Pet Relocation Experiences

Name: Stacy
Pet's Name: Neely
From: Connecticut
To: England

 

When I found out we were moving to England I was so excited and overwhelmed all at the same time! My biggest concern with the move was being able to bring my dog with me. The thought of leaving Neely behind was not an option, and the thought of transporting her overseas terrified me. At first, I was determined to get all of Neely's travel documentation and flight plans in order myself. However, with all the other stresses of moving and the possibility of me not being able to fly out with her, my husband decided it was time that I get some help.

My husband's employer had given me Cara's contact information so that I could talk to her to see what PetRelocation.com could do to help me. After the first phone conversation I instantly felt comfortable. Cara and Ashley had both walked me through every single step that I needed to take in order to get my dog over to England. They checked and double checked every piece of paperwork and answered any questions that I may have had. They kept on top of all the changes that were being made by DEFRA, and notified me immediately as to what those changes were. They made sure that Neely's crate was appropriate for travel, and even mailed us out a welcome pack!

When I found out that I needed to go over to England before I could get Neely out there, Ashley worked with my father to complete her travel requirements. On the day of Neely's travel, she was picked up at my parent's home and brought to the airport. Ashley had notified me when Neely was up in the air and gave me a confirmation number so that I could track her. They also kept in touch with my father to let him know the same. During her travel they made sure she had a pre and post- flight potty break as well as water and clean bedding. Once Neely cleared customs they called me to let me know that she would be delivered to me shortly.

When Neely arrived she acted as though she had been on one big adventure! She was so excited to be at her new home, and most importantly she arrived safely, clean, and happy!

It's now been close to three weeks since she arrived and she has settled in without a hitch! PetRelocation.com has made this moving experience stress and worry free. Cara and Ashley always took the extra step to make sure that everything was done right and that Neely would arrive home safely. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone who has to transport a beloved pet and I would certainly use their services again in the future!

Thanks again Cara and Ashley!!!

Name: Katie
Company: Mars / Wrigley
Pet's Name: Buddy
From: Houston
To: Hong Kong
 

We were already in Hong Kong, so my mother and PetRelocation.com had to handle all the logistics of Buddy's move. We hit some bumps in the road (with a not-so-great vet), but Rebecca at PetRelocation.com was amazing and handled it all with positivity and a smile.

By the time Buddy arrived at our apartment in Hong Kong, he was over his travel jitters, tail wagging and happy to see me. The people who dropped him off were so nice, and Buddy seemed very comfortable with them.

All in all this was a very good experience. It was SO nice to not have to do this ourselves (the paperwork alone is daunting!) and Buddy is safe and sound in his new home. (The photo below is from the moment he arrived :)

Name: Claire
Pet's Name: Simon
From: Los Angeles, CA
To: Wilmington, NC
 

 

After learning that we could not easily fly with our snubbed nose breed Boston Terrier named Simon for our temporary work relocation to North Carolina, we searched online and discovered PetRelocation.com. We were very nervous to fly our baby in cargo and separate his travels from our own, but Pet Relocation had so many wonderful stories of past successful trips, and the information requests and quote process was so easily and professionally handled by our rep, Joe, that we were quickly put at ease.

Our baby was picked up and transported on two flights with a pet hotel rest in between, and we recuperated him the next day. He wasn't phased by the trip at all and seemed completely relaxed on arrival. His crate was well marked and you could tell he had been closely handled.

We will not hesitate to use PetRelocation.com for our return home! Thank you!!

 

 

Name: David
Pets' Names: Genevieve & Jason
From: Austin, TX
To: Boise, ID
 

 

With a new job, my company relocated me from Austin, TX to Boise, ID. The relo was done on a short timeline, leaving no time to make the 3-to-4 day drive. Additionally, the thought of making that long drive with kids, a dog and a cat was not appealing.

PetRelocation.com was the most professional company I found to help us move our pets. Our coordinator, Katie, helped us navigate the government and airline regulations and kept us informed of our pets' progress along the way. When the driver, Marcus, picked the pets up at our house, I could tell right away that he loved animals, and knew how to handle them.

