Hi all. I may be moving back to the US in a few months and I have a medium sized dog that I would like, if at all possible to take with me. Can anyone tell me what is involved in doing so and how much it might cost? I’ll be going to grad school and probably living on campus, but my mother, who lives in the country, has agreed to take her. I wonder if it is worth it to take her or just find a new home for her here. If it doesn’t cost to much and won’t be too traumatic on her I’ll try. I live in the Southeast, and it usually takes about 20 hours or more from here to there. I’m not sure she can keep from going to the bathroom for that long. Anyone know more about this?
Thanks,
B.
IM sure others will chime in here but here is my personal experience.
This was in 1999 so things may have changed?
I brought two cats with me from Taiwans CKS airport nonstop to SAn Francisco Airport.
I had to go and get two cages that were of the regulation size and sturdiness.
One cat per cage, cant put two in same cage.
I had to visit a vet that was on the list for this purpose (ask your local vet if hes on this list or who is).
After the cats got their regulation rabies and other shots, you have’something like 30 days to get them out of the country. And these shots have to be given at least 2 weeks If I remember correctly before you leave. So there is a certain time frame between getting the shots and being able to leave as well as leaving before a certain time after the shots. Not too early and not too late.
Then the animals had to be brought to Keelung to visit a govt vet there who looked over the animals and stamped more documents. All documents are very important and will be checked at check in by Taiwan customs officials .
The animals need to be transported in the special part of the hold where animals are kept. EVA airways charged 6000nt per cat. They need to be informed beforehand of the date of intended departure and they need to send a telex to the US Customs as well.
On the day, I brought them to the check in counter and an official of the Taiwan customs looked at the paperwork and took the animals (my cats) with him. They were loaded onto the plane separately from me. I didnt see them until arrival when US Customs officers will brought them to me.
I was paged at SFO and the officials brought me my cats and stamped my passport and even opened up a special gate for me (no waiting in line wiht hundreds of people) and I was free to go home with the cats. NO need for quarantine for cats and dogs from Taiwan to the USA.
The shots and the cages cost me about 3000 nt per cat and add that to 6000 EVA airways transport charge was bout 9000nt each
[color=#800000]Here is the procedure, step-by-step, for exporting a cat or dog to Canada. The last time I checked, only a couple months ago, it was the same process for USA. Price depends on the weight of the dog and kennel.[/color]
Process for Exporting Cats and Dogs to Canada
It’s really a rather simple process to export your pet to Canada. Taiwan is considered rabies-free so there is currently no quarantine for dogs and cats entering Canada.
The following guidelines apply to all of Taiwan but the office locations will differ depending on which city you live in. Here is the step-by-step:
AIRLINES:
- Before you reserve your flight, ensure that the airline will carry animals. Some airlines do not carry animals. If your ticket is issued by Air Canada but you are flying on EVA Air then animals are not permitted.
- Try to avoid flights with stopovers. If there will be a stopover, you need to know where and for how long. Some countries have quarantine for animals in transit. You will want to avoid stopovers in certain countries as the quarantine can be up to 6 months in some cases.
- Ask if your pet can travel in the cabin of the plane or if it must be sent as extra baggage. Only animals that are small enough to fit under the seat in their crate will be permitted into the cabin.
- Ask what the airline requirements are for the pet and crate such as size or weight restrictions. Most airlines have no international weight limit for pets but if you are continuing on within Canada, the combined pet and crate weight can not exceed 32kgs.
- When you book the flight, make sure you get a confirmation number.
- Reconfirm with the airline once or twice the week before you fly. This should be in addition to confirming with your travel agent. If the airline doesn’t have a confirmation record it’s a good idea to call the headquarters of the airline company.
HEALTH CERTIFICATE and VACCINATIONS:
- After you have made arrangements with the airline, you must take your pet to a veterinarian to get an International Health Certificate. The vet will do a simple check-up of the animal to ensure it is healthy to travel. The International Health Certificate can not be more than 7 days old. This means that no more than 7 days prior to leaving Taiwan, you can go to the vet to get the Health Certificate (while websites say 10 days the quarantine office says 7 days). It is a good idea to contact your vet clinic ahead of time to see if they have the appropriate form. If not, you can just go to another vet or go to the Bureau of Animals and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine to get the form. Kaohsiung location is 31 Haibian Road. It’s also a good idea to get the International Health Certificate on the seventh day out in case of complications. Give yourself one day to get the International Health Certificate completed and another day to go to the Quarantine office.
- The vet will also look at your pet’s vaccination book. If your pet is 3 months old or younger, it is not required to have rabies vaccinations. IMPORTANT: If your pet does have rabies vaccinations, it must have the vaccinations at least 30 days prior to departure. (*** although the 30 day wait is not a requirement for entrance into Canada, it is a requirement to get your pet out of Taiwan – plan this carefully!)
QUARANTINE OFFICE:
- After the International Health Certificate has been signed you need to take it to the Bureau of Animals and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine. Kaohsiung location is 31 Haibian Road, 4th floor, #2 Application and Issuance of Animal and Plant Health Certificates.
- Make sure to bring your passport, visitors/work visa/ARC and airline ticket, as well as the animals’ Health Certificate and vaccination book with you to the office. It’s not necessary to bring the animal’s crate.
- Here they will have a quick look at your pet to ensure it is the same pet as what is described on the International Health Certificate. They may even check its temperature.
