Traveling with Pets
My husband and I are considering bringing our dog with us when we vacation in Scotland & Wales this coming summer. I have done a good deal of research on getting our dog TO the UK under the PETS scheme, but have found very little information on getting our dog home. Has anyone taken Fido with them to the UK - and was it worth the trouble and cost? Thanks!
Greta
Dallas, TX USA 10/29/09
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Not sure if you are asking how to fly Fido home or how hard it is for them to re-enter the USA again without a passport. Hope this link helps.
Bringing Your Pet With You to the U.S.
The U.S. Public Health Service requires that pet dogs and cats brought into this country be examined at the first port of entry for evidence of diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Dogs coming from areas not free of rabies must be accompanied by a valid rabies vaccination certificate.
Yes-
We are from the US and just wanting to take the dog to the UK for two weeks with us while we vacation. Continental Airlines said I had to work with a pet shipping company in the UK in order to book passage for the dog back to the US at the end of the trip, and I was curious about this aspect and how much it might cost to work with a shipping agent in the UK.
Perhaps you were talking to a Continental passenger rep. You might want to call CO's Live Animal Specialists "PetPass" at 1.800.575.3335 or 281.553.5052. They can help you with shipping your pooch both ways via air cargo.
Here are their Rates for pets using Petsafe Quickpak. They range from $250-$850 (depending on weight) from Europe to the USA, one way. And for others thinking of taking along their best friend to the UK remember...
England requires that your pet be micro chipped and undergo a blood titer test. They also require that it be treated for Echinococcus and for ticks and tapeworms. I tried the Pet Travel Store for lots of information about shipping pets US and internationally.
Hmm.. I did speak with the PetSafe people. Perhaps they misunderstood what I was asking. Thanks for the rate info. Unfortunately there are about $500 worth of fees that you have to pay the UK on top of the shipping cost. I'm curious if there are US fees on top of shipping cost on the return route.
I didn't see anything about fees on returning to the States from the Federal site.
You would imagine for several hundreds of dollars to fly your dog they would pick up Fido in a chauffeured car and deliver him to air cargo for you.
My understanding the way this works, you pack up your pet in the crate, with all the shots and papers. Deliver him to the air cargo facility, and then race over to the terminal at LHR for your flight. Did that a couple of times since my pooch was too big to check as baggage.
Heathrow has a "Pet Reception Centre" that you have probably have all ready dealt with for the arrival of your pet.
As for cost, is it worth $600+++ to have your pet with you for two weeks? That would buy a lot of love from an in-home sitter or kennel back home. We leave our dogs with the in-laws, and that means driving 400 miles and leaving from another airport.
If you go to General and look under Dogs in Europe there is a list of everything you have to do to take a dog in the UK. There is a lot involved. You have to get your dog mircochip 6 months prior to leaving~the mircochip has to meet ISO standards and typically the ones in the US doesn't so you have to take your own mircochip reader with you......if the mircochip can't be read in the UK your dog will have to go into quaratine. Your dog will need a rabies shot after getting mircochiped. Plus has to have blood test and those have to be sent to a lab that is recognized by the UK. Then the dog has to tested for ticks and worms 24/48 hrs before traveling. You need to take all this paperwork with you. Like I said go to General and read it, you will get all the details.