So how much do you think you spent shipping your dog over?

[Bound4Tassie]

Just wondering how much it's changed over the years and how much different types/sizes cost ship?

So all up including rabies vacc, all permits, kennelling, shipping fees, quaratine, onward domestc travel etc how much?

What type of dog? What year?

[Patphillips47]

We shipped our Shar Pei in 2016

It cost us £2105 GBP for his flight ,picking him up from up North and kennels for a few days

£175 GBP for rabies blood test

£163 GBP for blood tests ( that was the test the vets lost lol )

Around £400 GBP for vaccinations Rabies etc. worming and defleaing (not that he had any)

Quarantine was $1461 AUD

Import permit was $485 AUD

flying him to Adelaide from quarantine $260 AUD

All in all not a cheap exercise but !

[OZnewbie]

I just brought my dog over , 12 year old small lab, cost in total gbp 5,500 including all vet bills, quarantine, transport to Melbourne and then from Melbourne to Sydney.

Sent from my SM-G928F using PomsinOz mobile app

[Englishwifeinoz]

Hi,

 

I got numerous quotes from Pet Removal companies and found their quotes to be nothing short of exploitation. I understand that you would want your precious fur babies to be in the best hands possible but the mark up from the pet removal companies averages around £1,200.

I spoke with one removal company and asked them about what their actual process is and what they do and they mentioned that they use Emirates Skycargo. So I contacted Emirates Skycargo directly (who are great btw) and they quoted me roughly £500 for the flight based on weight (from Manchester to Melbourne) and this will be no different to the flight your pet would be on if using a pet transport company and a further £100 for export fees at the airport and another £100 roughly for handling fees at Dubai airport.

I asked Emirates Skycargo why people use pet transport companies instead of doing it themselves and it comes down to the fact that you would have to take your pet to the airport 5 hours before take off to fill out the exportation docs and go through the necessary checks and apparently that is not convenient for people so they pay a £1.2k premium to not do that. He also mentioned that sometimes the crate needs to be sealed by a vet when going to certain countries so that is where the pet transport companies can be handy.

Breakdown of fees for my 1 year old Cockerpoo

So her flight, export fee, handling fee at Dubai Airport and crate together will be roughly £800

Her Pet Passport and Rabies Blood Tests - £215 so far

£1000 for the quarantine fees

£280 for the import fee

$424 to transport her from Mickleham to Newcastle Airport

I estimate further vets fees to be roughly £200 for the next round of blood tests and final tick and flea treatments that need to be signed off by a vet.

TBH if you cant be arsed sorting everything out yourself use a pet transport company but check what they actually charge for because you may have a shock when you realise that they usually only cover the flight, crate and travel to and from the airports and a bit of hand holding.

I would do a lot of research before committing to a Pet Transport company and try to get the Rabies tests and Import cert sorted before anything else as it will help massively when it comes to booking the quarantine and subsequently the flights as Melbourne Airport wont confirm acceptance of your pet on the incoming flight unless they have confirmation that it is booked in at Mickleham in a confirmed and paid for booking.

Also, don't be pressured to get a wooden crate made. There are a lot of IATA approved crates out there and the only reason the pet transport companies make you use the ones they make is to increase their margin.

Hope this helps. There are a lot of companies that are making a huge profit from people in our situation who are emigrating and I think its always best to try to cut out the middle man if possible.

Lucy

 

Edited August 8, 2017 by Englishwifeinoz

[ScottieGirl]

10 minutes ago, Englishwifeinoz said:

 

TBH if you cant be arsed sorting everything out yourself use a pet transport company but check what they actually charge for because you may have a shock when you realise that they usually only cover the flight, crate and travel to and from the airports and a bit of hand holding

 

I have shipped my dogs both ways and when it comes to getting animals into Australia animal transport companies do a damn site more than hand holding IMO. The paperwork for each dog was 23 pages long, one minor error and they could be made to spend 6 months in quarantine which will cost you far more. You could not use any vet either as AQIS required extra certification,  use the wrong vet and they will reject the paperwork. This was a few years ago and the regs may have changed by now but that's  another reason for using an animal transport company as they should be up to date.

