Nappster

Hey there,

Looks like I'm taking the plunge and heading back to the UK in the Spring after 6 years in the US, and have a couple questions about dog freight!

I rescued her from the shelter in LA in December 2013 where I had her chipped, rabies shots and speyed, but just wanted to check that the USA is DEFINITELY regarded as a 'listed non-EU country' and therefore doesn't need the blood work and 3 month wait?

The DEFRA web page is a little confusing..

https://www.gov.uk/pet-travel-inform...#documentation

Plus, can anyone recommend a cheap option to get her back from LAX>LON?

Am getting a quote from an animal freight firm but I have also read that you can get much better rates dealing directly with the airline..

Any help would be most appreciated!

britwhore

There aren't really any cheap options to fly into London. I would suggest Virgin as they have the best track record. You have to call them directly and sadly you have to speak to their office in London which means calling really early in the morning LA time!!!

A lot of the American airlines offer "excess baggage" for dogs - but you can't use that option to travel into the UK and as a dog owner I wouldn't recommend it. Too many horror stories!

There is no blood work and 3 month wait. I believe it's 21 days. It's been a while since I did the paperwork. If you do a search in this forum there are a ton of posts about it. I didn't use a dog shipping company as the paperwork is pretty self explanatory as long as you read everything carefully and fill out properly. By doing all the work yourself you'll save money.

Good luck!

MoshiMoshi

How big is your dog? That will affect the price

BA and Virgin are both great, and fly directly LAX-LHR.

Expect it to be very expensive. If an airline quotes you a price that doesn't make you wince, check it's correct! Pets must fly into LHR as 'manifest cargo', which costs a lot more than excess baggage (even though they're transported in the same place on the plane -- the pressurized and temperature-controlled section of the hold). Sometimes the airline sales clerk won't realize this, and will quote you the lower price band, leading to a nasty surprise later.

You usually pay the final pet ticket price at the airport, as they will measure and weigh the pet in his container.

Make sure whether the price includes landing fees at Heathrow. BA generally include it, but I don't think Virgin do. IIRC that's a couple of hundred pounds.

If you can face flying into Europe and getting the train or ferry home, that often works out cheaper, because pets can fly into Europe at excess baggage rates. This is sometimes a quarter or a third of the manifest cargo price. The paperwork is the same.

The paperwork is a bit annoying, but you can definitely do it yourself. Make sure your vet is on board; things like vaccine numbers and microchip dates have to be done very diligently, as everything is heavily scrutinised. You'll need to take the paperwork to the USDA office in Hawthorne to be endorsed pre-flight. Then it will be checked by the airline at check-in, and finally it'll be checked by the vets at Heathrow. Be aware that you may have to redo the rabies shot before you go, depending on how well the original vaccination was documented, and whether it's clear that it was given after the dog was microchipped. It's important to show that the animal was microchipped first, vaccinated second. General advice is to not have the pet chipped and vaccinated on the same day, as that makes the order ambiguous.

The Animal Reception Centre (ARC) at Heathrow will examine your pet and paperwork on arrival. They are really, really nice and helpful, and if you have any queries about your paperwork beforehand then email them.

MoshiMoshi

BTW, we used Santa Monica Pet Medical centre for our paperwork and pre-flight health check. They were fantastic -- they have tons of experience with this -- but very pricey.

On the other hand, our previous vet was cheap but made an awful mess of the paperwork, so we were happy to pay for peace of mind!

Nappster

Thanks! V helpful.

I got a quote of $1500 from LAX>LON so far from British Airways.

Englishmum

You should take a look at the thread "QM2 booked -again!" (see link below).

There is an expat (Britwhore) who currently lives in Los Angeles and is returning to the UK with her dogs on the Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton.

She's already been on this route with her dogs (in Aug 2012) and returned to LA, but flew with them. Britwhore is moving back to the UK again and has booked her dogs on the QM2; it is much, much cheaper than flying as a passenger with dogs across the pond (apparently around $600 per dog). You don't pay the airline taxes of course, but there are port fees which I seem to recall were about $49. Considering that you can eat all day long if you wish, get a nice comfy bed and shower, entertainment and no jet-lag it's a great way to move back to the UK. It is well worth considering.

Also there is unlimited luggage on the ship, as long as it will fit into your (roomy) cabin and you can go and see your dog(s) up in the kennels each day. She is going to drive coast-to-coast too, so that's an adventure in itself!

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...-again-845385/

daisy09

I have shipped my dog from Newark to Heathrow, (Continental, 3 yrs ago), and Heathrow to Newark (Virgin), two months ago. In each case the airlines were very good (the Virgin people in London were super, cargo people in Newark less so, but it worked). Anyway, her fare was comparable to mine, travelling economy (me) and cargo (her), in each case. I must say this is the first I have heard people talking about the QM, and I like the idea of that.

dunroving

That seems very reasonable (depending on the size of the dog). It cost me £1500+ (yes, British pounds) in 2006 to fly a 55lb Labrador from DC to LHR.

daisy09

Are those folk being quoted more than a people-fare paying someone to handle all the shipping and documents? I had a quote of $2000 to do it for me, but handled it myself and it was a couple of vet visits and blood tests, and a few phone calls, and her fare (she is 22 pounds in a medium sized create ($650 in 2011 and GBP 610 in 2014).