We recently hired a few interns to help us out during the busy pet shipping season, and it's been fun to introduce these fresh young talents to a whole new world (pet transportation isn't exactly standard curriculum at our nation's colleges). Here they are, our summer interns:

 

Elli is originally from the Austin area and currently attends Purdue University in Indiana. She likes to read, she works a lot (Elli has about three jobs at any given time), and she also plays the clarinet and likes music, food, and video games. This summer she’s helping the pet shipping team by sending information out to clients and agents, and she's also helping to book flights and talk to airlines and veterinarians. Ellie has a miniature dachshund named Lily in addition to her mom's five dogs.

 

Here are a few words from Elli: So far it seems like I’ve learned so much about what goes in to actually moving animals (or really anything) around the globe, and I know it’s only the surface.  I just hope to learn more about how all of this works and glean a little bit of information about how each part of the world relates to every other part. Outside of that, this is a wonderful experience and learning opportunity for how things out in the real world work! I’m really enjoying everything here and can’t wait to see what else I can do and learn!

 

Yang attends Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and he’s originally from Shaanxi, China. Yang is here for the summer as a Data Analyst Intern, so he’s busy learning to crunch the numbers and stats associated with our pet moves. Yang’s parents have been taking care of his cat Misha for the past few years, and he hopes to have a pet of his own soon.

 

Ethan is from Katy, Texas and he’s a Senior Marketing major at Texas State University. Ethan likes to play with his dog (Kona) at the river, and also enjoys mountain biking, backpacking and cooking spaghetti. Here at PetRelocation.com, Ethan is creating pricing spreadsheets, collecting info on vet offices, talking to vets, airlines and clients, and is also learning to find routes to countries all over the world (even the “crazy” ones).

Ethan hopes to learn more about how the sales staff interacts with customers, and is also interested in finding out "how a private company can maintain a positive competitive advantage."

 

Lauren was born and raised in Dallas, TX (the actual city, not a suburb). A huge part of her life while growing up was playing the violin—she attended an arts magnet high school to focus in music and orchestra until she moved to Austin for college at UT in 2008. She is currently completing a dual major in math and psychology (two majors that have little to do with music or with each other), and she is a huge pet lover. This summer, Lauren is working on data-mining and marketing with PetRelocation.com (to continue the pattern of pursuing fields that actually interest her), and she is looking forward to learning a lot during her internship.

 

Name: Mitzi
Pets' Names: Lars and Max
From: Munich, Germany
To: Bellevue, Washington

 

To be honest I was nervous about my pets traveling without us so I asked many questions. There was always an answer to every question and I knew from the moment the driver picked up our pets in Munich that they would be well-taken care of.

Max and Lars arrived six hours before our plane landed in the US and were taken to a local kennel. They arrived at our home a few hours after we landed and were in great spirits!

Max and Lars have adjusted nicely to life in the US. I think they have done so well because their travel experience was not stressful, due to care they received from the pet providers. If another relocation is in our future I would not hesitate to use PetRelocation.com again to transport Max and Lars. They took great care of our pets!

 

Name: Shereen
Number of Pets: 3
Pet Type: 2 dogs and 1 cat
Pet Breed: Dachshunds, Siamese
From: Johannesburg, South Africa
To: Toronto, Canada

 

We would like to know what the requirements are to take our pets with us to Toronto, as my husband is being transferred by his company. We need to know the costs involved, the period of quarantine, how they will be transported etc.

Warm regards,
Shereen

 

Hello Shereen,

Thank you for contacting us, we hope we can help! These are the pet import requirements for Canada. There will not be a quarantine if you follow these rules.

When traveling internationally it's especially important to choose a pet-friendly airline with established pet safety policies in place. Take a look at our site for more info about travel crates, also, and if you'd like a quote for our door-to-door services, you can fill out our free form and a Pet Relocation Specialist will get back to you with more information.

Please contact us if you have more questions, and good luck with everything!

