Has anyone moved a dog overseas?

[MacaYoniandCheese]

We're going to the Middle East in January and moving our dog is turning out to be quite complicated. Apparently she has to go on a separate flight and be handled by relocation peeps on either end . It's a thirteen hour flight from here so obviously I want to make the transition as smooth as possible for her (and us). The company is paying for it but I was shocked to discover that it's going to cost $4200 (CAD...£2600, I think). Anyone done this? Was your dog OK at the other end? Anyone decided to leave their dog behind?

Sorry, can't give any practical advice on the transport. I'd ask only whether you have thought through all the practicalities, eg will you have outside space, what are the average temperatures like in the place where you'll be living, what kind of acceptability is there of pet dogs, can you walk them easily? Maybe explain in a new thread title where you're going and ask if anyone else already there has/knows a dog.

I know several people who have moved their dogs from the US to the UK and all of have done so successfully and without too much trauma for the dogs.

I would, however, agree with Jkkipu. The actual journey isn't really the hard part, it's the living there that is important. I refused to move to Singapore last year as we wouldn't have been able to take our bulldog. There were more reasons than that, obviously, but that was the one that tilted the balance.

If you are moving to Doha, I would highly recommend Nicky at Qatar Pet Travel to manage your dog's move.

www.qatarpettravel.com/contact.html

Thanks so much for your replies.

jkklpu It's Dubai so it will be very, very hot for most of the year and is not the most dog-friendly place on earth from what I understand (ie; no off leash areas etc). We expect to have an ordinary house with some sort of garden though so she will have outdoor space and apparently there are lots of expat dogs and places to walk (leashed) around the neighbourhoods we are focussing on.

Thanks for the link, blackberrycrumble. Although we're not going to Qatar that service does seem to be very similar to the pet relocation people we've spoken to so far, so it seems that their practice is fairly standard. I like the picture of the Jack (Russell) -in-the-box .

Sorry! crumbleofblackberries not 'blackberry crumble'.

Dubai is not at all dog friendly .she will never be able to go off leash. There used to be suitable sandy spaces but gradually the spaces were all built on.

There are a lot of dogs there though. Kennels for the Summer break will be a problem unless you book very early. We had a live in housekeeper who was happy to stay with ours over holidays.

Between April and end Oct it will need to be walked before 8 am and after dark as the pavements and roads are too hot for their paws. We were lucky to have a large cool lawn but this will be unusual due to the costs of keeping it. ( special grass but still needed daily water for half the year. Villas tend to be large so there is plenty of cool indoor space.

It is worth using a professional mover ( you don't actually have to) because hiccups often happen and if a mover knows the officials they can smooth things and move them along. A mystery document, not listed in the instructions was demanded if us but our mover managed to get the dog out and to us. We moved the dog home ourselves - it is easier to deal with defra! Also, by then we knew the system and how to get things done there.

The dog will get used to it all but it is not ideal for them and it can be hard work for you. It is easier for a small breed of dog.

There are pet shops now and dog trainers who offer agility or training classes which can be a way to keep life interesting for a larger breed.

Do you have someone at home who might care for your dog for a while while you settle and find a house? You can use that time to decide whether having a dog is going to fit in with the life you lead.
It can work but unless you really want to take it, the dog is likely to have a better life if it stays behind in the uk.

Make sure you organise your pet passport before you leave and keep up to date with vaccinations. Dubai is part of the passport scheme so you can bring it home easily.

I would add that we timed it so that our dog arrived in November and left with us in jan.If they are unlucky and get stuck in their box on the Tarmac in the summer they won't last long.

The dogs in pet shops over there are from puppy farms. Here are a lot of abandoned and desert dogs. It's sad.

What breed is your dog? You may have problems with a snort nose dog in the heat. Eg. Shih Tzu

Its relatively easy as long as you get the Rabies vaccination. It isn't a hugely dog unfriendly place but check the banned breeds list.
I completely and utterly disagree that the last 9 years of my dog's life would have been better if he had stayed in the UK. We have lived in Dubai and Qatar (we are still in Doha) and he is perfectly happy.
There are loads of western vets in Dubai who will handle the importation, they do it all day every day. It is only Brits who leave their dogs behind, Americans, Europeans and Arabs tend to take their dogs everywhere with them.

My friend and her family emigrated to the States. They took their dog as Excess baggage. Cost them approx £200 rather than the £1200 or so that the official pet transporter companies wanted to charge.

Just make sure you do your research properly first with regards to vet requirements and crate etc.

I think that is not possible anymore Pesto. We brought our dog to the US and it cost an absolute fortune! I didn't go through a pet transport company, but did it myself through Virgin, they can't just be charged as excess baggage though as you are importing a live animal, so there are all kinds of considerations to take into account. They need pet passports (with all vaccines up to date) rabies certificate and a letter from vet saying they are fit to travel. Virgin were very thorough and helpful and the dog arrived as if he had just gone on a short car ride. He was on the same flight as me and I heard him barking at the baggage handlers when they opened the hold at JFK.

I used to work for the Cargo dept of a large airline. We dealt with all manner of animals being shipped overseas - domestic pets and larger zoo animals, endangered species and so on.

You will need lots of documentation and it's pricey. A lot of customers tended to use an agent who liaised with the airline on their behalf, which ensured that the correct procedures were followed, right containers for the species were used and so on.

There are risks associated with animals flying and not all arrive at their destination alive - sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the smaller the animal, the higher the risk. Certain breeds of dog can't fly - IIRC, pug dogs would have respiratory failure and so are on a travel ban list.

Also, if you are travelling on the same flight as your pet, make sure you ask the flight crew if the heating has been turned on in the hold. I know of way too many pilots who forgot to do this and animals would consequently freeze to death.