Yummmmmyme
6/22/2016 18:48 EST
I'll be bringing my two aging dashunds with me. I've always hired someone to come and live in with them while I'm traveling because they get nervous being displaced. I'm hoping to travel quite a bit off and on and am wondering if anyone has the name of someone who is reliable and could watch them. They're really like my babies and I want to make sure they get good care as well as having someone I can trust to stay in my home. I'll be either in Cascais or Lisbon so both/either would help! Thanks!
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Yummmmmyme
10/4/2016 04:13 EST
There's a fairly long and involved process when importing your own pet. It begins with having them microchipped for the EU and getting their rabies shots after that EVEN IF they've just had them. My poor dogs have been microchipped for years and had just had their rabies shots and we had to redo them because they HAVE to be done AFTER the the international chip was implanted. No exceptions. I started their paperwork about the same time as mine. Booking a place on the plane is something to do months in advance also. So there are many pieces to the puzzle. Here's the USDA site that explains what you need. I don't remember if the final paperwork is there but the trickiest part is that 10 days before u enter the EU, you have to have their final vet check by a USDA certified vet, rush the paperwork to the official USDA office and get it back before you leave.
Cautionary tale:
I had the vet check on day 7 to give us 3 days spare in case we had travel issues. The vet needs the paperwork prior to doing the exam because it's 10(?) pages long and they have to go through the dogs health records. On the day of the final check, I took the paperwork and overnighted it to the USDA office. They got it on Friday morning and said they got it out (overnight) on Monday morning but it still hasn't come by the time we left on Wednesday!!! So if it's close you might want to drive it over and have it stamped. You'll need an appointment. I ended up going with a faxed copy and hoping for the best. I've got to say that the prep was a lot harder than the arrival. Nobody really seemed to care and after I waved the paperwork at them in Germany and Portugal, we walked through. I'm happy to supply more detail if needed. USDA requirements: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pettravel
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Yummmmmyme
10/4/2016 04:17 EST
I just want to clarify about my dog sitting needs - I take weekend trips, and will be taking a 10-14 day overseas trip in early/mid Jan and early/mid Feb. my housekeeper loved my dogs and used to move in to stay with them when I traveled. So that would be the perfect arrangement for me. I don't need anyone to live in full time. Just while I'm traveling. I'd also consider taking them to someone's home but the dogs can't climb up and down steps (one had a $6000 back surgery so I learned my lesson!!!) so my place might be easier. If you know of anyone PLEASE let me know. Thanks!
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dianaigh1
10/4/2016 05:57 EST
Thank you so much for your response. It is very informative and will be helpful when i start. I'm starting to feel slightly overwhelmed by all the busywork involved..
Is there a time frame involved with the shots? or can they be given, say 6 months prior to travelling?
I was going to take them to get shots tomorrow for bordatella/parvo, rabies & distemper. but now that I've read your information, I will have them microchipped first. The shots are $120 for both dogs. No sense in throwing away money.
Did you fly your dogs over in cargo or in the cabin on a commercial airline or did you have a pet relocator do it? I don't want to be separated from them I don't trust anyone with my babies.
How much time prior to traveling did you start your paperwork? Did you start with the FBI criminal check?
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. It will help me enormously. By the way, I have done a lot of dog sitting. I adore dogs. When I get there, I can probably help you out when you take your trips.
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Yummmmmyme
10/5/2016 19:52 EST
Yes it can be overwhelming Diana! Thanks to al the people here it was much less so. But there's so much to do and consider. I was going to write this in a pm, but decided perhaps others could benefit from the info too so I'll put it here. But it would be fabulous if you end up close enough to dog sit so please pm me and let's keep in touch!
There's a great article that craigandmiki keep referring to called Demystifying the Papertrail, written by Susan, and I believe it's in the articles on this website. It helps with the timeline and organizing all the paperwork. I had to work through the San Francisco office which is notoriously difficult from what I've heard. So really your best resources for getting your paperwork together are those two places: that article and then contacting your consulate office (you are assigned one by state and can't use any except that one). Get them to send you their specific requirements directly by email. I'm happy to answer any questions I can as you go along in your process and I know others are too.
