July 2009

A new species of bird has been found in Laos - the aptly named Bare Faced Bulbul. 

Cute or not cute?  One of my coworkers thinks the bird looks like "skeksis" from the movie the Dark Crystal.

A new pet hotel is now available for pet owners who are traveling to and from the Pacific Northwest.  Air Pet Hotel has locations in both Portland (PDX) and Seattle (SEA). 

The hotel will accomodate boarding for dogs, cats and some other animals as well as quarantine when necessary.

They also have services  which are 24-7, with staff always available to supervise and tend to the animals.

We're reminding travelers and people moving with pets that anyone thinking of going to Colombia should check our Pet Travel Regulations for Colombia prior to planning your move.

They currently ban several breeds of dogs that they have deemed "dangerous."  If you're traveling with one of these breeds, please be aware that your pet will not be allowed into the country.

 

A few months ago we moved Cynthia and Mark's Min-Pin, Caesar, from the US to London.  Caesar had to wait out his 6 month home quarantine a little longer, so while Cynthi and Mark left for London from New York, their relatives watched Caesar and worked with our pet transportation specialists on getting the final health certificates for Caesar's trip.

Caesar the dog in front of Big Ben

If you're a parrot owner considering a move to a new home, the concern over possibly losing your parrot if he were to escape is always a worry in the back of your mind.  A new website, 911 Parrot Alert, is using the internet to create an international database to help bird owners find their precious "fids," (feathered-kid) if they're lost or stolen.

This post comes from our partnership with PetTravelCenter.com in providing pet transport information for their visitors!

We came across a great feature on Martha Stewart's pets section today (which, by the way, we cannot get enough of!).  It's an interactive search engine to help users find pets to adopt in their area.

As an Austin-based company helping pets worldwide, we always love to see great things happening on behalf of pets right here in our own backyard.

Yesterday pet lovers across Austin were thrilled to see that the City of Austin didn't choose to cut or reduce Austin's city-funded free animal spay/neuter/vaccination program, which sterilizes more than 3,000 animals each year, including feral cats.  This program is one of the most important tools in the animal activist's plight to make Austin a "no kill" city.

Lately we've been really enjoying our Twitter following.  There are tons of resources for people to follow celebrities and directors, but we decided to make a list of our favorite pet tweeple.  You can find more of these in the new pet twitter directory, TwitPets.com.

We received a question today about what is required to move pets from Hong Kong to Indonesia.  Below are the import requirements.

Import Pet (Dogs & Cats) to Indonesia from Hong Kong

The documents required for obtain an import permit 3 weeks in advance :

1. Copy of owner passport, front page only
2. Copy of vaccination certificate/ books/ certificate
3. Address and phone no. for delivery the pets

An import permit must be available by the time of pets arrive.

Today we have an interesting guest post about smell, one of the most neglected parts of dog relocation. It is from our buddy Robert Holmes at Dog Fence DIY. These are three great tips on how you can use smell to make your new home feel like you old home for your dog.

Below is a question from our partners PetTravelCenter.com, where we answer questions as Ask the Pet Travel Expert.

I have read many things about traveling with your pet to puerto rico. I need to know exactly what I have to do. I leave from Alabama on the 27th of July. I am taking my dog to the vet on Monday the 20th of July. Is all I need a Certificate from the vet and his rabies shot?

This is a guest blog from the editors at Relocation.com, a one-stop shop for moving services and news.

Moving day is stressful for you, so just imagine how stressful it is for that little bundle of fur that ducks under your La-Z-Boy at the sight of the postman.

This is an update to let all people moving with pets to India know that the Ministry of Agriculture has approved the following airports as "Pet Friendly Airports" in India.  It's worth mentioning that in India, "pets" are defined as domestic dogs and cats.

Most notable of this news is that Bangalore International Airport is now ready to begin receiving pets, which will benefit anyone wanting to travel to or from Bangalore with their pets!  The airport had stopped allowing pets arriving with passengers when they switched over to a new airport.

This is a guest blog from the editors at Relocation.com, a one-stop shop for moving services and news.

While packing might be one of the most unpopular moving chores, unpacking ranks a close second.

However, the sooner you get unpacked, the sooner you can get on with your life in your new home - and the sooner your cat will come from under the couch.

Pets dig routine, so get a new routine going in your new home as quickly as you can. Here are some tips on unpacking and setting up your new home.

Many times our pets aren't furry.  Sometimes they're slimy, sticky or scratchy -- but loved nonetheless!  We still provide our same great services for shipping exotic species.  Today we got an email from Ian C.:

Hi, Do you do permit acquiring for shipping endangered species (captive breed), says Axolotl, from US to Canada? It will need a CITES permit and US Fish and Wildlife Export Import License/permit.

Today we received an email from a very anxious pet owner, who displays many of the common concerns about international pet transport.  We wanted to post her email and our answer to her so others could see that they're certainly not alone!

Dear PetRelocation:

What happens when you mix airports and turtles?  Apparently, things run slow.  At least that's the way it looks after yesterday's turtle snafu at New York's JFK Airport.
From the USA Today blog:

In May, Re:Locate Magazine, the UK's premiere relocation and moving publication, announced that PetRelocation had been named the Specialist Service Provider of the Year. The judges chose PetRelocation based on our "excellent use of its website, blog and Facebook, its training seminars, and its clear focus on this very specialist area." The article from Re:locate is posted below (use the toolbar at the top to enlarge the article to full screen or zoom in on it).

From PRNewswire:

HOUSTON & AUSTIN Texas - July 2, 2009:   Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) and PetRelocation.com are reminding holiday and summer travelers to protect their pets from extreme summer heat during travel.  The following guidelines will help pets stay safe and cool when flying this summer season: