Should I take my pet overseas with me?
By Scotty Valadao – Canine Behaviour Consultant (ABC of SA), (SABCAP): TTouch Practitioner
www.fods.co.za
www.fods.co.za
The questions “should I take my pet overseas with me”, is one that I receive on a regular basis, and my answer is always an unqualified ‘yes – of course’, as long as the dog is not nearing ‘end of days’ or is not physically able to make the journey.
My feelings on this topic are that when you take on a pet, you do so for its lifetime. If you end up with circumstances whereby you will be leaving the country, then plans must be made accordingly for your pets travel arrangements. In our own circumstances we had an elderly Border Collie who was close to end of days, and as she was very much my husband’s dog, he made the decision of postponing his trip until Meggie had left us to go to the rainbow bridge – there was no question at all of leaving before she did or of ending her life for our own plans.
What about quarantine, you may ask? In many countries this is an unfortunate reality of overseas travel, but if your pet is prepared for this experience, in my mind it is better to be separated for a few months rather than a life time.
So many of my clients and people that phoned me for advice on this subject, have contacted me from their new homes in other countries and have told me that they are so very glad they went the route of taking their dogs with them. Yes the short separation was stressful if quarantine was involved, but as the dogs had been prepared for travel correctly, every single one coped perfectly and owner and dog were soon happily reunited, none the worse for their experience. There is an article which appears after these comments from me, which will testify to the experiences of an owner of cats, who fully agrees with me. I thought it was important to put in comments from a cat owner and not just my own as a dog owner – or a human that is owned by a dog!
You may ask who am I to say take your pet with you -and you are fully entitled to do so. My first experience of pet travel was when we originally came to SA in the early 60’s. We travelled by ship and brought our poodle Cheeky with us. My parents liked dogs, but were not passionate animal lovers like myself, and it was only my constant tears and pleadings and threats of Cheeky and I running away from home, that resulted in Cheeky coming with us and not finding a new home for her.
The trip took about 14 days and Cheeky was enclosed in a crate with a small area outside it on what was then called the Boat Deck. Owners were allowed free access to their dogs, but could not unfortunately take them to other areas of the ship. I spent a lot of time with Cheeky and was allowed to walk her on the Boat Deck area and play with her outside her restricted area. She then travelled with us by train from Cape Town to Johannesburg, and was none the worse for the experience.
Ten years ago my husband and I had to come over to Portugal for work reasons, and again it was a case of ‘if my dog does not go, then neither do I’. Zeus, my 58kg Rottie, travelled happily by plane, spent a year here, and then travelled back with us.
A few years ago, we again faced the same decision of having to spend time overseas, but by this time my husband knew that if no dog, then no wife! Brady travelled happily to and from Portugal with no problems. So, do I have the experience to advise people – yes I believe I do!
Travel Arrangements
1. Get hold of IPATA Agent. This is an agent that belongs to the International Pet and Travel Association, first and foremost.
2. Phone around and speak to people, You want to find somebody that you resonate and feel comfortable with and who is really helpful, as you will definitely need their services.
3. Do NOT try to do this yourself although it will be cheaper. There is a lot of red tape and documentation required and your agent will handle all of this for you, with the exception of you taking your dog to the vet for the necessary blood tests and health check. To try and do this yourself could well result in your pet being sent back to the country of origin due to incorrect paper work.
4. Although you can arrange to collect your pet yourself when it arrives at the destination, don’t! Have your agent arrange for the local agent in the country you are travelling too, to meet your pet, who will ensure there is a vet available to clear your pet and handle the customs clearance, as many of the flights come in after standard working hours, you don't want your pet hanging around in the crate for any unnecessary time. This is slightly more expensive but well worth the investment.
5. On your return journey, if applicable, have your SA agent handle all the paper work and arrangements, tying in with the local agent who will meet you at airport and ensures that all goes smoothly. This is especially important if staying in a country where English is not the spoken language, or in the case of Portugal, where it is not such a common occurrence for pets to be travelling overseas and there is confusion as to what is and what is not required.
6. Arrange for your SA agent to meet your dog when it arrives back in SA, so that the customs and vet clearance goes smoothly. Your agent will even deliver the dog to your home if you want to. If you are anything like me, you will wait with your agent and take your dog home yourself!
My feelings on this topic are that when you take on a pet, you do so for its lifetime. If you end up with circumstances whereby you will be leaving the country, then plans must be made accordingly for your pets travel arrangements. In our own circumstances we had an elderly Border Collie who was close to end of days, and as she was very much my husband’s dog, he made the decision of postponing his trip until Meggie had left us to go to the rainbow bridge – there was no question at all of leaving before she did or of ending her life for our own plans.
What about quarantine, you may ask? In many countries this is an unfortunate reality of overseas travel, but if your pet is prepared for this experience, in my mind it is better to be separated for a few months rather than a life time.
So many of my clients and people that phoned me for advice on this subject, have contacted me from their new homes in other countries and have told me that they are so very glad they went the route of taking their dogs with them. Yes the short separation was stressful if quarantine was involved, but as the dogs had been prepared for travel correctly, every single one coped perfectly and owner and dog were soon happily reunited, none the worse for their experience. There is an article which appears after these comments from me, which will testify to the experiences of an owner of cats, who fully agrees with me. I thought it was important to put in comments from a cat owner and not just my own as a dog owner – or a human that is owned by a dog!