Katie found a great kennel in Boise to keep our pets until we arrived a couple of days later. Both pets are healthy and happy. Our dog, Jason, is a bundle of energy by day, and our cat, Genevieve, is playful by night.

PetRelocation.com did a wonderful job for us!

 

Name: Al
Pet's Name: Fluffy
From: Colorado
To: Florida
 

When moving from Colorado to Florida in an RV, our pet, "Fluffomatic" escaped. We needed to leave to allow a return flight for a friend who was helping, and Fluffy was left behind. We were heartbroken the whole ride!

Through the help of our friends, Ari, Amber, Theresa and Debbie, we were able to capture him in Colorado. Now, how do we get him back to Florida?

PetRelocation.com was the answer. Through the concentrated efforts of their agent, Lenneke, the trip was set up for us and included picking him up in Colorado, visiting the vet for shots, boarding in Denver, and flying to Florida.

Fluffomatic is now at home with his family -- crisis resolved. We called the right place. A special Thank You to our friends Ari & Amber, who took him into their home and watched over our little Angel.

Thank you, everyone!
 

Name: Tarnna
Pet's Name: Marshmallow
From: Maryland
To: England

 

Being that we are a military family we are pretty used to moving, but this time it was a little more difficult than usual. My husband had already been out of the country for almost a year and it was up to me to get myself, two children and our dog ready to move to England.

After researching about getting pets into the country, our biggest fear was that something would be done wrong and Marshmallow would have to be quarantined, yet I still pressed on trying to do it on my own. As the day got closer we hit a few more bumps; my husband informed me that Marshmallow could not come until five days after us due to our hotel arrangements, which meant our friends would have to take her to the airport (and the airline I had booked her flight with was not very helpful when it came to someone else dropping her off).

Also, the new guidelines for getting into the country were making it almost impossible for me to do anything before I had to leave, thus putting a burden on our friends. I then decided to contact PetRelocation.com and get some much needed support and help. Our specialists Matt Kincaid and Rebecca Klenk were there to help us through every step of the process, and they even got in touch with our friends who were keeping her. They made it incredibly easy on us, from getting all her correct tests and forms in order to enter the country to getting her to our home two hours from the airport, all while keeping us informed of her whereabouts and even her moods!

Though initially she was a little frightened, Marshmallow arrived to us healthy and as happy as she could be after a long flight, and we couldn't be more grateful for everything that Pet Relocation did for us!

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: Cathie
Company: The Leona Group LLC
Pets' Names: Fritz, Sophie and MacGregor
From: Dearborn, MI
To: Gilbert, AZ
 

 

Fritz (7-month-old puppy), Sophie (11-year-old calico) and MacGregor (11-year-old tabby) traveled from our home in Michigan to our new home in Arizona. During their 2000 mile journey, I was contacted regularly on the status of their travel and those involved in taking care of my little ones did a great job.

We are all now adjusting to our new home.

 

Name: Alicia
Pet's Name: Chewie
From: Los Angeles, CA
To: Singapore
 

My fiance was considering taking a job in Singapore with this company as a chance to give us world experience and the opportunity to travel. I told him I would go, if my dog Chewie could go as well.

Chewie is an eight pound Pomeranian Maltese and basically my child. PetRelocation.com was suggested to us by my fiance's company, and Matt & Abbey were extremely knowledgeable in local laws and policies, proactive to make sure everything stayed on time, and were quick to respond when we lost all the important documents the day we were supposed to depart.

My dog Chewie did wonderfully and is adjusting well to her new home on the other side of the world thanks to a lot of hard work by Abbey in particular.

Name: Peggy and Dennis
Pets' Names: Max and Jet
From: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
To: Houston, Texas USA
 

 

I think I wrote more of a novel than a story but here goes...

In 2005 we moved from London to Houston. I didn't know about companies like PetRelocation.com and I moved our cat Butch back by myself. I had managed to get him from Norway to London in 2000 (although it wasn't easy), so I figured I could get him to Houston. What a mistake. I won't go into details, but he managed to sit in a warehouse in Houston for two hours while they tried to find him. Yeesh.