The timing is important for everything for both you and the dogs so make sure you pay attention to that. I wrote out a timeline for myself and printed out a calendar. Just seeing it made it a lot easier to conceptualize, and it made it easier to see that the steps were doable and to stay on track. If I hadn't left it behind in the US I would have sent it to you! The FBI report can only be gotten within 3 months (I think - please check the article!) so I actually got my air ticket first (because of the dogs - see below) and at the 3 month point, just used an FBI processor for $12.50 for the report and they got mine back in less than a week. It seemed worth it. Others have waited for 6 weeks I believe, so it's doable that way too.
For the dogs: I think I remember that they have to have the rabies shot 3 months before traveling. I'm not sure if it matter how much before that you do it, so you need to check but it's probably not an issue as long as it is current and not going to expire within 3 months after you intend to arrive. The important thing as I said is to make sure they have the international chip implanted FIRST because this will have to be certified by your vet. Do NOT get the American one, and if you already have it, you still have to get theirs too! Their chip readers can't read ours. You can do it all in one visit but the order matters.
The best resource for the dogs is the one I listed above, Google, and your vet. Most vets seem to be USDA approved now so check with yours and if they aren't, you will need one who is to complete the paperwork anyway so you might as well find them now and have them do the chip and inoculations too. I actually have the paperwork and can send it to you, but the vet I found got the paperwork in advance and had it filled out by the time I had the final wellness apt. It takes a while for them to fill out and the appointment cost me $250 for the first dog and $50 for the second because they were kind.
The paperwork requirements changed slightly as of 1 Sept 2016 so I have the current set if you want to pm me an email to send it to. That also reminds me that when the vet fills out the paperwork you need to take, it needs to be done in BLUE INK and the dates all need to be put in the European format, which is DD/MM/YYYY.
Sorry this is so long but there's so much to know!! I hope ur finding this helpful.
The airlines and point of entry: I researched every major airline and Lufthansa was the one that was consistently the most dog friendly. They're one of the only airlines that allowed two animals on the same plane!!! They also have the reputation of generally liking animals and have more under seat room - they have to fit under there - than any other airline. So I flew from Seattle to Frankfurt and on to Lisbon. This meant my entry into the EU was in Germany rather than in Portugal, so my paperwork was in all three languages to be safe but it officially needed to be in German for the initial entrance, not in Portuguese! It's in English as the language of the country you first enter and so many people speak English in Portugal that I think I could have only gotten it in German and been fine.
Back to the airline. I have two miniature doxies so they could ride with me in the cabin. That's why it was the first thing I did. I booked the tickets 4-5 months in advance because of the fact that I wanted to have both of my fur babies with me on the same flight. The catch is that you can only have one per passenger so I flew my sister over with me (which was fun anyway!) and she brought the other dog.
The carrier: The best container for them is called a sturdibag and I got mine in a size Large on Amazon. It's the biggest one that can fit under the seat. The sturdibag is actually too high so you have to squish it down to get it under the seat, but once u take off you pull it out and then they have plenty of room to stand and turn around. When they see it at the airport they often say it's too big (according to other travelers, and they did ask me too), but when I showed them that it compressed and showed them photos I got from the Internet of it fitting under an airline seat, they let us go. Dogs AND carrier can only weigh 18 lbs combined so you have to be aware of that. And they need to be able to fit under the seat. If they can't...they have to go under the plane. They're NOT allowed during the flight if the flight is under 10 hours (I think it's 10)...but I took mine out and tied them to the rail at the bottom of the seat so they could move a bit but bit get u to the aisle, and put a potty paper down and they turned a blind eye. They were strict on the fact that they weren't allowed out of my row and definitely not in the bathroom. I was hoping to take them into the bathroom with the potty paper but like I said, they were okay with them being in the aisle.
Wow, I have so much more to say... But I'll have to come back to it later.
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dianaigh1
10/11/2016 17:44 EST
omg, I have discovered a gold mine of information. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am printing out everything you have posted and hi lighted the really important parts, which is everything,really. I will do as you did with a calendar. I would like to travel in July of 2016, so i will have to think carefully. I will pm with any questions. Thank you so much for your willingness to help me. I really, really appreciate it. Diana
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