 

 

Compared to some countries, it's relatively simple to transport pets to the United States or go from one US state to another, but shipping pets to Hawaii is a little different because this island paradise is rabies-free. In addition to facing a long flight to get here, you'll also need to navigate the quarantine requirements.

Hawaii requires a 120 day quarantine for pets entering the islands, however it's possible to shorten this time by meeting the requirements of the 5-Day-or-Less Program. Pet travelers who follow all the steps correctly (see the official website) and within the proper time frame (a rabies vaccine must be done in the last year and at least 90 days before arrival, for example) are eligible for direct release at the airport (if flying into Honolulu). A fee of $224 per pet is also required.

It sounds complicated -- in fact we recently had a client who just missed completing everything on the right schedule. Her cat, Tarzan, ended up flying to meet her and spent about 20 days in Hawaii quarantine. The good news is the owner was able to visit Tarzan, and she was pretty comfortable and happy at the facility. It may be a bit inconvenient to face such circumstances, but lots of pets have handled the experience just fine.

Even the First Dog, Bo Obama, has to follow these rules (we blogged about Bo's trip to Hawaii a while back), but the White House team was on top of things and they were able to secure Bo's same-day release from the airport.

As you can see, if a move to Hawaii is in your pet's future, it would be wise to start planning well in advance. Find out more about pet imports to Hawaii, and please contact PetRelocation.com with any questions. We'd be happy to help you avoid the Hawaii quarantine and head straight for the beach!

 

Tarzan,  hanging out in Hawaii quarantine for a few days.

 

AUSTIN, Texas, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PetRelocation.com, an international pet travel and pet transportation service provider, has announced the results of its third annual Summer Pet Travel Survey. For 2012, travel trends have fluctuated, but overall the popularity of pet travel is holding steady and consumer demands are more specific than ever.

Nearly Half of Pet Owners Will Travel This Summer
Forty seven percent of respondents said they planned to travel with their pets within the next three months, and another 40 percent plan to travel within the next year.

Dogs Rule (Even More)
Though about a quarter of the people said they travel with their cats, a commanding 85 percent will bring their dogs along when they hit the road in 2012. In 2011, 58 percent said they traveled with dogs and 22 percent with cats.

Pet Owners Want More Pet-Friendly Hotels
When it comes to prohibitive factors, 40 percent said there aren't enough pet-friendly hotels to choose from. Hotel fees and an inadequate amount of pet-friendly airlines were also singled out as the most difficult parts of pet travel (each of these was cited by 17 percent of people). About 12 percent of respondents said they found airline pet fees to be too high, down significantly from 18 percent last year and 38 percent in 2010.

Safety Tops the List
For the third year in a row, safety was cited as the number one priority for pet travelers, with 60 percent of respondents saying it is their top concern when making travel plans. Convenience came in second place at 25 percent, and pricing was stated as the number one concern for 15 percent of people.

Pets as Deciding Factors
An overwhelming 90 percent of people said they would change their travel plans to better accommodate their pets, and more than half (57 percent) would choose a hotel based on its pet-friendly features.

The full results of the 2012 Pet Travel Survey can be found here.

About PetRelocation.com
PetRelocation.com offers door-to-door pet travel services using pet-friendly airlines for domestic and international pet moves.  Founded in 2004 in Austin, Texas, PetRelocation.com safely moves hundreds of household pets worldwide each year. For more information, please visit http://www.PetRelocation.com.

Contact: Caitlin Moore, Media Coordinator | 512-362-6129 | caitlin@petrelocation.com

Name: Belinda
Pet's Name: Bronte
From: Colorado Springs, CO
To: Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
 

When you move to Saudi Arabia from Colorado, everyone assumes you'll be putting your furry friends on Craigslist, but I knew when I took a new job overseas that I would be bringing Emily Bronte, my Siamese/Himalayan rescue cat, to the desert with me. What I didn't know was how.

I read tons of accounts on the internet about how people manage (successfully and not so successfully) to bring cats on planes with them for transatlantic flights. At the beginning, this was my plan, but I soon realized that getting my cat on the plane and keeping her from meowing for hours was the least of my worries. There were health certificates, import permits, international offices with phones that aren't monitored, and conflicting information coming from all directions about how, exactly, one gets an American cat into Saudi Arabia.