In 2008 we were living in Houston, Texas, USA when my husband accepted a position in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! WHAT??? At the time we had two cats: Butch and Max. 2008 wasn't our best year; my 90-year-old father wasn't well, we had the news of the Malaysia move, my father died, Butch was diagnosed with a brain tumor then had to have brain surgery, and then Hurricane Ike decided to show up the weekend before our move, so we packed up a bunch of wet stuff with no electricity.

The only thing that went right that year was Butch & Max's move thanks to Rachel with PetRelocation.com. At one point we weren't sure if we were moving one cat or two, but Rachel was kind and supportive, and when Butch recovered they were both safely sent to Kuala Lumpur. I'm not sure how we found PetRelocation.com, probably Google, but I am grateful everyday that we crossed paths because everything went off like clockwork.

Sadly, two years later Butch's brain tumor returned and was inoperable and he died while we were in Kuala Lumpur. For weeks Max was beside herself, so we decided to find her a friend. Enter Jet, a stray our Malaysian vet found who found her way to us.

Flash forward to 2012 and it's time to return to the USA. There was no question about us using PetRelocation.com again to get Max and Jet back, so I got in touch with Rachel, who I learned had not only survived my insanity during our first move but become the Director of Operations (we're so proud), so she put me in contact with Jon, who got the process started.

By the time Ashley started facilitating our move, things were once again crazy with our KL landlord changing move out dates on us right and left, I couldn't find the right cat kennels in KL for the plane, and I almost missed the rabies vaccination cut off date. But thank goodness Thierry (with Ricted Kennels) noticed their vaccinations had expired when he was delivering the right cat kennels (he drove to KL from Singapore with them) and I got them vaccinated just under the wire!

Luckily everytime something happened I'd get a hold of Ashley and she just went with it. She never said NO. NEVER. No matter how crazy I was with worry or just general insanity. She always had a calming, friendly attitude which kept me from going off the deep end. I honestly feel that everyone involved with the move treated Max and Jet (and Butch in the previous move) as if they were their own pets. So, we owe huge thanks to Rachel, Jon, Ashley, Thierry (Singapore), Dr. Sockalingam (Kuala Lumpur), Rome with Pets On The Go (Houston), Chestnut Animal Hospital (Bellaire) who took delivery of them and kenneled them until we could pick them up and whoever else was involved -- we all survived.

After reading this can you imagine what it is like to deal with me? Gold Stars all around to PetRelocation.com and all who work with them!

Photos: Max and Butch in our local Bellaire magazine. Jet and Max their last night in KL. Our first night together as a family in Houston. Jet and Max checking out their new Texas surroundings.

Name: Robbin
Pet's Name: Skyy
From: Reno, Nevada
To: Tampa, Florida

 

I needed to relocate my beautiful 10-month-old Dobie from Reno to Tampa. I was going to drive her because I was worried about flying her. I decided to contact PetRelocation.com, and I have to say it was the best decision I every made.

They made a very stressful situation totally stress free. The staff was caring and professional, and my girl made it without any problems. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a safe way to transport their beloved family member. Thank you all, especially Marissa and Mari.

Name: John and Tina
Pet's Name: Jackson
From: Huntington, NY
To: The Villages, FL
 

We decided to move from Long Island, NY to Florida and searched out many ways to transport our four legged son. After searching the Internet we found the PetRelocation.com web site and made our initial telephone call. We were contacted by an agent, Lee Maaz, who handled the entire transaction.

Lee immediately made us feel at ease and eased the anxiety that we both felt regarding the relocation. He was with us through every step and showed both compassion and concern for our feelings and was the main reason we decided to use the service. During the process we also were very satisfied with both Anthony who picked up Jackson at our Long Island location and Lynn who delivered Jackson to us in Florida.

The best part of the move outside of the wonderful people who handled Jackson's move was to see his wagging tail at our Florida pick up. Jackson is doing very well and has adjusted nicely to his new home, which we mainly attribute to the way he was transported by Pet Relocation.

We will definitely use PetReclocation.com again and recommend them to anyone who is considering relocating.