[VERYSTORMY]

We shipped the other way. Our dog from Perth to London was $3000, including rabies jab and vets fees and even the crate.

Very glad we did, as we could have had all sorts of issues. Literally hours before he was due to fly, we were notified the airline had put a total ban on animal flights. But, dogatiners sorted it out. We would otherwise have had to cancel my wifes flight and pay for another one and put her and the dog up in a hotel in Perth.

Then, when we landed in Heathrow, the people are the ARC were great, but VERY strict on the paperwork, to the extent there was a family waiting for a cat who were in tears after been told it was being refused entry because of a tiny mistake on the paperwork - the vets stamp was a couple of mm over the line of where it should have been. They were being asked for thousands up front in fees or the option of paying to fly it back or having it put to sleep. Not a good position to be in.

Then of course there are regulation changes that can and do happen mid process. We have seen this on the forum before which has caught people out.

[Englishwifeinoz]

1 hour ago, ScottieGirl said:

I have shipped my dogs both ways and when it comes to getting animals into Australia animal transport companies do a damn site more than hand holding IMO. The paperwork for each dog was 23 pages long, one minor error and they could be made to spend 6 months in quarantine which will cost you far more. You could not use any vet either as AQIS required extra certification,  use the wrong vet and they will reject the paperwork. This was a few years ago and the regs may have changed by now but that's  another reason for using an animal transport company as they should be up to date.

Is this the export certification for the pet leaving the airport that you are referencing?

Because with the quarantine everything is done online and then the airline liaises on your behalf with Melbourne airport and Mickleham to arrange for your pet to be picked up according to the scheduled flight and the same with the handling at Dubai Airport. My experience is current as I have only just booked all of this myself without any issues and no 23 page documents - although the Export docs are roughly 5 pages long and not particularly arduous looking. Also, my vet is a government appointed vet luckily so that saved a lot of hassle too.

I genuinely did not find that the Pet Transport companies did anything that I couldn't do myself. I suppose not everyone can be as officious with paperwork as I may be or in the position to sort everything out at the airport themselves.

[ScottieGirl]

The documentation may well have been submitted online, I didn't  do it, I was provided with copies by the vet. The paper work going to the UK was considerably less than the other way.

You make a good point about being able to sort things out, I flew out before my dogs. There was an issue with the dogs flight, a delay on the first leg resulted in a change to the second flight, that I would not have been able to sort out, the transport company took care of it whilst I was in the air.

I paid $2200 per dog in April. That covered kennel fees, transport costs to the airport, flights, export documentation,  vet certification fee prior to flying, (separate to the export certification the dogs have to be cleared fit for travel 24 hrs prior) customs fees and the animal transport company fees. No quarantine fees as I was going to the UK. Vaccinations were extra and I already had the sky kennels from before. Who on earth uses wooden crates???

I know Jetpets got a huge discount on the kennel fees as I have used the same kennels. Looks like they got a good deal on the flights too.

Edited August 8, 2017 by ScottieGirl

[Englishwifeinoz]

2 hours ago, ScottieGirl said:

The documentation may well have been submitted online, I didn't  do it, I was provided with copies by the vet. The paper work going to the UK was considerably less than the other way.

You make a good point about being able to sort things out, I flew out before my dogs. There was an issue with the dogs flight, a delay on the first leg resulted in a change to the second flight, that I would not have been able to sort out, the transport company took care of it whilst I was in the air.

I paid $2200 per dog in April. That covered kennel fees, transport costs to the airport, flights, export documentation,  vet certification fee prior to flying, (separate to the export certification the dogs have to be cleared fit for travel 24 hrs prior) customs fees and the animal transport company fees. No quarantine fees as I was going to the UK. Vaccinations were extra and I already had the sky kennels from before. Who on earth uses wooden crates???

