Pet Move of the Month: Marina’s Pet Relocation to Germany

We're so excited to announce our Pet Move of the Month for September.  We relocated Marina to Dusseldorf, Germany from Michigan last month and her owner sent us some great pictures of Marina's new life in Germany.  It sounds like she's been pretty busy!  Moving pets to Germany is one of our more common relocation services, with Frankfurt and Munich being two of our top cities for pet moves in and out of Germany.  The vibrant, historic lifestyle combined with Germans' natural adoration and acceptance of pets in public spaces makes Germany an ideal spot for pet owners from all over the world.

Shortly after her move, Marina's owner Jennifer sent us a note about how she was doing:
 

Thanks so much again for getting Marina to us safely. She is quickly making new friends here in Germany. I'm still shocked at how much more the locals smile when she is with us. The stereotype is true: Most Germans adore dogs. She has also sniffed every section of our walled garden and seems to be pleased with her new yard. Marina joined us for a 10K bike ride along the Rhine River to the Alstadt (historic district) yesterday. She ran for some of it and then relaxed in a doggie cart while I did all the work. She also toured ruins of a castle built in 700. I attached a few photos for you.
Thanks so much, Jennifer

We reached out to Jennifer to find out more information about her pet relocation experience, and she was kind enough to share with us her very touching pet moving story:

When my husband signed the contract for a global expat position in Dusseldorf, Germany, my first reaction was excitement. Then feelings of anxiety set in. But believe it or not my concern didn’t stem from the fact I’d never been to Germany and only knew one Deutsche phrase, Danke Shone. The questions on my mind were: Will my baby be able to come with us? How will she get there? Will she make it okay?

My “baby” is a furry, 7-year-old, 28-pound Wheaten Terrier named Marina. Our company relocation manager assured me they work with an exceptional pet relocation company that treats each pet like their own. Our pet relocation specialist Jillian basically held my hand every step of the way – ordering a proper travel crate, working with our veterinarian to process customs paperwork and finalizing travel details.

Thanks to PetRelocation, Marina’s journey from our home in White Lake, Mich. to Germany was comfortable and uneventful. She was eager to go when a representative came to pick her up -- immediately jumping into the van along with her crate. She spent the night in Chicago before boarding a Lufthansa flight direct to Frankfurt. When she landed a representative took her to a doggie daycare where she could run around, do her business, eat and drink while he processed her through customs. Then he drove her to our house from the airport. Marina arrived wagging her tail with delight, thirsty and eager to explore her new world.

That night a sense of peace settled over our house. Marina jumped into bed with my 10-year-old son, Mark, and they fell asleep together. In the morning, my 15-year-old daughter, Natalia, awoke with a smile on her face – feeling a little less homesick. We all believe being reunited with Marina made our new house feel more like home.

What surprised me most about Marina’s arrival was the reaction from local people. For two weeks before she arrived not a single person glanced my way, smiled or said “hello.” Why? Because one major culture difference between the US and Germany is people don’t interact with strangers on the street. But when I took Marina for a walk along the Rhine River, 10 Germans stopped to chat with me about “der hund.” Of course, I had no idea what they were saying so I just smiled and nodded.

Germans like dogs so much they are welcome in restaurants, on the train, in hotels and even in clothing stores. After our new vet registers Marina for a doggie passport she will be able to travel with us throughout Europe.

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PetRelocation Team

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