John and Tina

 

 

Laura had never moved a pet before, let alone two pups all the way from one continent to another. Feeling overwhelmed by the process and unsure of where to begin, she turned to PetRelocation.com for some help.

We were glad to step in and offer our assistance (working with such cute pups made it that much easier!). Here's what Laura had to say about Jake and Eddie's move to Australia.

What were some of your concerns going into this move?

Everyone we spoke with advised us that Australia is one of the strictest countries in terms of the process for relocating pets, so our biggest concern was ensuring we first got educated on the process as a whole, including requirements needed, timing, costs, options for help, etc.

Our second biggest concern was ensuring our US vet was not only government approved, but also willing to go through this involved process with us. Our ultimate goal was to ensure our boys served the minimum 30 day quarantine period and that they'd remain healthy during that time.

Why did you decide to hire PetRelocation.com to help with your move?

We were impressed by the information available on the site, as well as the super-informative blog. We spent quite a bit of time perusing the PetRelocation.com site, where we immediately felt at ease about the process and level of knowledge available through your services.

Also, plain and simple. . .  because of Scotty!  First, having a relocation specialist familiar with the country you're relocating to is a huge benefit and was a must for us.  More importantly, even when we didn't yet have a contract for services with PetRelocation.com, Scotty was corresponding with us via email on questions we had a long the way, and that said a lot about your company.  

We knew PetRelocation.com was in this business for all the right reasons. Also, having been in the process of corresponding with and courting multiple pet relocation companies at the same time, Scotty was always the most responsive and informative in his responses.

Did anything surprise you about the international pet moving process?

It was definitely a learning process every step of the way. We were surprised at how much preparation was required, the level of approvals the boys would need, the time-sensitivity of the various steps along the way, and oddly, that the boys got their import permits before our visas were even approved!

How are the dogs adjusting to the new location?

Jake and Eddie are loving their new Aussie lifestyle; their tails didn't stop wagging for the entire ride home when we finally were able to take them home from quarantine! It took them a few days before they completely let their guard down and realized they were in there new "home" with us to stay, but they've adjusted extremely well. They were able to be quarantined together and we were able to go visit them while in quarantine, which helped their mental and physical health tremendously (and ours too!).

What is life like in Australia? Is it a pet-friendly place to be?

Australia is a pet-friendly place in terms of people having pets and loving to socialize with Jake and Eddie, however, it is very pet-unfriendly in terms of securing housing as a renter. Having pets, especially two dogs, has made it extremely difficult for us to find rental properties that will accept us as tenants; most properties are not pet-friendly here, unfortunately, especially in the city center.

What advice do you have for people who might be planning a move?

Research and educate yourself on the process, requirements, etc. of relocating your pet(s) to your specific relocation location (for Australia, the AQIS website was invaluable), do everything you can to ensure your pet(s) serve the minimum quarantine period if applicable, ask lots of questions, ensure your local government approved vet is fully onboard and involved in the process and fully educated on the requirements for your specific relocation location; we couldn't have had such a smooth relocation without ours!

On a side note, getting our boys to Australia safely and in good health was a huge concern for my husband and I as we planned this relocation and we can't thank PetRelocation.com enough for your big part in ensuring this happened for us. THANK YOU!

 

Happy Travelers!

 

 

Name: Andrew
Pet's Name: Tanner
From: US
To: Europe

We had a great experience! Our dog was picked up and made it to our hotel in great shape. There's no easier way to make the transition overseas.

Thanks Abbey!
 

Name: Jana
Company: IBM
Pet's Name: Du
From: Leavenworth, KS
To: Poughkeepsie, NY
 

 

PetRelocation.com made sure I understood all parts of the move and that I had all the right items lined up. They were very good at communicating all parts, especially on the day of the move, and they were in constant contact with me.

Du was very happy and looked great when he was delivered.

 

Name: Kristen
Pet's Name: Little
From: Orlando, FL
To: Shanghai, China
 

Christina, our PetRelocation.com agent, was fantastic in helping us relocate our toy poodle, Little, from Orlando, FL to Shanghai! She walked us through every step and went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. She even set it up so that Little only had to do a 24-hour quarantine instead of the typical seven days in the public facility.