I know Jetpets got a huge discount on the kennel fees as I have used the same kennels. Looks like they got a good deal on the flights too.

I know, I'm aghast as to who would even think of commissioning wooden crates to be built too! They cut them down to be minutely within the guidelines so your animal only just has room to move and they up their margin as the crate weighs less and takes up less space. 

I am using Jetpets in Australia because they actually quoted a decent price and it worked out cheaper than us driving down to Melbourne from Newcastle and back! Also they had been so recommended and I had seen them on a show about A380 Airbus in the UK and they seemed good with the updates they provided the owners when picking the animal up from quarantine. I just feel the English pet carriers have put their margins so high that I wouldn't trust them to provide a premium service in return. 

[Taff]

Ongoing:

2 x Jack Russell x Fox Terriers.

Bill so far;

Rabies shots $410

Shipping $4950 (deposit paid.)

Edited August 10, 2017 by Taff

[Patphillips47]

On 08/08/2017 at 23:14, ScottieGirl said:

I have shipped my dogs both ways and when it comes to getting animals into Australia animal transport companies do a damn site more than hand holding IMO. The paperwork for each dog was 23 pages long, one minor error and they could be made to spend 6 months in quarantine which will cost you far more. You could not use any vet either as AQIS required extra certification,  use the wrong vet and they will reject the paperwork. This was a few years ago and the regs may have changed by now but that's  another reason for using an animal transport company as they should be up to date.

I agree Scottie I am no sloth when it comes to paperwork but the paperwork for Oz plus requirements are quite formidable I printed everything off for my vet and thought i had every aspect covered as they were a UK government vet as required 

Luckily I shipped with a pet shipper who took our boy to their kennels prior to him being flown out We left a few days before him as we needed to back in Oz on a certain date 

We were in Singapore when my vet rang me to say they had just realised they had not got the last lot of blood results back - i had taken him a few days before he went away and the results were supposed to be emailed to me and the company shipping him

The company shipping him were brilliant -rang i think it is  Weybridge -the lab that does the tests to be told his samples had not been sent there ! They rushed him to their vets couriered his bloods to the lab and got him out as scheduled =phew !

Had i been the one doing it i would not have known where to start with the emergency tests etc consequences could have been we would probably have had to cancel our flights and reschedule too as things went so pear shaped 

[Patphillips47]

On 08/08/2017 at 22:46, Englishwifeinoz said:

Hi,

 

I got numerous quotes from Pet Removal companies and found their quotes to be nothing short of exploitation. I understand that you would want your precious fur babies to be in the best hands possible but the mark up from the pet removal companies averages around £1,200.

I spoke with one removal company and asked them about what their actual process is and what they do and they mentioned that they use Emirates Skycargo. So I contacted Emirates Skycargo directly (who are great btw) and they quoted me roughly £500 for the flight based on weight (from Manchester to Melbourne) and this will be no different to the flight your pet would be on if using a pet transport company and a further £100 for export fees at the airport and another £100 roughly for handling fees at Dubai airport.

I asked Emirates Skycargo why people use pet transport companies instead of doing it themselves and it comes down to the fact that you would have to take your pet to the airport 5 hours before take off to fill out the exportation docs and go through the necessary checks and apparently that is not convenient for people so they pay a £1.2k premium to not do that. He also mentioned that sometimes the crate needs to be sealed by a vet when going to certain countries so that is where the pet transport companies can be handy.

Breakdown of fees for my 1 year old Cockerpoo

So her flight, export fee, handling fee at Dubai Airport and crate together will be roughly £800

Her Pet Passport and Rabies Blood Tests - £215 so far

£1000 for the quarantine fees

£280 for the import fee

$424 to transport her from Mickleham to Newcastle Airport

I estimate further vets fees to be roughly £200 for the next round of blood tests and final tick and flea treatments that need to be signed off by a vet.

