Tanja87

Hello
Sorry, I'm gonna be on here with a lot of questions over the next weeks/months I think
We are set to move from the UK to Connecticut in late May and I'm starting to look into taking our family dog with us... From what I can tell, we should be able to take her on the same flight that we will be taking (in with the hold luggage.... We'll most likely end up flying British Airways or American Airlines)
Has anyone done this recently and got any advice on how to do this?
Ive tried to email the department of agriculture in CT to find out about what we need to bring her in but the email address they provide online isn't valid.... Do I call the state veterinarian directly? Provided their contact details are up to date....
Any advice appreciated

Nutmegger

Welcome to CT! Presumably you will be flying into JFK in NYS, but you need to look at federal regulations, not the state of CT. Your airline should also be able to give you information as to what is needed for the trip. This may help:

Importing pets to US

Basically, living in CT your dog will need the rabies shot (you will need confirmation of this to register your pet annually with your town), annual shots for DHLP (or whatever combination of letters they are using these days!), Lyme disease, and monthly dosage for heartworm and flea and tick prevention.

If you do a forum search, you will find a number of threads regarding people flying in their pets. Good luck!

Tanja87

Thank you so much for your reply Nutmegger! (btw "deep in the woods of CT" sounds lovely )

You are so right - I hadn't considered the fact that we'd be flying into NYS and not CT, thank you! I have a lot to learn yet, thank goodness for forums

Nutek

debdes

Hi we recently moved over with our dog with virgin and it was easy we went to our vet and got a pet passport you need to get a rabies shot a month before you leave for us y you don't need passport for us but it helps also if you return it helps we dropped out dog off at virgin cargo and they did the rest we collected her at Atlanta when we arrived just showed having a record that was it hope this helps

Tanja87

Hi Nutek Can't wait to get there!

Tanja87

Thank you for your response debdes! So you didn't need to get a health certificate or anything? From what I read that's what we *should* need along with the rabies shot. She has a passport but it's Latvian cause ethics where she's originally from but im hoping so long as all her shots are up to date that won't be an issue So did you need to call the airline and add the dog to your booking? Sounds ideal the way you did it and it's what we were hoping to be able to do - just drop her off with our luggage and then pick her up at our destination...

debdes

Hi sorry yes we did need to get her checked by the vet a week before we left we flew with virgin so we had to contact their pet department and they told us what flight to book as the don't fly pets at weekends just check with your airline but it was very easy we dropped her off then went and booked ourselves in and we flew to Atlanta so at the other end just went to virgin cargo to pick her up

Nutmegger

Once you arrive, do get her onto heartworm and flea and tick protection right away, and get a Lyme shot (if, of course, she doesn't already have all of them). Last fall was really brutal for ticks around here, and there's no reason not to think they won't be back in full force this spring. Two of my dogs tested positive for contact with anaplasmosis this winter, but happily don't actually have the disease. May I be nosy and ask what part of CT you are coming to?

Tanja87

Ah ok, cool! Lots of things to think about and consider, thank you so much

Tanja87

Ok, great! Thanks for the advice and I'm glad your dogs are ok! What kind are they, if you don't mind me asking? We have a dachshund (or shall I say Wiener dog )

We are looking at places like Ridgefield (I quite like the idea of being a bit further inland as we're right on the south coast here in the UK and I miss being near the woods....! Plus I'm sooo tired of it always being windy ) We are also considering the route along Stamford, Norwalk, perhaps Weston or Easton. Hubby will be working right in NYC so wer're trying to stay within a comfortably commutable range for him. Good schools are important too as we have 2 kids as well..... I have never actually been to CT so I have no idea what to expect lol! Can't wait for our reccie but it's obviously starting to get a bit stressful here already trying to find out everything we need to know and getting our ducks in a row.....

Mind if I'm a bit nosey? Where are you in CT? And how do you like it? Anything you wish you'd known before moving out there?

steveq

Try nearer Danbury for the commuter trains ?

Nutmegger

I would heartily recommend Ridgefield, though the commute might be a bit much for your OH. Has he spoken to his future colleagues about where they commute from? I lived in Ridgefield for 12 years, then moved next door to Redding, then to Newtown. Ridgefield has excellent schools (though that can be said for most towns in Fairfield County), a pretty main street, a nice sprinkling of Colonial history, and a top-flight art museum. A lot of execs from area multi-nationals, like IBM, live there.

Weston and Easton are both nice, a little more rural than Ridgefield, but depending on which part of the towns, could be closer to the New Haven Metro-North train line for commuting into NYC. At the high school level, Easton shares a school district with Redding. Another option might be New Canaan, a lovely place but perhaps more expensive. (By the way, no local public transport around here, a station car for your OH and a car for you will be a must.) I lived in NYC for over a decade before moving to CT, but I do recall that when I first came to the US, I was amazed at what beautiful countryside there was right outside NYC -- you will certainly find lots of woodland!

I have standard poodles (allergic OH necessitates a hypoallergenic dog!) -- and have just returned from their Saturday walk in the woods. And what have I found on my white girl's coat? A tick! Drat, they're out already!!! I can't stress enough how important it will be to ensure your little guy's protection against these darn things. (And I can recommend a good vet in Ridgefield!)

Nutmegger

The Danbury line's Branchville station is actually in an area of Ridgefield.

tht