My wife and I are leaving for America tomorrow and we are taking our dog with us. A rescue group has asked my wife if we can transport 4 dogs for them. I am not sure that I will be able to transport the dogs because I need to look after our dog while we are in San Fran. As I understand it, I will get my dog from customs and take her to special area to be let out and then be loaded again for her next flight.
I think my wife would be able to transport the dogs and then leave the baggage claim area to meet the American rescue group while I stay with our dog. Does anyone have any experience with being a carrier for some rescue dogs? We have an ongoing flight to Chicago so I am not really sure how this could work. Any help or advice would be appreciated.
I believe the dogs have to have papers from a doctor certifying them for eligibility to travel… kind of like a doggy passport. One day’s notice is hardly enough time for something like this.
Millions of unwanted dogs are killed each year in the States because of a lack of homes available. Why do rescue groups ship so many animals there to add the stockpile?
That is a good point。 I wonder why so many American rescue groups accept dogs from Taiwan。 This Taiwan group is a Labrador Retriever rescue group that we adopted our Labrador from so my wife feels obligated to help out。 I am assuming that the four dogs have already been adopted。 The rescue group says they have the papers for the dogs set up。
At this point I am just concerned about my own dog and hoping that she makes it safely and comfortably because it is a very long trip。
All dogs that leave Taiwan have to have papers， vaccinations especially rabies， health certificates from a government approved vet and then the export papers from the BAPHIQ。 If the dogs don‘t have that paper work the Airline and Customs officials will not let them leave。 So I am assuming that this group has their connections and ways to get things done quickly。
Well, first I must say that I agree with Stray Dog about sending dogs to other countries. On the other hand, our group, TaichungPAWS.org has sent many happy dogs to homes in the USA, Canada, and Germany. Usually they are special cases that someone in the other country has already requested. For example, the labrador rescue group will try to accept that breed from anywhere in the world.
I wish that Taiwan could take care of its own animal problem and we are working with the next generation towards that goal. Education is the key.
About transporting dogs, last summer I took 2 beagles to the Seattle Beagle Rescue group. They saw pictures of of these 2 beagles on our website and requested them. In fact, one of the beagles was an older, chubby, “unadoptable” dog that had lived most of her life at the “ai xin mama” shelter. But when they saw her picture, they demanded that we send her along with the other beagle.
I flew through Seoul, Korea, on Asiana Airlines. They took amazing care of the 2 dogs and they came out looking better and in better spirits than ME! They came out about 15 minutes after I arrived. I had to deliver the paperwork in the animal quarantine before going through baggage claim, but I still got out there before the non-citizens on my flight. The rescue group had 2 volunteers waiting… with pictures of me… so they found me. They had leashes and they immediately took care of the dogs as if they were their own dogs. I felt completely comfortable with the 2 ladies, just like old animal rescue friends.
Overall, it was an easy process and prepared me for the day when I take my own cats back to the USA.
The only question I have for you is about changing planes. Baggage claim is usually outside of security and you will need a bit of time to change planes. Make sure you get a map and understand where you will be in the airport, where the dogs will come out (yours and theirs) and where you all need to be in what amount of time. You don’t need to add any stress to that trip because security in airports these days adds enough stress!