You may ask who am I to say take your pet with you -and you are fully entitled to do so. My first experience of pet travel was when we originally came to SA in the early 60’s. We travelled by ship and brought our poodle Cheeky with us. My parents liked dogs, but were not passionate animal lovers like myself, and it was only my constant tears and pleadings and threats of Cheeky and I running away from home, that resulted in Cheeky coming with us and not finding a new home for her.
The trip took about 14 days and Cheeky was enclosed in a crate with a small area outside it on what was then called the Boat Deck. Owners were allowed free access to their dogs, but could not unfortunately take them to other areas of the ship. I spent a lot of time with Cheeky and was allowed to walk her on the Boat Deck area and play with her outside her restricted area. She then travelled with us by train from Cape Town to Johannesburg, and was none the worse for the experience.
Ten years ago my husband and I had to come over to Portugal for work reasons, and again it was a case of ‘if my dog does not go, then neither do I’. Zeus, my 58kg Rottie, travelled happily by plane, spent a year here, and then travelled back with us.
A few years ago, we again faced the same decision of having to spend time overseas, but by this time my husband knew that if no dog, then no wife! Brady travelled happily to and from Portugal with no problems. So, do I have the experience to advise people – yes I believe I do!
Travel Arrangements
1. Get hold of IPATA Agent. This is an agent that belongs to the International Pet and Travel Association, first and foremost.
2. Phone around and speak to people, You want to find somebody that you resonate and feel comfortable with and who is really helpful, as you will definitely need their services.
3. Do NOT try to do this yourself although it will be cheaper. There is a lot of red tape and documentation required and your agent will handle all of this for you, with the exception of you taking your dog to the vet for the necessary blood tests and health check. To try and do this yourself could well result in your pet being sent back to the country of origin due to incorrect paper work.
4. Although you can arrange to collect your pet yourself when it arrives at the destination, don’t! Have your agent arrange for the local agent in the country you are travelling too, to meet your pet, who will ensure there is a vet available to clear your pet and handle the customs clearance, as many of the flights come in after standard working hours, you don't want your pet hanging around in the crate for any unnecessary time. This is slightly more expensive but well worth the investment.
5. On your return journey, if applicable, have your SA agent handle all the paper work and arrangements, tying in with the local agent who will meet you at airport and ensures that all goes smoothly. This is especially important if staying in a country where English is not the spoken language, or in the case of Portugal, where it is not such a common occurrence for pets to be travelling overseas and there is confusion as to what is and what is not required.
6. Arrange for your SA agent to meet your dog when it arrives back in SA, so that the customs and vet clearance goes smoothly. Your agent will even deliver the dog to your home if you want to. If you are anything like me, you will wait with your agent and take your dog home yourself!
Cats Cradled
My wife and I have two cats, Knut and Bolt, whom we love dearly. In return they tolerate us reasonably well. That as good as it gets with cats. As a cat lover you may disagree. I can only point out what happens when you try to apply that anti-flea stuff to the back of your cat’s neck. All cats have to do is to stay still for ten seconds, but instead they invariably react as if you are about to practice Lesson 1 in Garrotting Made Easy. |
It’s as well to remember that the cat’s eyes in the roads were called that because of the reflective quality of the glass in them. It’s the same with love. The more you give cats, the more will be reflected back. Since, as far as Knut and Bolt were concerned, we always had our headlights of affection on full beam, then when my Botswana assignment came to an end and it was time to go back to the UK, it was inevitable that they would come with us (my alternative suggestion – that since the ginger tabby stripes on their fur was beautiful and they had four legs and an opposing tail, they would make a great pair of furry gloves – was dismissed by my wife, rather sharply I thought, as prima facie evidence of a hideously diseased mind).
Now, you can’t just book a cat on to a plane with you. For a start, the seat belts won’t fit and the only special meals are vegetarian. In our case we had to get the cats to Johannesburg and then to London and then to a holding cattery.
There are two ways to do it: by yourself or with the professionals. The first option should take you all of five minutes before you realise that you have your sanity to protect. The second option begs the question: where are these professionals and what do they offer? The internet can be a great source of information, but not quite as good as simply asking the vet for recommendations – or, as will probably happen - both means. Ensure that whoever you choose are members of I.P.A.T.A. (Independent Pet and Animal Transportation International).
You will need to take your cat to the vet in any event. He or she has to ensure that the history of the cat’s vaccinations and treatments is up to date and that the animal is fit to travel. Note that documentation dates all have to be within sixteen days of the exit date - and that includes a Movement Permit - and it’s common sense to get everything done at the early part of that sixteen days.
The vet will give you the Permit form, with details entered. You then have to go to the Ministry of Agriculture Department of Animal Health to get it ratified. My experience with any government department is that Californian Giant Redwoods move faster, so I was pleasantly surprised when I put in the Permit and support documents on one afternoon and got them back the next morning. There was no queuing and the people there were pleasant and helpful. It was a bit eerie and unexpected, like finding out that in his spare time Dracula was a blood donor. Remember that original documents have to go with the cat, so take copies for yourself.