Needless to say, I also had a few other things to do--such as tying up the loose ends of my entire life, packing, and saying goodbye to friends, family, coworkers, and over 20 years of memories. I had neither the time nor the experience necessary to handle Bronte's move on my own.

Initially, I hired a local pet relocation company that quoted me a remarkably low fee and quickly proved that, at least in this case, I stood to get exactly what I paid for. These people had no idea what they were doing, and I was NOT going to leave them in charge of my 8-pound kitty in the hopes that they could get her successfully to her new home. After just one week of "planning" the trip with this company, I fired them.

That's when I found PetRelocation.com. Jon Bartosh was my first point of contact, but Abbey Seidensticker was my (and Bronte's) main guardian angel throughout the process. Even though Abbey is based in Texas, the company's network of pet relocation agents is so extensive that I knew I was leaving Bronte in good hands. This was not their first import to Saudi Arabia, and the experience and confidence that Jon and Abbey offered absolutely made the choice for me.

I left the country about a month before Bronte, and from there Abbey took care of absolutely all of the details. She coordinated with my vet, where Bronte was boarding, made arrangements with the CO USDA, made sure the Saudi Import permit was issued properly through the Department of Agriculture in KSA, and did a lot of general hand-holding for me--because I was really anxious about the whole process. When it was time to travel, Abbey arranged transportation to the airport, and food, water, and monitoring during the trip. She also did an amazing job of making sure I knew how to track Bronte's travel and verify her safe arrival at each destination. I even received a photo of Bronte just before she left the Denver airport.

Just this Thursday, Bronte arrived in Saudi Arabia. She had a direct flight from Denver to Frankfurt where she spend the night in the Lufthansa pet facility at the airport and was able to stretch, eat, use the litter box--all the things cats need to do. It was so nice to know that she was getting a break between two rather long flights. The second travel day brought her straight into Jeddah where I met her at the airport. We're now happily reunited in our new home!

I should note that PetRelocation.com does offer a door-to-door service, so I could have foregone the trip to the airport altogether, but I opted to do this bit myself, with the help of another agent who we worked with here in Saudi Arabia.

I couldn't possibly be more satisfied with PetRelocation.com. At a very stressful time in my life, they helped to manage what could have been the most stressful part of all. I will certainly use their services again when Bronte and I return to the US someday.

 

 

Name: S.
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Cat
From: New Zealand
To: Vermont, USA

 

Hi, I am wondering what the process is for relocating with our cat from New Zealand to Vermont, USA? What is the travel like for our much loved Ollie? Costs? Shots? Etc.

Cheers,
S.
 

 

Greetings,

Thanks for reaching out to us with your question! Here are the pet import requirements for the United States. As you can see, Ollie will need to visit the vet and be up-to-date on shots, etc. We also recommend flying with a pet-friendly airline and working to get him accustomed to his travel crate as well as you can.

Please contact us if you'd like to speak to a relocation specialist in more detail. We'd be happy to help!

 

As temperatures rise, it's typical for airlines to adjust their pet travel policies. We've updated you about a few summer embargoes thus far from British Airways and United, and Delta has just announced a detailed summer pet program, as well.

Here's what they have to say:

"At Delta Cargo we take great pride in safely transporting live animals throughout the world.  We don’t just ship dogs and cats; we transport everything from hamsters to snakes to chinchillas.  We realize pets are considered family members and it is important for us to provide the same level of care and respect for them as we do their owners."

Beginning May 14, Delta Cargo will launch its 2012 Summer Live Animal Program, which entails allowing them to accept animals for transport even when temperatures exceed 85F/29C. At participating hubs, one or more air conditioned vehicles will be available to bring pets to and from the airplanes in support of their safety.

