Pet shipping Q

[kpol]

When we first moved overseas, we were assigned housing that was not pet friendly so we left our dog back in the states with my MIL. We have since PCSed, still in country, but now live in a pet-friendly apartment. My MIL is flying out to visit us next month and we've gotten everything lined up to have her bring our dog out here with her. We finally got a price quote today and it's going to be quite a bit more than we expected ($1500 vs. $400 we were initially told), but we can afford it with no issue. 

Tell me about shipping your pet. It was worth it right? We'll be here two more years and he is our baby. I'm so worried about the long flight and worried he won't remember us. I know you all love your pets here and will give me honest opinions. Would you do this? I've yet to meet anyone here who has regretted shipping their pet, but need opinions from you guys. 

[meltoine]

We shipped our dog to and from Egypt. It was a long trip for him, but he seemed to handle it well and was just really happy to see us on the other end.

We hadnt seen him in several weeks when we shipped him back, and he was still just as thrilled to see us.

Does your dog have a favorite toy/comfort item you can out in the crate?

[kpol]

MIL is flying right at the end of the heat embargo, but she's leaving from IL so it could be 95 degrees one day and 45 the next. They told her as long as it doesn't reach 85 at any stop than he can continue but it makes me nervous.

M's has been crazy busy at work this week so we really need to sit down and talk about it. We both want the dog to come so badly, but aren't willing to risk his well being for it. I think we might have to push it out a month or so and have him fly solo since the price would be the same. The heat thing really has me worried.

meltoine was your pup evacuated from Egypt? I remember you went back early, but can't remember the logistics behind getting your dog back. I know here, they said animals are considered family members and will be evacuated in case of a NEO

[kpol]

Aug 2, 2013 6:21:15 GMT -5 Stan said:

Can you ship him later in the fall as opposed to your MIL escorting?

I think this is what are going to do. The more I think about it, the more I worry. I didn't think it would be this hard!!

[sushi]

I shipped my dog to and from Japan. It took some creative scheduling. On the way there I scheduled it so that H had an overnight layover in SFO to break up the trip. The way back was more difficult because final destination was Phoenix. I flew to Dallas (12 hours, so at the max they'll allow), overnighted with my sister, and flew on the earliest flight to Phoenix so it was still cool. The actual dog fee was something like $400, but being picky about flights added some extra. Also, I tried to use a 747 when I could since they have tons of dog space.

I cried so much putting her on the flight in Tokyo. But she made it ok. She was probably miserable, but she lived through the ordeal. I did give her xanax on both trips, so I hope that helped.

There are services that will ship them. They're very expensive, though. Like a couple thousand expensive.

I don't think you have to worry about quarantine when going to Korea. It's leaving there that could be tricky. I was only there 6 months and didn't have a follow on, so I left my dog in the States. If she'd gone to Korea she would have had to do full quarantine at restrictive places like Hawaii and England. I don't know if that's a concern for you.

[sushi]

This is a service I looked into.
www.airanimal.com/

[amaristella]

Aug 2, 2013 19:55:36 GMT -5 sushi said:

This is a service I looked into.
www.airanimal.com/

I literally just used them to get my guinea pigs to Hawaii. In retrospect I probably would have done just as well without their services since we didn't need door-to-door service at either end. I used them because they were highly recommended to me by someone that had flown their dog all over the world. I just don't think they do guinea pigs often is probably why I experienced moments of confusion.

And I support the idea of flying your dog later in the season when temperatures are less likely to be extreme. We flew our cats out of LAX and even with perfect weather (75 degrees?) I almost lost my shit dropping them off because they weren't allowed to wear their thunder shirts (even though you can buy them in Sky Mall, lol) or their harnesses which we'd had on them for the entire cross country trip. Delta allowed us to keep their beds in their crates and I think that helped them cope really well because their beds were totally (nasty!) covered in cat hair and happy cat smell.

[meltoine]

Aug 2, 2013 3:45:26 GMT -5 kpol said:

meltoine was your pup evacuated from Egypt? I remember you went back early, but can't remember the logistics behind getting your dog back. I know here, they said animals are considered family members and will be evacuated in case of a NEO

We were evacuated and not allowed to bring our pets, despite the JFTR reg that says we should have been allowed to. The pets were all collected and kept on the roof of one guy's apartment building. The essential personnel who were not evacuated took turns looking after them. Once things settled down, they got a plan together to ship everyone's pets to them. They shipped Onyx to us in New York and we picked him up at JFK. 

[pyramidsloth]

Aug 1, 2013 20:42:57 GMT -5 kpol said:

When we first moved overseas, we were assigned housing that was not pet friendly so we left our dog back in the states with my MIL. We have since PCSed, still in country, but now live in a pet-friendly apartment. My MIL is flying out to visit us next month and we've gotten everything lined up to have her bring our dog out here with her. We finally got a price quote today and it's going to be quite a bit more than we expected ($1500 vs. $400 we were initially told), but we can afford it with no issue. 

Tell me about shipping your pet. It was worth it right? We'll be here two more years and he is our baby. I'm so worried about the long flight and worried he won't remember us. I know you all love your pets here and will give me honest opinions. Would you do this? I've yet to meet anyone here who has regretted shipping their pet, but need opinions from you guys. 

$1500??? Holy cow! 

