Avoiding Quarantine in the UK
So you've accepted a new job as advisor to Prince Harry. This is the job offer of a lifetime! You have been to the UK, selected a nice new home with the wife (or husband), found great schools for the kids, enjoy the culture, and realize that you've failed to think of the beloved family dog, Fido!! Three weeks before your departure you do some research online and find that the United Kingdom is considered "rabies free" and imposes a 6 month quarantine for all animals wishing to enter the country. UGH!! Six Months of Quarantine!?!? You do a bit more research and find that quarantine in the United Kingdom is not cheap! Quarantine for Fido will run right around $8000 USD, an amount not factored into the already depleted pet moving fund.Thoughts of your children's tears go racing through your head when the time comes for you to tell them that Fido needs to stay behind. You start kicking yourself for not thinking of Fido until the last minute and can just imagine the lecture your wife (or husband) is going to dish out to you. Just then you remember a t-shirt you saw at the gym. It was the back of the shirt that got your attention, "Any Pet, Any Where, Any Time". What was on the front...PetTransportation.com, PetExploitation.com, no no no...It Was PETRELOCATION.COM!!! You quickly type PetRelocation.com into your browser and use the Live Chat button to ask for an associate to call you. Seconds later the phone rings...
For those of you in this same situation there is one way to beat quarantine in the UK; complete the quarantine before departure. Quarantine tends to be a 'scary' word which implies a dark, cold, damp cell in which your pet will have to stay. When in this case, quarantine is only a period of time. Quarantine in the UK can be beat by completing the correct protocol 6 months prior to departure in your country of origin. Many people are not aware that the quarantine period begins from the date in which blood is drawn for the required Rabies Titer Test. This test tests the effectiveness of the most recent rabies vaccine. However, before blood can be drawn for the test a microchip must first be implanted and a new rabies shot must be given (in that specific order) as these are the requirements for the UK. Assuming your pet passes his/her rabies titer test, it's just a matter of finding a friend, family member, or trusted boarding facility to care for the pet until the 6 months have been completed.