tracyandneil

Hello

We are in the very early stages of exploring the E2 visa route- more posts on that to follow!

We would like to take our dogs with us if we go. We would be re-locating to Montana and the nearest airport is Calgary, in Canada. That's where we normally fly into.

We are just trying to work out if we can all fly into Calgary and enter the US via the land border or whether we fly to Seattle and enter there. Also if we fly to Seattle it isn't a direct flights so we may have the dogs follow us after a couple of weeks- again could we pick them up from Calgary and cross the border with them? I am not sure if that would be a problem with the E2 visa- I assume there are no travel restrictions?

Sorry for all the questions still to come! I am not sure whether to just post one very large post with all the questions on it or separate ones...!

Again thank you to all the members on this forum- you have always been very helpful and honest in our responses!!! Invaluable advice....

Thanks

Wintersong

I've never done it, but it's apparently relatively easy to cross the land border with a pet, so long as you have a rabies vaccination certificate.

If it were me, I would probably fly into Seattle simply to avoid complications, but I have zero personal experience and it's highly likely that it's actually completely straightforward.

If you're only in the early stages of exploring the visa, it might be best to wait a while before getting bogged down in the details!

sherbert

Wherever you fly into, you'll need to check regarding weather restrictions. Many airports do not allow the transport of pets during months with extreme temperatures (low/high). Some may allow the transport of pets as cargo (and not as baggage) during these months, but some also just have a blanket ban on it.

Also, your budget will be relevant. Are you paying yourself (do it cheaply by sending the dogs as baggage) or if you have money to spend/relocation budget, look into a pet transport company doing the relocation for you.

We flew NL > LA with our dog as baggage (about US200 one way). It was very easy (all you need is a rabies certificate which no one looked at for more than a second - it is more work and expense to take your dog from Europe to the UK). But I found it incredibly stressful and upsetting (first and only time we have put him on a plane). I would not recommend flights with a stopover as it only adds stress for you and the animals.

I'm sure driving over the border with the dogs is just as easy as flying in. But you'll need to check the requirements for bringing the dogs to Canada and make sure you comply with those as well as with the US ones.

In the end it all worked out fine: the dog was in shock on arrival and was a bit odd for a few weeks after but soon got back to his normal self. All dogs react differently.

tracyandneil

Hi

Thank you for the responses, very useful.

We are really having a good think about whether we bring our old
Lab with us- he's 12, deaf and suffering from old age ailments. He's still happy in himself and loves a long walk still. Not sure whether a 9hr flight will be too much for him, followed by a 6hr drive plus stop at the border crossing. It would be heart breaking to leave him behind but we need to do what is best for him. :-(

Twinkle0927

BA fly direct from London to Seattle as do Delta (until late March) and Virgin (from late March, taking the slot from Delta).

tracyandneil

Thank you for the informative responses!

sherbert- I hadn't considered the weather implications! Thank you for pointing it out.

I will also look into Delta and BA for the direct flights.

Pulaski

I hate to be so blunt, but if your lab is already 12 (and a bit?) he likely won't be around by the time you have gathered all your evidence, prepared and filed your visa applications, obtained your visas, packed up, and are actually ready to move.

tracyandneil

Blunt is fine by me. That has occurred to us.....at the moment he's doing quite well. But I do think that such a long journey and then settling in at this age is a lot for an old dog. He likes his routine now.....

sherbert

If your dear old dog is deaf, then that's one stress factor less for him to deal with on the journey (the noise out on the runway/in the airport is incredible). If he is in good overall health even despite his age then I'd still try to bring him with you (he will more than likely adapt better being with you even with all the upheaval than being left with someone else and pining for his humans). But that's just my opinion - my dog is 7 now and I worry that by the time we are ready to leave the US, I may be in the same position as you now. But for me, leaving without him is not an option unless a vet deemed him too unwell to fly. There are a few threads on here that talk about all the different options (cargo vs baggage/self organising vs pet relocation company etc) and I am sure there are others who have brought aged animals along. Good luck whatever you decide!