TBH if you cant be arsed sorting everything out yourself use a pet transport company but check what they actually charge for because you may have a shock when you realise that they usually only cover the flight, crate and travel to and from the airports and a bit of hand holding.

I would do a lot of research before committing to a Pet Transport company and try to get the Rabies tests and Import cert sorted before anything else as it will help massively when it comes to booking the quarantine and subsequently the flights as Melbourne Airport wont confirm acceptance of your pet on the incoming flight unless they have confirmation that it is booked in at Mickleham in a confirmed and paid for booking.

Also, don't be pressured to get a wooden crate made. There are a lot of IATA approved crates out there and the only reason the pet transport companies make you use the ones they make is to increase their margin.

Hope this helps. There are a lot of companies that are making a huge profit from people in our situation who are emigrating and I think its always best to try to cut out the middle man if possible.

Lucy

 

The company i used make their own wooden crates which I was more than happy about My Shar Pei has quite long claws and i felt a wooden floor would be better for him - plus because he is a Brachylyptic breed they made the crate a bit bigger for him Some airlines will only fly Brachylyptic dogs in their winter months I never felt pressured at all about the crate as it came with the price quoted Plus i felt the company I used genuinely cared for the pets they transport 

 

[Imapla]

IMHO I may well be able to do the paperwork but I prefer to use an expert and am happy to pay for that service - it is not just a vast profit for them - it is paying for their knowledge, experience and support in what is quite a stressful thing to do to your dog.  It is all about value for money and I personally wouldn't want to risk doing it myself - in a few years time it won't make much difference whether it was £2k or £3 to ship him - either way he has cost us a lot of money but he is totally worth it.  (I am also no sloth when it comes to paperwork having done our immigration application myself without an agent).  I think the pet shipping companies do a great job and certainly wouldn't expect them to do it for no profit/income. 

[Angelpie]

22 hours ago, Imapla said:

IMHO I may well be able to do the paperwork but I prefer to use an expert and am happy to pay for that service - it is not just a vast profit for them - it is paying for their knowledge, experience and support in what is quite a stressful thing to do to your dog.  It is all about value for money and I personally wouldn't want to risk doing it myself - in a few years time it won't make much difference whether it was £2k or £3 to ship him - either way he has cost us a lot of money but he is totally worth it.  (I am also no sloth when it comes to paperwork having done our immigration application myself without an agent).  I think the pet shipping companies do a great job and certainly wouldn't expect them to do it for no profit/income. 

Hi impala, have you chosen a company or have you already shipped your dog? This is on my list of things I need to start organising any heads up much appreciated ?

[OZnewbie]

Hi,
 
I got numerous quotes from Pet Removal companies and found their quotes to be nothing short of exploitation. I understand that you would want your precious fur babies to be in the best hands possible but the mark up from the pet removal companies averages around £1,200.
I spoke with one removal company and asked them about what their actual process is and what they do and they mentioned that they use Emirates Skycargo. So I contacted Emirates Skycargo directly (who are great btw) and they quoted me roughly £500 for the flight based on weight (from Manchester to Melbourne) and this will be no different to the flight your pet would be on if using a pet transport company and a further £100 for export fees at the airport and another £100 roughly for handling fees at Dubai airport.
I asked Emirates Skycargo why people use pet transport companies instead of doing it themselves and it comes down to the fact that you would have to take your pet to the airport 5 hours before take off to fill out the exportation docs and go through the necessary checks and apparently that is not convenient for people so they pay a £1.2k premium to not do that. He also mentioned that sometimes the crate needs to be sealed by a vet when going to certain countries so that is where the pet transport companies can be handy.
Breakdown of fees for my 1 year old Cockerpoo
So her flight, export fee, handling fee at Dubai Airport and crate together will be roughly £800
Her Pet Passport and Rabies Blood Tests - £215 so far
£1000 for the quarantine fees
£280 for the import fee
$424 to transport her from Mickleham to Newcastle Airport
I estimate further vets fees to be roughly £200 for the next round of blood tests and final tick and flea treatments that need to be signed off by a vet.
TBH if you cant be arsed sorting everything out yourself use a pet transport company but check what they actually charge for because you may have a shock when you realise that they usually only cover the flight, crate and travel to and from the airports and a bit of hand holding.
I would do a lot of research before committing to a Pet Transport company and try to get the Rabies tests and Import cert sorted before anything else as it will help massively when it comes to booking the quarantine and subsequently the flights as Melbourne Airport wont confirm acceptance of your pet on the incoming flight unless they have confirmation that it is booked in at Mickleham in a confirmed and paid for booking.
Also, don't be pressured to get a wooden crate made. There are a lot of IATA approved crates out there and the only reason the pet transport companies make you use the ones they make is to increase their margin.
Hope this helps. There are a lot of companies that are making a huge profit from people in our situation who are emigrating and I think its always best to try to cut out the middle man if possible.
Lucy [emoji4]
 

