Pet Travel Blog

I feel as though I have written about this before, probably because I have! Once again in an attempt to sell magazines and newspapers travel writers LOVE to shock people about the incidents that can occur when pets travel on airlines. In a current issue of Conde’ Nast Traveler Magazine-February 2007, an article titled: “The Beasts in the Belly”; the byline of the article reads: Think coach class is a drag? Try the cargo hold. William J. McGee reports on what can go wrong when the airlines transport pets.
Come on! This just makes my stomach hurt! Why in the world doesn’t Mr. McGee write about what GOES RIGHT when the airlines transport pets? He would really have something to write about that the numbers can back up.
Here’s a few for starters for you Mr. McGee: {all are true stories by the way}

• Two very small dogs were unable to be loaded on a flight to Osaka with the final destination-Okinawa. The airline personally called the pet shipper to advise that the dogs were safe and sound with them and that they would personally call the customs and agriculture clearance station at the airport in Osaka to advise of the 1 day delay and request they expedite the connection to Okinawa so the dogs would not have to spend the weekend in their crates. Everything went great!
• An airline made an exception to the number of pets allowed on a domestic flight so the “pet family’ could depart and arrive together at the same time.
• The airline’s cargo agents offered to “pet sit” two cats for 45 minutes while the health certificates were rushed over to the USDA vet for proper endorsements.
• Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines ALWAYS zip-tie closed the doors on the crate to avoid any problems or escapes of pets while in their care.

The airlines all in all do a great job in moving pets around the country and around the world. If anyone is at fault-it’s the owners of the pets. If a pet ‘loses its teeth and nails when trying to chew and claw its way out of its kennel” how can you possibly fault the airline? If a pet ever escapes from its kennel/crate the more than likely reason is because the owner purchased a CHEAP crate with a feeble door.
I am really looking forward to the time I see an article titled:
YOUR PET IS IN GOOD HANDS WHEN TRAVELING THE FRIENDLY SKIES!

What a great story about Pearl the black Labrador who was rescued in Denver! http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Dog-Rescue.html
Pearl was out on a walk with her owner when she slipped off her leash to chase a duck.  The next thing her owner knew Pearl was going down on cracking ice.  The lady was smart enough not to try and go in and get Pearl.  She got an expert to do it for her-a fire fighter who knew what he was doing. In less than 10 minutes the dog was safely returned from the cold ice to its owner.  Two significant parts to this story stand out.
First, everyone reading this story or viewing it on television had to feel so good that there was a happy ending.   Especially all of us who LOVE our dogs; it is amazing how fast things can happen on a peaceful dog walk.  Any one of use have experienced something startling and threatening when out with our pets on a simple walk.  I so clearly remember walking my dogs last summer in the evening and suddenly dog darts out of nowhere and began to attack one of my little dogs-Soozie.  It was awful.  I am reasonably sure the dog wanted to kill my dog.  Gratefully the pet sitter came running and literally pried the dog off of Soozie.  Sooz was limp from the trauma but o.k.  Thank goodness! 
The second significant part to the story of Pearl’s rescue in the ice is the importance of Pearl’s owner letting someone who knows what they are doing – save the dogs life.  Many times I get groans and grumbles from potential clients at the fees I charge to ship their pets.  They think that it should not be that difficult and why would I charge to consult, book and assist in shipping their pets?  Shipping pets to me is the same as planning travel for unaccompanied children.  You cannot be too careful and past experience is so valuable.  It is not uncommon for me to receive a phone call from a panicked traveler who is at the airport with their pet thinking everything regarding the pet’s travel is in order and it is not!  Things from wrong size crate, unacceptable crate, incorrect documentation and health certificates, too cold outside for airline regulations, co-share airline connections that are incompatible….the list goes on.   It’s pretty difficult to ‘fix’ situations when they have reached this point-actually it is almost impossible.  Yes, the business of pet travel is an “imperfect science” but it certainly seems wise to me to at least hire someone who is an expert in the field.
Why take the risk of falling in the ice with your dog and both of you are in trouble?