We got an update on how he was doing via e-mail just hours after he got to quarantine to let us know he was doing well. It was so nice and put our minds at ease. They brought Little to us yesterday afternoon and he is doing wonderful! You would never know that he had been on a plane or in quarantine. We could not have been more pleased with the service we received and will absolutely call again when we head back to the US! Thank you all so much!

 

 

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: Holly
Pet's Name: Jackson
From: Boulder, CO
To: London, England


Sarah, our PetRelocation.com agent, was and is the most amazing lady! She walked us through the whole process of moving from Boulder, Colorado to London. She held our hand the whole way and calmed our nerves when we got nervous about the process. Jackson is settling in to his new digs now and loves being an English gentleman.

 

Name: PC
Pets' Names: Jaja and Leia
From: San Jose, Costa Rica
To: London, UK


Jaja and Leia are sisters, both 10 years old, and of mixed shepherd dog breed originally from Turkey, the first country I lived in overseas with my husband. My husband brought them home when they were pups on the day they were about to be taken away from his factory grounds by the local municipal who were rounding up strays.

Since then, they've moved with us to Honduras, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Costa Rica and now UK! Though they're seasoned travelers, we still dread the day when we have to pull out the carton boxes for packing.....the reckoning of what's coming and the resigned look in their eyes says it all.

The difference with this move is for the very first time, we're using the service of a door-to-door pet agent. For every single relocation in the past, I've personally handled all related paperwork, from the vaccinations to the relevant country's import and export documents, using agents only for certain route of the journey. The reason why we used PetRelocation.com this time was due to the trauma my husband and I experienced at Los Angeles airport when we had to fly with the doggies from Bangladesh to Costa Rica.

We were patting each other on the back after our first two flights went without a hitch, from Bangladesh to Hong Kong (overnight to rest the doggies), and then from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. During our last leg from Los Angeles to Costa Rica whilst we were on board, no one would tell us if our doggies were in the hold! After threatening to walk out of the plane, they finally told us that the doggies are still on the ground and have not been loaded due to missing paperwork! The airline then had to reopen the cabin door, remove our luggage and we then made a few frantic calls to try and retrieve our doggies from the cargo building. This all happened at 2 a.m. at the Los Angeles airport, us standing at the airport with two large dogs and crates, four suitcases, no taxis and no one in sight! To cut the long story short, after finding a taxi kind enough to accept the doggies we then hopped from hotel to hotel to search for a pet-friendly hotel. The following day was equally stressful because then we had to rebook all our flights and cargo space for the girls!

When we heard we were relocating to UK and knowing the quarantine laws have changed effective Jan 1, 2012, we both decided that we definitely cannot afford to have a repeat of our last experience and we wanted to make sure that everything goes smoothly this time. Not even the snow at Heathrow airport posed a problem....just unbelievable!

The girls went on their first walk in the woods today. We're introducing them to their walks slowly to acclimate them to the freezing weather in UK now. How I wished I could've read their mind when they saw snow since the last time they saw snow was almost 10 years ago in Turkey.

Everyone involved from Costa Rica to Houston to London were wonderfully attentive and professional. It makes such a huge difference not to worry about the "what ifs"! We'd like to thank Andreas and Dr Jose in Costa Rica and Jayne in London, and last but not least dear Ashley and Sarah. Your prompt replies by email and more importantly how you never hesitated to pick up the phone to call really makes all the difference. Thank you for bringing our girls home safe and sound.

Name: Alina
Pets' Names: Misha & Botz
From: Pittsburgh, PA
To: Stanford, CA

I heard about PetRelocation.com, and immediately I hoped this was the solution to my problem. Indeed it was! After requiring an estimate, they continued to keep in touch with information about everything I needed -- very professional!

When I decided the date of the move, PetRelocation.com did basically everything. I only had to sign and pay. I am very grateful they are doing such a good job; my cats arrived in perfect shape, happy, like they never flew across the country… Completely stress-free, and happy!

I was informed all along the way about where they were, how everything was going on, and in half a day I had my cats moved from door to door! Outstanding service, outstanding people!