I wanted to arrange the shipping myself but if your pet is not coming over directly (i.e having to transfer at another airport before arriving to Australia, then it is a mandatory requirement to use a shipping company. Im glad Ive used one. I would of been in alot of trouble and actually I think I got my moneys worth. They knew exactly who to contact to resolve the unforseen problems that arose on the date of travel to Australia!. Long story but put it this way, if I didnt use them, I would of had to start the entire process from scratch and my dog would of had to of been in a kennel in the UK for 6 months! Instead, because of how they resolved it, my dog was only delayed by an additional week, primarily due to the flights then anything else. You think its all straightforward till something goes wrong... I say, outsource to the experts...

[Patphillips47]

On 28/08/2017 at 19:13, Angelpie said:

Hi impala, have you chosen a company or have you already shipped your dog? This is on my list of things I need to start organising any heads up much appreciated ?

We used Golden Arrow and could not fault them 

[Angelpie]

Hi I've called them am still waiting for a quote off them - the lady wanted my dog to be in her kennels for three days previous to flying though which I'm not keen on that idea , had other quotes aswell but am hedging towards petair xx

[Imapla]

On 03/09/2017 at 13:37, Angelpie said:

Hi I've called them am still waiting for a quote off them - the lady wanted my dog to be in her kennels for three days previous to flying though which I'm not keen on that idea , had other quotes aswell but am hedging towards petair xx

Hi Did you go ? / choose a shipper ?

I think I will go with Petair - I see Golden Arrow are having a sabatical as at Sept 2017 and Petair seems highly recommended on this forum

 

[Angelpie]

On 10/12/2017 at 13:23, Imapla said:

Hi Did you go ? / choose a shipper ?

I think I will go with Petair - I see Golden Arrow are having a sabatical as at Sept 2017 and Petair seems highly recommended on this forum

 

I'm thinking it will be petair or the other one that I can't think of the name right now ? But probably petair , I'm looking at a minimum £2200 over here tho then there's more payout the other side but hey ho love that daft hound ❤️

[Mbandvb]

We have a Labrador bitch and she is flying out early next year just after us. We are going with petair and is costing £3250 and then an estimated $2000 on top of that for quarantine fees. Plus £150 in vet bills that weren't included in the quote.

[Englishwifeinoz]

On 29/08/2017 at 15:10, OZnewbie said:

I wanted to arrange the shipping myself but if your pet is not coming over directly (i.e having to transfer at another airport before arriving to Australia, then it is a mandatory requirement to use a shipping company. Im glad Ive used one. I would of been in alot of trouble and actually I think I got my moneys worth. They knew exactly who to contact to resolve the unforseen problems that arose on the date of travel to Australia!. Long story but put it this way, if I didnt use them, I would of had to start the entire process from scratch and my dog would of had to of been in a kennel in the UK for 6 months! Instead, because of how they resolved it, my dog was only delayed by an additional week, primarily due to the flights then anything else. You think its all straightforward till something goes wrong... I say, outsource to the experts...

