Whatshername

Hello, I am new to this site so please make allowances for me. My husband and have lived in the US since 1978, and are planning to move back to the UK next June or July for a year or two, maybe longer.

We have loads of questions. The first question is regarding our dog. We called a pet service and they wanted an arm and a leg to ship her home. Can anyone recommend a good service (reasonably priced) - or how difficult is it to do this without a service. HELP PLEASE !!

I am originally from Devon, and my husband is from Brighton, we are hoping to go back to Devon or Cornwall. Exciting, but scary !!

Thanks

Sue

Hi and welcome to BE.

I've moved your thread into our Moving Back To The UK forum. We've got lots of people who are moving back so I'm sure you will pick up a few tips from them. Also read through the other threads and the wiki as I know we've had others post about their experiences of moving pets.

paulpur

dont know of any pet shipping companies but there are quite a few different stories in this forum about others who have used different companies , but i just wanted to say that in January the DEFRA regulations are changing which will make it easier and less time consuming to ship your pet into the UK from various countries including the US so it might be worthwhile having a look at the new regulations and sorting your pets trip yourself

here is the thread with the new regulations in it http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=723046

Whatshername

Thanks, I will check it out.

JAJ

You've not told us if you're US citizens or not - but if you haven't got citizenship, you need to obtain this before you leave, if you want to keep open the option to return to the USA. Otherwise you run a strong risk of losing your green cards.

formula

It looks like the so called 'banned breeds' will be allowed into England and Wales too, if the Dog Control Bill (going through Parliament) gets made law. This Bill will also tackle the problem we have with dogs who are aggressive to other dogs or other animals.

Control of dogs

No person shall—

(a) allow a dog for which they are responsible to be aggressive or
dangerously out of control, in either a public or a private place;

(b) encourage a dog to be aggressive or to intimidate people or other animals;

(e) keep a dog that has attacked a person or another animal.

Control notices
(1)
If an officer of a police force or local authority is of the opinion that a person is failing to comply with section 2, but the dog in question has not yet been
involved in an attack, the officer may serve on the person responsible for the
dog a control notice

(3)
It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this Act to
prove that—

(a) the dog was provoked into an attack;

(b) the attack was in self-defence;

(c) the dog was a service dog; or

(d) the attack was on a trespasser.

http://www.publications.parliament.u...09009.i-i.html

Whatshername

Thanks for the input. We are US citizens and have been for several years.

I have been checking out the new rules, and it looks as if it should be pretty easy todo the paperwork, etc., ourselves.

fulwood

one option is QM2 as well..

Whatshername

Good idea, but we would prefer to fly, get it over and done with !!!! Also, I know we will be eager to get down to Devon and start enjoying the moors.

nun

As you are US citizens one of the big issues with returning to the UK will be your taxes. There are lots of threads on here about it, but the most basic thing to know is that a 1040 will be due each year and make sure you file an FBAR form if your overseas accounts are large enough.

Whatshername

You guys are awsome, thank you for all the advice. I think we have done most of our homework, but it is still good to get your input just in case there is something we have missed.

Really looking forward to returning home, after all this time. We go back once a year to see family and friends so we do have a feel for some of the changes, but living there will be different.