There are a few exceptions:

-If the station does not have air conditioned vehicles, animals cannot be transported if the temperature exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Regardless of whether or not a hub is part of the Summer Program, snub-nosed dogs and cats will not be transported if the the temperature is greater than 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Check out the list below to find out which airports are participating in the program, and remember that things can always change, so be sure to check with the airline/airport ahead of time if you'll be traveling with your pet this summer.

As always, don't hesitate to contact PetRelocation.com if you have any pet travel questions.

 

 

Delta Cargo 2012 Summer Live Animal Program

Name: Olya
Number of Pets: 3
Pet Type: Cat
Pet Breed: Persian, Scottish Straight
From: Thailand
To: Cambodia

I'm not exactly moving but I'm going to Cambodia for a week and I want to take my kittens with me. I read on the website all the rules for bringing pets to Cambodia. I got a microchip and everything else. The problem starts when it says they need to be vaccinated for rabies 30 days before. But my kittens are still to young to be vaccinated for rabies. Which puts me in front of the question what do I do? And is it possible for me to take them?

Thanks,

Olya

 

Hi Olya,

Thanks for contacting us with your pet travel question. Honestly we usually recommend that you leave your pets at home if you'll only be gone for such a short time. Especially with such young cats (we also recommend that pets be at least three to four months old before they travel anywhere), it's in their best interest to remain in the care of a trusted pet sitter.

If you do decide to go forward with the trip it would be best to talk to your vet about your options and double check with the Cambodian officials about any possible exceptions.

Please contact us if you have any  more questions, and good luck with everything!

 

 

 

Pet transportation services aren't just limited to moving a dog or cat across the country when work or military duty calls the family to a new place. Along with technological advances and emerging international developments, transporting animals is a service in demand, leaving airlines and freight companies in the position of stepping up to the challenge or being left behind.

This recently published Bloomberg article goes into greater detail about Lufthansa, KLM, and the other companies who deal with shipping animals. It's pretty fascinating to see how trends have been changing recently and how these businesses are learning to handle exotic moves.

Want to know more? Here are a few details from the article, and you can read the whole thing here.

 

-Last year Lufthansa's Frankfurt facility handled 110 animals of various kinds (including 80 million tropical fish and 300 tons of worms).

-Lufthansa usually transports around 14,000 dogs and cats and 2,000 horses in a year.

-Animal freight makes up about one to two percent of Lufthansa's total cargo revenue.

-One of the most unconventional cargo shipments on record was a plane filled with dogs and cats evacuated from Lebanon following a missile strike.

-Before they fly out of Frankfurt, animals are inspected by up to 24 different vets.

-Some freighters are equipped with up to four different temperature zones, meaning that one flight can safely and comfortably carry warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals (think horses and penguins, for example).

-Large fish, dolphins and poisonous reptiles are not accepted for shipment by Lufthansa due to safety concerns.

 

 

Hannelore Foerster/Bloomberg

 

 

 

Relocating pets is a team effort, and we employ the help of agents and drivers all around the world to help transport your furry family members safe and sound.

Last month we introduced you to John Kernan of Pawsitively Dogs in our first Driver Spotlight, and today we'd like you to meet another trusted collaborator: Rebeca Berni of Dog Gone Taxi based near Seattle, WA.

We've worked with Rebeca many times and now we're taking a moment to shine the spotlight on her. Read on to find out more about one of our top pet agents!

 

How long have been in the pet transportation business?

I've been in this business since 2005.
 
How did you get started? 

I was the owner/operator of a physical therapy center for dogs (doing warm water hydrotherapy).  Many clients had difficulty getting their pets to and from their appointments, as the dogs were disabled or had injuries that made it difficult for them to walk. 

That's when I started Dog Gone Taxi.  Soon after that - about six months later - a dog transportation company in Seattle that did daycare & boarding drop-off and pickups went out of business. They kept their website but changed their phone number to our number without letting me know. We grew our local business rapidly after that. A year later we got a call from a pet broker service to do an airport delivery. They helped educate us on the industry and told us how to get fully licensed with USDA. 