In my pet travel agency I get many inquires from pet owners who have to travel internationally on professional assignments that last six months to two years. It is always hard for them to decide to take or leave their pets behind. There are many things that you need to consider when taking a pet with you under this type of situation. First of all how difficult is it going to be to get your pet to qualify as a live animal import to the country you will to be assigned to? Some countries are much easier than others. Second, you will need to find out how much money it is going to cost to GET your pet there. Sometimes you can actually travel with them and sometimes you have to have them arrive as a piece of manifested cargo. Many times the employer will pay for you and your family’s travel but not your pet, so you need to find out what costs are involved. This also includes whether or not you need an export – importer to help you on arrival to clear local customs and immigration. Third you will want to research out where you are planning to live and what the pet policy at that particular place is. It is not uncommon for clients to jump through all the hoops to get their pet somewhere and then find out AFTER they have signed a binding rental agreement for housing that pets are not allowed. Very disappointing!
Fourth, you may want to tentatively find out the cost to return your pet when your employment commitment has ended. It is my rule of thumb as a pet travel agent that you are looking at about one-third more in cost if you are returning to the United States. That of course can vary considerably. The one easy thing-all that is required for a pet to enter the United States typically is a recent health certificate from a licensed veterinarian and proof of rabies for dogs. This information can be found at:
http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/entering_us/2bringyourpet.htm

My opinion on whether or not to take your pet/s is: If the costs are not extreme and the requirements not too complex, I say take your pet. I have had so many clients tell me how happy they were that they decided to commit the additional expense and take their pets with them. Many of us consider our pets’ part of the family. Think how difficult it is to leave family members and be so far away from home. Pets bridge that gap so well. I recently had a client that moved her entire family to Sydney Australia. Australia is one of the MORE DIFFICULT destinations to import a pet. She sent me an email after her dog had finally cleared the mandatory quarantine of 30 days for Australia and told me how much better her children had adjusted to their new home because the dog was there with them. She had no doubts that it was really worth the extra expense and effort.

It’s a long way from Honolulu to Frankfurt for a passenger, but just imagine how long it is for a 14 LB cairn terrier.  This week I had a client’s dog depart Hawaii on Sunday and arrive into Germany on Wednesday.  Some real team work that goes into a pet’s journey like this one.  The owner or person shipping the pet must be sure that the paperwork is in perfect order and that the dog is prepared correctly for shipment.  Finding a crate in Hawaii was difficult so we had one sent to her from the mainland.  It is always advisable for the pet to become somewhat familiar with the crate before departure.  IATA shipping standards dictate that a pet can only travel so many hours and miles  consecutively.  The flight from Honolulu was almost ten hours to New York.  On arrival into New York we had a pet handler-another great member of the ‘team’- claim the dog and respite care it for 24 hours.  The dog was then rechecked in with the airline and forwarded on to Frankfurt; another 8 hours.  Total miles traveled: 8,817!  What a trooper.  When the dog arrived into Frankfurt, mom was waiting to claim her.  That is always the best part.

As a pet travel agent I get calls daily about putting pets in the ‘hold’ of the aircraft.  I know it sounds really awful, but actually if you plan well and use the right carriers, the experience is not too horrible.  Most pets just sleep through it.  No, you not sedate your pet. Sedation is the worst thing you can do for a traveling pet and the airlines will not accept a sedated pet.  It makes them feel funny and many times they panic and overheat which actually can be fatal.  Pets are more adapting that we give them credit for.  My advice: let mom and dad take the sedatives and ship the pet!

PET TRAVEL AGENT ADVICE FOR DUMMIES:

Never sedate a traveling pet.  The airlines will not knowingly accept a sedated pet for shipment.  A sedated pet can begin to feel strange and start to panic.  Sometimes they try and escape the crate and overheat trying.  If they get too hot and have no immediate water to drink they  can dehydrate and in the worst instance die.