Hi,

I was meant to quote Imapla but obviously chose the wrong quote

Sorry, I haven’t posted on here for forever due to moving to Australia and settling in over the last three months etc. So I thought I would give an update.

Despite apparent trepidation from most people on this thread over arranging shipping for a dog yourself, I can confirm that my little dog made it to Australia without a single issue. Everything worked out beautifully and there were absolutely no issues with the paperwork. I understand that most people would want to use a pet transport company for peace of mind and expertise but everything and I do mean absolutely everything you need to know is available online and also via your vet. These are exactly the same resources the shipping company use for information.

Also, quarantine provide updates too so you know that your dog has been collected and assessed and further funds are requested for any further vets fees (which we didn’t have to do) and for the release and so on so you are kept in the loop.

If you have a good vet like we did then you’re golden and they will keep everything ticking along as it should and fill the paperwork out perfectly. And ensure you have followed all steps. 

I know some people are probably scared they would miss a step or something will go wrong so I get it but I didnt trust anyone other than myself to arrange Pumpkins transport so I have no regrets over the extra few hours I spent arranging it and saving a couple of thousand pounds that I didn’t have to spend after all other costs. Everyone’s circumstances for moving to Australia are different so I do not want any judgement over having a tight reign on my budget just in case I get sanctimonious comments about owning a dog and taking it to another country.

Edited March 8, 2018 by Englishwifeinoz

[Angelpie]

8 hours ago, Englishwifeinoz said:

Hi,

I was meant to quote Imapla but obviously chose the wrong quote

Sorry, I haven’t posted on here for forever due to moving to Australia and settling in over the last three months etc. So I thought I would give an update.

Despite apparent trepidation from most people on this thread over arranging shipping for a dog yourself, I can confirm that my little dog made it to Australia without a single issue. Everything worked out beautifully and there were absolutely no issues with the paperwork. I understand that most people would want to use a pet transport company for peace of mind and expertise but everything and I do mean absolutely everything you need to know is available online and also via your vet. These are exactly the same resources the shipping company use for information.

Also, quarantine provide updates too so you know that your dog has been collected and assessed and further funds are requested for any further vets fees (which we didn’t have to do) and for the release and so on so you are kept in the loop.

If you have a good vet like we did then you’re golden and they will keep everything ticking along as it should and fill the paperwork out perfectly. And ensure you have followed all steps. 

I know some people are probably scared they would miss a step or something will go wrong so I get it but I didnt trust anyone other than myself to arrange Pumpkins transport so I have no regrets over the extra few hours I spent arranging it and saving a couple of thousand pounds that I didn’t have to spend after all other costs. Everyone’s circumstances for moving to Australia are different so I do not want any judgement over having a tight reign on my budget just in case I get sanctimonious comments about owning a dog and taking it to another country.

Any tips on this process much appreciated- who did your pooch fly with? Did you have someone fly them from quarantine? X

Edited March 8, 2018 by Angelpie

[Englishwifeinoz]

On 09/03/2018 at 05:49, Angelpie said:

Any tips on this process much appreciated- who did your pooch fly with? Did you have someone fly them from quarantine? X

Hi Angelpie (cute name btw!)

I used Vets for Pets for all veterinary aspects as my Vet was a government appointed vet which saved a lot of agro - he was also wonderfully helpful and went over and above because he adored our dog (even giving us his personal mobile number to call him on a Sunday morning in case there were issues with the paperwork). I can’t promise all vets will be as helpful and knowledgeable but they are out there.

I flew her with Emirates Sky Cargo who were also fantastic but just make sure they quote you for the full journey and not just the first part of the journey to Dubai where your dog will have to have a roughly 15-16 hour layover to run around and eat and rest. We got stung with a much larger flight cost at the last minute but it was still massively cheaper than using a shipping company. You pay for the flight the day you send your dog as they base it on total weight. Most pet transport companies use Emirates Sky Cargo as far as I know.