Year after year we have added more pet brokers and gotten more experience in the industry. In 2010 we started providing private (one families' pets at a time) cross-country pet relocation. As the pet transportation business grew, I became unable to do the water therapy clients and changed that business into pet boarding and daycare. We now offer pet boarding (dogs & cats) and doggie daycare in our Seattle office, as well as the transportation business in WA, OR, and CA, and we now have several employees.

 

Rebeca Berni (and dog pals) on a cross-country trip.

 

What’s your average day like? 

There is no average day. Some days we have check-ins at 4 a.m. and pickups at 11 p.m. Typically in the AM we have our local business daycare/boarding drop-offs and again for a few hours in the afternoon. The airport check-ins and drop-offs are fit in between.
 
What’s your most memorable pet move experience?

We recently moved 12 roosters & chickens from Victoria, BC to Fargo, ND. They were family pets, kept in the home and in a coop. Fresh eggs in the AM meant that the chickens were happy!

 Do you have pets of your own? 

Yes, I have two dogs. A Bichon and 17-year-old blind Beagle.
 
What’s your favorite part of this job?

Seeing the happy owners face when their pet has been delivered all safe and sound. And of course, playing with the puppies!!
 
Do people find what you do unusual?

Yes, but once I explain what it is we do, they usually say, '"Oh, I wondered how people moved with their pets, I just never thought about it."
 

---

Stay tuned for another Driver Spotlight to appear on the blog soon... There are many more interesting pet agents to meet!

Name: Sandy
Pets' Names: Steek and Slate
From: Arlington, VA
To: Olympia, WA
 

 

PetRelocation.com staff transported my Siamese guys from their veterinarian's office to Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, VA through a layover in Houston, to the flight to Seattle, then transported them by automobile to our new home in Olympia, WA.

We got to meet the very nice, patient staff in Washington State -- who had just driven over 20 miles through a thunderstorm with the Siamese "singing".

Our guys were in fine shape when they arrived. Thanks to everyone who cared for our furry family members!

 

Name: Lynn
Pet's Name: Wally and Cal
From: Austin, TX
To: Portland, OR


Dear PetRelocation.com,

Thank you so much for moving our two cats from Austin to Portland, OR. Both arrived safe and sound and are settling in nicely. Neither one appreared the least bit traumatized by the journey. We were extremely satsified with your customer service and your prices were quite reasonable for door-to-door transportation. Could not have been a better experience and we could not be more satisfied. Special thanks to our coordinator, Marissa. She was wonderful.

 

Name: Vicky
Number of Pets: Two
Pet Type: Cat and Bird
Pet Breed: Domestic Short Hair and Cockatiel
From: USA
To: Ecuador



What are the requirements for importation into Ecuador of a cockatiel? Is there quarantine and can the quarantine be at home? I have asked AA if they will carry pet bird and they have stated "No". Is there an airline which will transport a pet bird in the cabin with the passenger or will it have to travel in the cargo hold?


Thanks,
Vicky



Hi Vicky,

Thank you for contacting us! Shipping birds certainly requires a lot of careful planning, but we've successfully transported many feathered pets and can hopefully steer you in the right direction. Here are the pet import requirements for Ecuador as well as some tips for relocating birds and a first-hand account from someone who moved her African Grey Parrot from South Africa to the UK.

In terms of airlines, it's best to check with them individually as rules can change periodically. Let us know if you'd like any help handling the move or if you have any more questions -- you can always give our office a call to speak directly to a specialist. Good luck with everything!

Most of the pets we move are "traditional" furry family members like dogs and cats, but often we have the chance to relocate birds, guinea pigs, fish, lizards and even larger pets like horses.


Recently we had the chance to help Leo -- a 17-hand, 1500 lb Oldenburg -- move from Portland, OR to Santa Barbara, CA. This corporate relocation went smoothly (the agent who transported Leo even kept a video feed going while they drove!), and as you can see, Leo's new home in California is quite beautiful.





Give PetRelocation.com a call if you're ever in need of some horse travel advice, and check out more horse travel tips and horse travel trends on our blog. Happy trails, everyone!

