mctraill

Hey Guys
I am going to be travelling back to the Uk with my dog in April using Continential Airlines. I was wondering what happens to my dog once I land in Heathrow, is she taken off site and let out of her kennel into a run so she can go potty and walk around, or is she kept at Heathrow in her crate until we pick her up..

I called the airline 4 times to check prices and each time I call they tell me something different so I was just wondering as I know some of you have taken dogs back.

One user on this site was really, really helpful on the DEFRA information, so I am good to go on that side but was wondering realistically how long my dog will have to stay in her kennel once we arrive in UK...

Thanks

dunroving

As far as I know, yes, she will be let out, taken care of etc. All the paperwork takes several hours - I made the mistake of going to the Animal Reception Center straight from the plane and was sitting around for ages (and the ARC isn't exactly large or well-equipped with amusements or refreshments). Take yourself to a decent restaurant for a couple of hours.

J.J

Hi, your questions are understandable, we were nervous, not sure what to expect either and aware we get only one pass at this event.

We brought a cat back recently from US through Heathrow, cats and dogs go through the same procedure and facilities.

The whole thing is arranged by the airline, you need do nothing more than make the air cargo booking. Instructions / directions were provided by the airline in the booking confirmation.

When the plane pulls to the gate the Animal Collection vehicle is there and animals are immediately taken from the plane and removed to the Animal Reception Center. At the Center the animals are let out of the cage to stretch legs and get a meal.

You simply de-plane as usual, go through Customs and Immigration and make your way to the Animal Reception Center.
The center is not a walkable distance, being off-airport so you need transport, hire-car or friend, taxi would be troublesome and expensive because there is a wait at the Center. We picked up a hire car which used up quite a bit of the wait time.

Once at the center, ring the bell, present your papers, take a seat on a couch along with all the other nervous parents. We waited only about 30 mins before our cat was brought through to us in his crate.

His paperwork was returned to us, duly stamped.
TIP, is best if original documents are retained double sided where appropriate, rather than separate pages, for the purposes of rubber stamping.

Apparently the water bowl had sloshed some water out and soaked his mattress so the kind staff had taken it out, partly dried it and handed to us in a bag having lined his crate with paper.

So the whole process of getting your pet through is about 3 to 4 hours they say, much of that will be used in you getting through and to the Center.

Re: flight reservation. Number of animals is limited and so it is best to book your pet first then book yourselves on the same flight. Yes, pet flight costs vary like that of humans, have you spoken directly to Continental cargo ?

dunroving

I guess it must depend on how many animals are coming in at the same time, because we were sat in the ARC for close to 4 hours.

mctraill

Thanks guys for your replies its good to know she will be let out, I was thinking she would have to be in her crate for close to 18 hours if not and thats a long time.

I have spoken to Continental pet travel desk, one lady was really nice she even went over the defra process, others not so helpful..

I wasnt sure how I would go about making sure my dog is on the same flight as me, but I guess I need to talk to the pet desk again, book my dog and then as you say book myself...

I take it I am allowed to put her usual crate bed in but no toys, is she allowed to wear her collar?

Thanks again for your replies...

Mummy in the foothills

If you go to youtube and search for episodes of BBC airport you can see the animal reception centre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtj1B...eature=related
I think this set of shows has the animal centre in, in the second part of this episode. They are in lots of them, receiving cats and dogs and other wild animals too and sending them on to other flights.

mctraill

Excellent...just what I wanted to see...perfect...

Thanks

J.J

yes, thats it, book your pet with cargo, then book yourself through the passenger agent for the same flight.

Seems that the airline designate one or two nice people to be the pet experts, the not so knowledgeable may be agents for other type of cargo.

In crate, yes, a comfortable mattress that would not be torn up by the pet.
But no toys, no collar, no food, just a secured water container, and no sedation.

Authorities are keen that your pet will not harm itself with any loose items in the crate.
Seems cruel to deprive of food but they come to no harm being a bit hungry while otherwise they could, unlikely but potentially choke on food when unattended during the flight.

Pets confined in the near-dark with no distraction will just settle and sleep through.

Copies of the documents are attached in an envelope to the crate and ID attached, and the door is secured with a tie-tag.

Be sure the crate is of regulation size and construction, on check-in they check that the pet can sit without height restriction.

Pauljarv

What the above poster said. My wife dropped off a bag of stuff for the dog which the guy at Heathrow actually picked up. He did complain and say the person at the departure airport would be in trouble but just a mattress, no collar, etc. I assume they want to avoid anything the dog may choke on.

It may sound a bit stark but our dog came out and you'd never realise he'd been on a plane he was as happy as ever. They say 4 hours for the paperwork and that sounds right. We rang up an hour after the flight and they said they were ahead of schedule, when we got there the schedule had caught up and we ended up waiting there a couple of hours! It's all very organised though and the dog is let out and given food and water.

dunroving

Depending on the airline, you may want to book your own ticket first, and then the dog (unless you want to pay full fare for your ticket).

With BA cargo, they wouldn't take a cargo booking for my dog until something like 28 days prior to the flight date. Usually at that point, people tickets are no longer available at discount proces. The BA agent told me it would be highly unusual for the flight to be overbooked with dogs, as long as you call 28 days prior (i.e., don't wait until the week before).

Of course if money isn't an issue, you would book the dog in first and then take your chances on how much your ticket will be.

Also, these things seem to change constantly and so your best source of up-to-date, accurate advice is the airlines and DEFRA themselves, not this site. We are great for support and personal experiences and in most cases provide accurate information, but you should always follow up by checking with the officials.

Matteo

Once you get your vet to fill out the forms, then you have to visit a USDA official for your state. Probably can find out that information online. I would suggest faxing the paperwork to the USDA vet for review before you get all the way there and they note some type of error.

All animal must have complete papers from their vet before they go the other country. They should have check and stayed quarantine for safety.

dunroving

Depending on how far away the nearest USDA vet is, you can also courier the forms to them (that's what I did).

mctraill

Do I have to actually visit the USDA vet as I think the one for Texas is in Austin which I think is at least 2 - 3 hour drive one way...and do I have to take my dog or are they just verifying the paperwork?

mctraill

Thank you to you all for your help, I feel much better knowing that she will be let out at the other end...

dunroving

No, that's what I was saying in my previous post - you can send via FedEx, for example. You will need to include a return prepaid envelope (I think you can arrange this to be a FedEx type service, also).

When I did it, I called the USDA vet ahead of time so she knew to expect it, and she kindly called me to let me know she had received it, countersigned it, and returned it.

Your dog does not need to be present, in fact I'm not really sure what is the reason behind it all except maybe as a money-generating venure (and maybe for the USDA vet to make suure there is no cock-up in the paperwork). How much does it cost these days? (I think when I did it, the vet signature cost about $75 and FedEx about another $25).