I filled all of the documents out myself but I did ask my vet to check over some of it for me and explain some of the terminology which wasn’t too much of a hassle seeing as we were there every other week for about seven months. You will become very familiar with your vet.

Make sure you have already started the rabies vaccine process because that’s incredibly important to get the timing right. Theres a few resources online to help with that. Also bear in mind that the vet will need to adhere to English export requirements as well as Australian import requirements. But it’s their job to make that tick along nicely not yours so let them do what you’re paying them to do - if you find a vet that’s well practiced in exports you will have nothing to worry about. 

You will always receive confirmation - like for instance when we submitted the form for Pumpkins export we received confirmation of the receipt of the paperwork and then they emailed me again to tell me when they had sent the forms directly to the vet.

You will need to apply for, be approved and arrange and pay for quarantine before the flight arrangements can be fully made - you can book the trip and get the flight details but they will work behind the scenes to arrange pick up of your pet from Melbourne airport and quarantine won’t agree to this unless you have paid for the quarantine visit in full and the airline won’t fully book the flight until they know your dog is safe on the other side etc. That part can be frustrating but you won’t be sorting all that out yourself trust me.

This is all listed out online though - I literally lived by the online timeframes and wrote them out and had notes added to them. 

Also but a good quality crate with a draining board and send your dog off with towels that smell of you that they can snuggle up in for some of the journey until they’re confiscated. I also hid a toy in the towels that wasn’t found when they checked the crate before sending her off although they are forbidden. 

Dont worry about the water bowl being too shallow the airline will attach a big deep one and will make sure your pet is looked after - they also attach all stickers and paperwork for you - the guy who took pumpkin from us at Manchester airport was a complete dog lover and cuddled her for a good five minutes before we said our final goodbyes to her holding in our tears so she didn’t think something was wrong. It was so heartbreaking saying goodbye to her for two weeks and worrying the whole way but you get updates as to where your fur baby is and whether they arrived safely etc.

We did use Jetpets to transport pumpkin from Mickleham to Newcastle as it seemed like the least stressful journey for her rather than a very very long drive we would have had to subject her to. They were fantastic and very easy to use. And very reasonably priced too and made sure all of pumpkins travel happened without exposing her to extreme heat in the height of summer. I contacted them myself and arranged it and was happy with the quote and the lines of communication were brilliant. 

I personally would give Emirates skycargo a call and ask them for some info - they will tell you where to start - which will be the rabies vaccines and export cert and import cert. And will also give you a quote based on the size and weight of your dog as a starting point and you can price up quarantine and contact jetpets if you need interstate travel too in Australia. 

Hope this helps but ask me if you need any more info - it’s by no means easier than using a pet transport company but if you’re on a smaller budget like I was then it’s the only way and isn’t impossible or even that difficult it’s just all about timing and being on top of your organisation game lol 

Lucy  

Edited March 24, 2018 by Englishwifeinoz

[Angelpie]

On 24/03/2018 at 10:44, Englishwifeinoz said:

Hi Angelpie (cute name btw!)

I used Vets for Pets for all veterinary aspects as my Vet was a government appointed vet which saved a lot of agro - he was also wonderfully helpful and went over and above because he adored our dog (even giving us his personal mobile number to call him on a Sunday morning in case there were issues with the paperwork). I can’t promise all vets will be as helpful and knowledgeable but they are out there.

I flew her with Emirates Sky Cargo who were also fantastic but just make sure they quote you for the full journey and not just the first part of the journey to Dubai where your dog will have to have a roughly 15-16 hour layover to run around and eat and rest. We got stung with a much larger flight cost at the last minute but it was still massively cheaper than using a shipping company. You pay for the flight the day you send your dog as they base it on total weight. Most pet transport companies use Emirates Sky Cargo as far as I know.

I filled all of the documents out myself but I did ask my vet to check over some of it for me and explain some of the terminology which wasn’t too much of a hassle seeing as we were there every other week for about seven months. You will become very familiar with your vet.