- They sign the appropriate form called “Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine – Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, ROC – Veterinary Certificate” which you take to the airline counter. Don’t fold the papers! You must carefully proofread the papers to ensure everything is spelled correctly and dates are correct. MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO TYPOS OR YOUR PET WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO TRAVEL WITH YOU. This office has made mistakes in the past.
AT THE AIRPORT:
The process at the Kaohsiung airport is very easy.
- Go to the airline check-in counter to check yourself in. You will then be directed to the airline information counter where you will pay the fee for your pet. Then you will return to the check-in counter to present your receipt and then you’ll be informed as to when you can check in your pet. Remember to put the quarantine tag on the pet crate.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Give your pet some time, a few weeks prior to departure, to get used to the crate and using the water bottle. Don’t use a water dish as the water will spill during the flight.
- We recommend that you purchase a medium weight pet coat to keep your pet comfortably warm on its journey.
- Also recommended is to lay down absorbent nappies (can purchase at pet stores and pharmacies) so your pet does not lay in its urine. Because there are usually different segments of flights it’s recommended that you lay down several nappies, some covered in a plastic bag, for each segment of the flight.
- Don’t feed your pet anything for 6- 8 hours prior to departure. There are good chances that your pet will get sick if it has any food in its stomach. It’s better to let them fast for the entire flight including all segments. Animals are used to this.
AT THE AIRPORT IN CANADA:
- When you arrive at the airport in Canada you will pass through customs where you show a card (given to you in the airplane) filled out with what you have to claim (tobacco, liquor, animals, etc.).
- Next, you go to baggage claim to get your baggage and to special baggage claim to get your animal.
- Then take the animal and the paperwork and the pets’ vaccination book to the agriculture center (someone will point you in the right direction) to get the forms checked and then you are good to go. If you are on a connecting flight ask for assistance transporting your animal to the domestic terminal.
- If you have a long layover check with airport information about where you can walk your dog. Some airports have dog parks nearby. Allow yourself plenty of time get your pet, to soothe your pet, and get to the proper areas in the airport for your next flight.
- check out pettravel.com for heaps of useful information on pet immigration regulations and airline regulations.
Ladybird has it about right. We brought 2 dogs back with us to Boston in October 2007. We landed in San Francisco and went through Customs there. Since we had a bit of time before our connecting flight, we were able to get the dogs and take them out to an enclosed dog relief station right at the airport and let them out for exercise and water (they also had water bottles attached to their crates that we refilled). Bring extra towels and absorbent pads- you can clean the crate while your dog is out. Be sure to line the crate with absorbent pads, not the paper kind- they tear too easily. I don’t know if you have to change plans in San Francisco, but if you do, just ask a porter for help. They were very helpful- put the dogs on baggage carts and took us to the doggie area and then back to have them checked back in. Everyone was very nice. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The dogs did great, although they did bark a bit (I could hear them in the cabin), when we hit some turbulance. Once here, they were wagging their tails and busy sniffing. Please take your dog with you- its worth it!
How much do you figure it cost you all together? I’d really like to take her with me but since I’ve got to dump her with my mom anyway I really wonder if it’s better to find her a good home here. I’m just worried no one else could love a shaggy mutt like her.
YOu will want her with you mom so you can be reunited again. Im sure you will regret leaving her for good one day.
How much do you figure it cost you all together? I’d really like to take her with me but since I’ve got to dump her with my mom anyway I really wonder if it’s better to find her a good home here. I’m just worried no one else could love a shaggy mutt like her.[/quote]
I believe I spent over $25,000 NT on tickets alone. But you will have to also factor in crates, vet shots, exit shots/records, and transpo to the airport. If you’re going to a place that has winter, like snow fall, you should be looking now because if you book, and the first fall comes before your departure date, you’re ticket is going to be canceled unless whom ever you booked with has heated cabins.
For me in 1999. The cage was 250nt. Water bottle for the cage 100nt. Shots and all that less then 2000nt. Transport by EVA 747 to San Francisco was 6000nt . Not bad really.
Here is a quote from my friend who took her two dogs back to Canada with her in September.
[quote]As far as getting the dogs back, it was too easy. You know what to do on that end. On the day you leave just bring the paperwork to the airport, make sure nothing is bent or ripped, take it to the animal control place which is next to the bathrooms on the far right of the international terminal. They look at the paperwork, look at the animal and that’s it. We paid $6000 NT for each dog. I think that’s the lowest amount and that covers dogs up to 30 kg, dog and carrier included. Then it doubles to $12,000 and then and then. I don’t know the exact amounts. It really was easy. We got off in Vancouver and had to get the dogs looked at again, which they didn’t, and pay a fee (about $40 CD) which we did. And that was it.
I think prices all depend on which carrier you use, we used China because it was straight from Taiwan to Canada.[/quote]
So basically, you will pay upwards of $6000nt for a flight. The paperwork is minimal and easy to get processed and shouldn’t cost more than $1000nt. The price of the crate depends on which crate you buy. Then the standard vaccinations, which you would get anyways. And the microchip which is approx $300nt. I say GO FOR IT! Take your pooch with you and you won’t regret it 
My dog’s vet said something about getting a GPS chip implanted in the dog’s neck. I found some info on this for the UK, but nothing for the US. Anyone know about this?