Animals entering the UK are subject to the iniquitous six months quarantine, so you will need to make arrangements with the nearest cattery approved, on their website, by DEFRA. That usually guarantees that your pet will be well taken care of during this unjustifiably long period (during which there are ample visiting times).
When the documents are ready, the transfer professionals take over. They do everything, from picking up your cat from your home, ensuring its comfort and safety, scheduling the flight from Johannesburg and liaising with the UK cattery to ensure that the cat is transferred from Heathrow. Apart from providing animals with an inbuilt television, showing continuous runs of Bagpuss and Wildlife Vets International, I don’t know what else they could do.
It’s no use pretending that you won’t be upset by the process, but my transfer company liberally provided peace of mind and manifest caring. They will love your cat almost as much as you do and ensure its welfare all the way. When they were in touch to update me with how the cats were, I half expected them to put Knut on the phone (Bolt won’t speak to anyone without an appointment).
Knut and Bolt are now serving their quarantine time, reminding me of the Ballad of Reading Gaol:
“I never saw two cats who looked/With such a wistful eye/Upon that little tent of blue/We prisoners call the sky”.*
I did get carried away once and smuggled in a saw blade, but they never used it, so I guess that they’re resigned to their fate, unaware that awaiting them is an English garden where they can be as blissfully unsuccessful at stalking the wildlife as they were in Africa.
* The prison analogy is a bit unfair on the people who run the cattery, who also love animals dearly and ensure that they are well fed, warm and well looked after. It’s also worth noting that a cat’s concept of time passing is not the same as ours and they do not feel the need to do the feline equivalent of chalking a vertical mark on the wall and whenever there are seven marks putting a horizontal line through them. The ruling of six months quarantine, though, is as stupid as it is unnecessary and a slur on Britain’s so-called love of animals.
Mike Arblaster June 2011
Now, you can’t just book a cat on to a plane with you. For a start, the seat belts won’t fit and the only special meals are vegetarian. In our case we had to get the cats to Johannesburg and then to London and then to a holding cattery.
There are two ways to do it: by yourself or with the professionals. The first option should take you all of five minutes before you realise that you have your sanity to protect. The second option begs the question: where are these professionals and what do they offer? The internet can be a great source of information, but not quite as good as simply asking the vet for recommendations – or, as will probably happen - both means. Ensure that whoever you choose are members of I.P.A.T.A. (Independent Pet and Animal Transportation International).
You will need to take your cat to the vet in any event. He or she has to ensure that the history of the cat’s vaccinations and treatments is up to date and that the animal is fit to travel. Note that documentation dates all have to be within sixteen days of the exit date - and that includes a Movement Permit - and it’s common sense to get everything done at the early part of that sixteen days.
The vet will give you the Permit form, with details entered. You then have to go to the Ministry of Agriculture Department of Animal Health to get it ratified. My experience with any government department is that Californian Giant Redwoods move faster, so I was pleasantly surprised when I put in the Permit and support documents on one afternoon and got them back the next morning. There was no queuing and the people there were pleasant and helpful. It was a bit eerie and unexpected, like finding out that in his spare time Dracula was a blood donor. Remember that original documents have to go with the cat, so take copies for yourself.
Animals entering the UK are subject to the iniquitous six months quarantine, so you will need to make arrangements with the nearest cattery approved, on their website, by DEFRA. That usually guarantees that your pet will be well taken care of during this unjustifiably long period (during which there are ample visiting times).
When the documents are ready, the transfer professionals take over. They do everything, from picking up your cat from your home, ensuring its comfort and safety, scheduling the flight from Johannesburg and liaising with the UK cattery to ensure that the cat is transferred from Heathrow. Apart from providing animals with an inbuilt television, showing continuous runs of Bagpuss and Wildlife Vets International, I don’t know what else they could do.
It’s no use pretending that you won’t be upset by the process, but my transfer company liberally provided peace of mind and manifest caring. They will love your cat almost as much as you do and ensure its welfare all the way. When they were in touch to update me with how the cats were, I half expected them to put Knut on the phone (Bolt won’t speak to anyone without an appointment).
Knut and Bolt are now serving their quarantine time, reminding me of the Ballad of Reading Gaol:
“I never saw two cats who looked/With such a wistful eye/Upon that little tent of blue/We prisoners call the sky”.*
I did get carried away once and smuggled in a saw blade, but they never used it, so I guess that they’re resigned to their fate, unaware that awaiting them is an English garden where they can be as blissfully unsuccessful at stalking the wildlife as they were in Africa.
* The prison analogy is a bit unfair on the people who run the cattery, who also love animals dearly and ensure that they are well fed, warm and well looked after. It’s also worth noting that a cat’s concept of time passing is not the same as ours and they do not feel the need to do the feline equivalent of chalking a vertical mark on the wall and whenever there are seven marks putting a horizontal line through them. The ruling of six months quarantine, though, is as stupid as it is unnecessary and a slur on Britain’s so-called love of animals.
Mike Arblaster June 2011