Make sure you have already started the rabies vaccine process because that’s incredibly important to get the timing right. Theres a few resources online to help with that. Also bear in mind that the vet will need to adhere to English export requirements as well as Australian import requirements. But it’s their job to make that tick along nicely not yours so let them do what you’re paying them to do - if you find a vet that’s well practiced in exports you will have nothing to worry about. 

You will always receive confirmation - like for instance when we submitted the form for Pumpkins export we received confirmation of the receipt of the paperwork and then they emailed me again to tell me when they had sent the forms directly to the vet.

You will need to apply for, be approved and arrange and pay for quarantine before the flight arrangements can be fully made - you can book the trip and get the flight details but they will work behind the scenes to arrange pick up of your pet from Melbourne airport and quarantine won’t agree to this unless you have paid for the quarantine visit in full and the airline won’t fully book the flight until they know your dog is safe on the other side etc. That part can be frustrating but you won’t be sorting all that out yourself trust me.

This is all listed out online though - I literally lived by the online timeframes and wrote them out and had notes added to them. 

Also but a good quality crate with a draining board and send your dog off with towels that smell of you that they can snuggle up in for some of the journey until they’re confiscated. I also hid a toy in the towels that wasn’t found when they checked the crate before sending her off although they are forbidden. 

Dont worry about the water bowl being too shallow the airline will attach a big deep one and will make sure your pet is looked after - they also attach all stickers and paperwork for you - the guy who took pumpkin from us at Manchester airport was a complete dog lover and cuddled her for a good five minutes before we said our final goodbyes to her holding in our tears so she didn’t think something was wrong. It was so heartbreaking saying goodbye to her for two weeks and worrying the whole way but you get updates as to where your fur baby is and whether they arrived safely etc.

We did use Jetpets to transport pumpkin from Mickleham to Newcastle as it seemed like the least stressful journey for her rather than a very very long drive we would have had to subject her to. They were fantastic and very easy to use. And very reasonably priced too and made sure all of pumpkins travel happened without exposing her to extreme heat in the height of summer. I contacted them myself and arranged it and was happy with the quote and the lines of communication were brilliant. 

I personally would give Emirates skycargo a call and ask them for some info - they will tell you where to start - which will be the rabies vaccines and export cert and import cert. And will also give you a quote based on the size and weight of your dog as a starting point and you can price up quarantine and contact jetpets if you need interstate travel too in Australia. 

Hope this helps but ask me if you need any more info - it’s by no means easier than using a pet transport company but if you’re on a smaller budget like I was then it’s the only way and isn’t impossible or even that difficult it’s just all about timing and being on top of your organisation game lol 

Lucy  

Hi there thanks ever so much for your reply , rabies has been started so we are all good for that , we are with vets for pets aswell! 

Ive been told as my dog is boxer cross it would be best if she flew Qantas from uk to Perth then to Melbourne but I'm unsure if Qantas deal with jo public , 

do quarenteen collect the animals from the airport or is it something that we have to arrange - so much more to do though I e probably printed all the information off I think I need to go through it again 

did your pooch settle in ok 

thanks for your help

rachel xx

[SusieRoo]

On 24/03/2018 at 10:44, Englishwifeinoz said:

You will need to apply for, be approved and arrange and pay for quarantine before the flight arrangements can be fully made - you can book the trip and get the flight details but they will work behind the scenes to arrange pick up of your pet from Melbourne airport and quarantine won’t agree to this unless you have paid for the quarantine visit in full and the airline won’t fully book the flight until they know your dog is safe on the other side etc. That part can be frustrating but you won’t be sorting all that out yourself trust me.

Fantastic to find such a well-written and detailed post.

I just have a couple of questions.

1. Was transport from Melbourne airport to Mickleham included in the quarantine/kennel part? Or did you have to arrange this yourself?

2. When you talk about a having a government-approved vet, is this a UK vet who is Australian government approved? I guess there will be a register for approved vets somewhere online.

Thank you in advance.