A few months before we PCSed from Germany to the States, I flew from Frankfurt to O'Hare with my dog (we have a beagle). It was February and they almost wouldn't let him fly; they said it would be too cold in Chicago to transfer him to a different aircraft. I told them that Chicago was my final destination, and since it was a nonstop flight the powers that be at the FRA airport decided that would be okay after all. It cost us about $350, but they were SO kind to my pup at the FRA airport. (That's the great thing about the Germans-they love their pets!). I started crying when he was taken away at the ticket counter, and one of the ticket agents felt so badly for me she stayed with our dog until they loaded him up in the cargo area, and then she found me at the gate and made sure to let me know that he was okay. I was so impressed and so grateful for that kindness, as I was very worried about my furbaby. 

[ch47wife]

Is your dog really big? $1500 seems a little steep for flying on the same flight as your MIL. We had my parents ship our two cats to us via cargo from Atl to Seoul. It was about $700 on Asiana airlines. I think you can get a much better price.
Also most airlines give a military discount. You would have to give your MIL a copy of your orders and a specific POA.

[kpol]

MIL has the POA, but the price with the discount is pushing $1000. The extra $500 would be for the pet broker to deal with customs at ICN. He weights 76lbs and they are estimating 105lbs with the crate. We decided against having him come at this time because we're too worried about the heat. MIL is flying out of a tiny, local airport with a layover in Detroit, and I think that adds to the cost as well. If we decided for him to come out later, we will try for a direct flight from Chicago.

Thanks for all the input!

[amaristella]

If if makes you feel any better I think the total bill for my two guinea pigs (discounts and buying the kennels on my own and everything) going 6 hours from LAX to HNL was around $1900. They both had small crates and the total weight per crate was under 20 lbs. I think that their carrier was United Cargo.

For the cats, we did Delta Air Cargo on the same flight as us and that was a bit over $500 for both with the discount. They both have medium crates and the total weight per crate was under 30 lbs. (Don't necessarily consider this an endorsement for Delta. I was kinda "meh" about them)

The crates that I bought were from catsnus.com. I paid a good amount for their packages so that I would have all the stickers and everything and it was semi-worth it. Some of the package items get doubled by the airline while others I probably could have rigged something up on my own.

www.catsnus.com/odie-all-in-one-airline-pet-carrier-package/

[expatpumpkin]

When we flew our dog to Europe, we didn't have to worry about the weather because British Airways flies animals in special temperature and pressure controlled cargo sections. Basically, my dog enjoyed the same temperature as we did in the main cabin, just he was in a crate...

Why don't you look into the airlines that have special animal cargo sections? Honestly, there's no way I'd put my little guy in the plane's regular cargo, regardless of the weather. Why take the chance?

[kpol]

Aug 19, 2013 23:39:13 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

When we flew our dog to Europe, we didn't have to worry about the weather because British Airways flies animals in special temperature and pressure controlled cargo sections. Basically, my dog enjoyed the same temperature as we did in the main cabin, just he was in a crate...

Why don't you look into the airlines that have special animal cargo sections? Honestly, there's no way I'd put my little guy in the plane's regular cargo, regardless of the weather. Why take the chance?

The temp in the cargo area would be controlled it's the temperature on the Tarmac that is the concern.

[expatpumpkin]

Aug 20, 2013 2:38:44 GMT -5 kpol said:

Aug 19, 2013 23:39:13 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

When we flew our dog to Europe, we didn't have to worry about the weather because British Airways flies animals in special temperature and pressure controlled cargo sections. Basically, my dog enjoyed the same temperature as we did in the main cabin, just he was in a crate...

Why don't you look into the airlines that have special animal cargo sections? Honestly, there's no way I'd put my little guy in the plane's regular cargo, regardless of the weather. Why take the chance?

The temp in the cargo area would be controlled it's the temperature on the Tarmac that is the concern.

Are you sure?  Because temperature was simply never an issue that came up when we made his travel plans.  The plane is still being cooled/heated on the tarmac and they won't load it with people or dogs (if the plane has the special animal cargo area) if it's at an unsafe or uncomfortable temperature.  I would ask because not all airlines have temperature-controlled animal cargo areas.

ETA:  I am NOT a dog transport expert  I just know that temperature was never an issue for BA although it WAS an issue for a few other airlines...

[expatpumpkin]

Also, it could be because BA is one of the airlines that has a comprehensive and dedicated "pet service"... Meaning that the temperature doesn't matter because they won't allow the dogs to just sit on the plane. KWIM? Some airlines' pet service is not as developed so the dogs are just loaded up with the rest of the cargo and not monitored. And that's when the weather can turn dangerous

[sushi]

pumpkin, I believe that the temperature rules are something all American carriers abide by. I don't know if it's voluntary or not, but I know it's based on what aspca or some similar organization sets forth.

With my dog on United, she was in a temperature controlled area on the plane (one of the reasons I chose a 747) and prior to transport to the plane. They still wouldn't allow it in higher temps.

[amaristella]

Yes. It's not just under the plane that they worry about. It's also transporting to and from the pickup and drop-off location in the terminal. Some companies have nice air conditioned (or heated) vans that they use for this leg of the trip. Or like Stan mentioned, having a cage just sitting on the ground in the heat for some amount of time is unsat. A good comprehensive animal policy with procedures meant to help protect the animals better than a piece of luggage is important. :-)