callé

Hi Leslie.
My Cocoa is 9 years old . He will be 10 in October (about the time we leave). and hes also a very nervous thing. Literally scared to death of loud noises! It worries me about the stress it will cause him in cargo. I havent heard back from Cunard yet but I e-mailed DEFRA just a little while ago to make sure. I am waiting to hear from them as well and I will post my findings.
I sure am glad I am not the only one that feels this way!
calle

jackpetj

We recently moved back from Texas with our Welsh Springer (2yr old from NY)
It is useful to find a vet with some prior knowledge of the pet passport scheme. Living in Houston with a large expat community we found an excellent vet without too much trouble. Once they have experienced at least one successful application and shipment they should be reliable.
One crucial thing is to get the worm shot withn 24 hrs of travelling.
We flew with Continental who provided a superb service and were able to give good advice in their own right (try Continental in Houston as they are very experienced - they even have an air conditioned pet area so they can ship throughout the year without the problem of temperature restrictions).
We picked our dog up at Gatwick and were concerned about how he coped - he was so laid back it wasn't true. I'm sure he slept the entire journey and had a better trip than we did!
Good luck!
Rgds
PJ

Tiaribbon

Just to let you know that I flew my dogs and cat over from the UK to Canada in December. One dog is 2 years old and the other is 12 years old, and both loved being at the airport and getting all the attention as they were allowed to walk around on leads right up until they went to board. When I went to board the plane, my dogs were waiting in their kennels just about to be loaded on and they saw me and looked perfectly happy. When I collected them in Toronto baggage hall they were completely unperturbed by what they had just been through........so it is not true that they are all affected by it. Even my cat who is scared to go outside was perfectly happy with life in her little skykennel.

Just one other pointer about taking your dog into the UK, I guess you already know that you have to have the blood tests done 6 months before you are issued with the passports. If under 6 months then your dog will have to stay in quarantine in the UK for 6 months.

dunroving

Really? I thought they just had to wait out the remaining time - so if they are 4 months into the Pet Passport process, they are quarantined for 2 months ... anyone have experience of this?

callé

Thanks for that Tiaribbon. I need to hear reassuring stories.
An update to those interested in sailing...
I spoke to someone at Cunard They are equipped and able to transport pets to the UK. They have kennels and cost $500.00 for dogs and $300.00 for cats. they are walked regularly and you may visit whenever but you are not allowed to take them back to your cabin. But... I spoke to someone at DEFRA. they are not an official route YET. If and when that changes they will notify me.

psb182

from the defra site it says exactly what you said......6 months and if you return after 5 then the pet has to do his time in quarantine but only the final month

Tiaribbon

Yes it is the remaining time in quarantine, didn't realise you were already 4 months into the process - sorry I didn't mean to freak you out, it was just bad wording on my part.

dunroving

No you're OK, I didn't even start yet - I was just thinking that others on the board were partway through the process. My "4 months in" was just an example.

Tiaribbon

You aren't from Scotland or Yorkshire by any chance? Something in the way you wrote that post stirs fond memories, LOL!!

Anyway I shouldn't worry too much about your animals flying. My 2 year old is an incredibly hyper Springer x Collie and my 12 year old is an arthritic, geriatric Border Collie and my cat is agrophobic.............and all of them travelled with no problems. I even flew my pony over and she suffered no ill effects either. I was the most worried person in the world before I did it, but it was so uneventful that I would have absolutely no hesitation in flying them elsewhere if need be. Please don't worry everyone.

dunroving

Actually, I was in Glasgow for all of 2000, but originally from Birmingham (or should I say "Buuuuurmingham"). Loved every day of that year. My dog must have covered thousands of miles of Scottish hillsides in just 6 months.

Suzy (my dog) has been across the Atlantic twice already, with no probs. First time, she went through 6 months quarantine at Milton SPCA (Glasgow), got through the process with flying colors. But I'd never do it again - too much stress for ME! Before I go back for good I'll have the whole Pet Passport thing sorted out.

Tiaribbon

Yes quite right. I have no intention of ever returning to the UK however I will always keep my pets' passports up and running just in case!!

I originally come from just outside of Edinburgh, but haven't lived there for over 20 years, still noticed that you have a tiny twang from there from your year. Where are you hoping to settle once you get back? And why are you leaving this side of the pond?

dunroving

I'd like to be back in Scotland as I really liked it there last time. The Glasgow area would definitely suit me again, though Dundee is another option (I'm pretty restricted to towns with universities that have a department in my subject area).

I'm going back because I accomplished what I came here for, professionally. I'd have stayed there in 2000, but the job I interviewed for ended up being a very different reality when I got there. I had the opportunity to take the job I now have in NC, and took it while I had the chance. I love my job here and have accomplished a lot in 4 years, but it just isn't home. I'll likely head back next summer (as INS will be kicking me out around about then anyway!) I know Suzy will be grateful - she went from having the Scottish hills as her back yard to, well, my back yard (and a very small wooded area in my neighborhood). I know she'll go wild to run free again.

Tiaribbon

Aww sounds like you are both ready to go back. How nice to move with nice memories of both the place you are leaving and the place you are moving on to. I wish you well - and Suzy will have a blast back in Scotland, I used to have a dog when I lived in the States and they don't really have this dog ownership thing right IMO. My UK dogs have grown up in pubs.............a far cry from the healthy fresh air life they lead here on our farm in Canada, LOL!!

Hope your move goes smoothly and that you enjoy being back.

Englishmum

Here's the list of approved airlines and airports in the US where pets can be transported back to the UK:

http://www.britainusa.com/sections/index.asp?i=111

(There is also a seperate list for charter airlines but unless you're a mega-rich celebrity I guess you won't be paying to charter your own plane LOL!)

Calle!!! I noticed that Britannia Airways transports pets from that less busy airport in Orlando (Sanford) which I guess mostly caters to Brits and people on package tours going to visit Disney. Perhaps you can check out their restrictions and prices if you haven't already booked and paid for flights with Virgin Atlantic?

http://www.britanniaairways.com/Spla...TOKEN=61165867

callé

Hi Englishmum!
Yes I saw that on the approved flights. I just havent been able to find anyone who has flown with Brittania and just want to get some knowledge of how they treat pets. It certainly would be easier. Sanford is about 20 or 30 minutes closer and its quieter I'm sure than Orlando. And they fly into Manchester which would be closer to the Midlands than Heathrow or Gatwick. If you know of anybody that has flown pets with them could you please find out how they liked them?
I wont be booking the flights for a few months yet. So it still gives me some time to try to find out more. Thanks for your help!