The New York Sun published today an article about the Westminster Dog Show currently running in Madison Square Garden. http://www.nysun.com/article/48474
Bradley Hope who wrote the article is ‘right on’ about the fact that none of us have forgotten about Vivi.  What happened and how can we prevent this from ever happening to our own beloved pets?  From a pet travel agent’s perspective I have thought long and hard about Vivi and my take on what happened.  I honestly think that someone with the staff at the airport must have opened that crate door to get a look at this darling animal.  The suggestions in the Sun article are great.  I would like to add a few more.
Use an IPATA members – International Pet and Animal Transportation Association- http://www.ipata.com-to ship your pets.  IPATA pet shippers know their business.  They check your pet in with the airline, present required documentation for TSA and know the airlines that are the best with pets.  They also know the agents and individuals that handle the pets at the airports.  They really know what they are doing.  Puppy Travel is a member of IPATA. http://www.puppytravel.com
-If you are traveling with your pet, make sure that you advise the flight attendants as soon as you board the aircraft that you are traveling with your pet.  Ask them to have the pilot call down and advise the ground crew that he needs a call when the pet has been boarded.  Do not sit down in your seat until you KNOW that your pet has been boarded.  Don’t buckle up…just wait.  I have never had a client have a problem with this specific request.  Remember that the pets are the “last on & first off’ the aircraft so more than likely you will not be alerted that you pet is on board until just before the passenger aircraft door is closed.  Be patient.  They will do it. 
-Never take your eyes off your pet until it has been accepted and is the responsibility of the airline.  If you need to get your vehicle out of the parking lot before you can put the pet and crate in your car, PAY someone to watch it for you-a neighbor, friend, cousin.  It is money well worth spending.
-TSA should inspect your pet while you are still there.  Don’t release your pet to the airline until all inspections have been completed. 
-Ship you pet as ‘manifested cargo’ instead of ‘checked luggage’.  The airline ticket counter agents work mostly with humans-not animals.  They will treat your pet the same as your golf clubs or skis.  If you ship them as ‘manifested cargo’ you know where they are all the time because you can track them on the internet.  Checked luggage is what it is….’checked’…they have no idea what happens to it once they place it on the conveyer belt.
 

Being a pet travel agent is a very interesting job. There are positives as well as negatives, just like any profession. There are so few travel agents now that I sometimes wonder why I stay in this hectic and ever-changing business. I have always said that the only way a travel agent really learns their job is by making mistakes; that the difference between a good travel agent and a GREAT travel agent is the GREAT travel agent fixes their mistakes without anyone every knowing there were any!

I have decided to share with you on occasion some ‘Pet Travel Agent Advice for Dummies’. My own creative manual based on years and years of hands on experience.

Chapter 1:

#1: DOCUMENT EVERYTHING
There are so many unwritten rules in the industry and so often you will call a vendor and they will tell you one thing and then you call again, ask the exact same question and are told a totally different answer. Lesson learned: Remember and document who told you what and when; an actual name and date works wonders.
#2: NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING
The rules in the travel industry change faster than anything you have ever experienced. You may have sent a pet in cabin last month on an airline and everything went great. That is not a guarantee that the airline has not changed their policies regarding pets in the cabin now. If your client gets to the airport with Fluffy in tow and is told they no longer accept in-cabin pets you will be the first person they will call.

Lesson learned: Always verify and TRIPLE check any policies or information to be sure that nothing has changed.
#3: DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS
The travel industry has so many variables that sometimes you think you are going to go crazy. You try and think of everything you possibly can to avoid problems. You may spend weeks preparing a client and her dog to travel to South America. The requirements for the dog to enter a country can be very complicated and time sensitive. You get everything done for the pet exactly as is needed to avoid any problems with your client and the dog on arrival. You get the dreaded phone call from the airport-you focused hard on the pet and you forgot about the ‘human’ passenger. They need a Visa!

Lesson learned: You must try always to look at every minor travel detail. The airlines will not always take the time to tell you everything you must know. That is your job.
#4: TRAVEL AGENTS ARE NOT PAID COMMISSIONS BY THE AIRLINES
Travel Agencies used to receive a 10% commission baseline on every transaction ten years ago. The airlines first capped the sales commissions at 10% or $50 whichever was less and then they took them away completely. World wide airlines have not paid out commissions for a long time.

Lesson learned: Travel agents must charge fees for their services. You will need to pay for services received.