Name: Gail
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Cat
Pet Breed: Persian
From: Cairo, Egypt
To: Minnesota, USA

I live in Cairo, Egypt but am currently with family in Minnesota. Because of unforeseen problems I am unable to return to Cairo for some time. My pet Persian cat Oscar is currently boarded at an Egyptian cat shelter, but under these circumstances I would prefer to bring him to Minnesota.

Unfortunately my finances are somewhat limited, and therefore I would like to know what is the most inexpensive way of transporting him to the USA. A friend can deliver him to an Egyptian airport if necessary, and I can pick him up from any airport from Minnesota to Chicago. Any information will be very welcome, thank you.

Thanks,
Gail


Hi Gail,

Thank you for contacting us with your question. These are the pet import requirements for the United States (which luckily aren't as complicated as those for many other countries). The most inexpensive option would be to handle the move yourself (as opposed to hiring agents or a door-to-door service like ours), so you'll just want to make sure you attend to the details carefully (choose an airline-approved crate, purchase the plane ticket, allow time to pass through customs, etc.).

Please contact us if you have more questions, and also feel free to check out MyPetTravel.com, a free resource that will help you along. Good luck and keep in touch!

Congratulations to Fluffy and Mittens (and their owner Fariha) for being named our Pet Move of the Month! Exporting pets from Pakistan isn't the easiest thing to do, but after plenty of careful planning these Persian kitties made it safely to Seattle. Thanks to Fariha for sharing this great pet travel story with us.

Is this the first time you’ve ever moved your pets?
Yes!

What were some of your concerns going into the move?
The distance between Pakistan and the USA. It's a journey that we dread and leaves us exhausted for days. For two delicate Persian cats, we were afraid they may not make it.

Did anything surprise you about the international pet moving process?
Only the fact that it was so difficult to find a transporter. If there are other services available (besides PetRelocation.com), they are not known about in Pakistan and/or don't show up on a google search. 

How are the cats adjusting to the new location?
The cats seem quite well-adjusted. However, there are certain things they are still not used to but unfortunately are part of their new life. For one thing, in Pakistan we have huge concrete houses; here, the ground shakes every time someone walks & it seems to unnerve them.

What is life like in Seattle compared to Pakistan? Is it a pet-friendly place to be?
Seattle is hugely pet-friendly! But our cats are strictly indoors... We're afraid of the other cats on the street, and also of them getting lost. They go out onto the patio with us and love rolling around in the sun. It'll be interesting to see them when it gets colder, as the coldest it gets in Karachi is 55-60 degrees.

For us, it's comforting to know we're in a place that welcomes and loves animals. Also, that we have a choice when it comes to health care, facilities and products. All our neighbors have pets, and it seems that here not having one would be an unusual circumstance. Unlike back home, where pets are very unwelcome!
 
What advice do you have for people who might be planning a move?
If their pet is part of their family -- like ours are -- they should seriously consider moving them too! I think it's helped us all settle in better and made the new house a home, just having them here.
 

We primarily transport our client's pets by booking flights on pet-friendly airlines, but sometimes other options present themselves -- making for a good story and a good chance to learn even more about pet travel.

We've discussed how pet train travel isn't really an option most of the time, and many trips are either fully or partly carried out through plain old-fashioned driving. Every once in a while water travel is a possibility so a ferry comes into play, or in the case of Allie and Billie's upcoming move, a transatlantic oceanliner.


These two cats are starting in Austin, TX, flying to New York, and then hopping aboard the Queen Mary 2, which travels from New York to Southampton. This mega-ship holds over 3,000 passengers and contains 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a planetarium and yes, a kennel area that accommodates pets.

The kennels are overseen by a kennel master, who takes care of feeding, walking, etc. The trip takes a week to complete, and reservations for the Queen Mary 2 must be made well in advance (sometimes the waiting list almost a year long).


Upon arrival, the cats must meet the standard pet import requirements for the UK, and then they'll be free to settle into their new lives abroad. Allie and Billie don't depart until October, so we'll plan to provide some updates in a few weeks regarding this unconventional -- and pretty cool -- move.