitness to fly and a rabies jab too. !!

Jan

stevelisaw

What a lovely idea. Our Golden is more a part of the family than just a pet and if we ever decide to move back to the UK, will keep this option in mind. (Planning to visit over Christmas this year and already stressing about putting him in a kennel for 9 days.)