Breaking Down (and Understanding) Pet Travel Costs

Name: Robin
From: Melbourne, Australia
To: Vancouver, Canada
Pet: My baby is called Leo, he is a Spoodle and will be 6 years old in October
 

 

Dear PetRelocation,

 

I am very nervous, as I am not sure how my dog will cope with such a long flight. I am also getting very expensive quotes from companies in Australia, however my friends are paying a lot less for transporting their Spoodle from London to Vancouver.

 

Could you please tell me if you could assist? What will be the costs involved? I am already in Canada. Lastly, is it safe for him to travel, and are there any requirements that I need to be aware of for Canada?

 

My main concerns are that pricing seems to be high and I'm worried about Leo's well-being in the hold. Also, once I go back to Australia, will it be easier for him to go back? He is a very healthy and a bubbly dog -- all he wants is attention.

 

Thanks,

 

Hi Robin,

 

Thanks for contacting us with your questions -- hope we can help!

 

First, take a look at the pet import requirements for Canada. There is no quarantine, but you'll need to make sure your dog's paperwork is in order. If you ever decide to bring him back to Australia, you'll need to meet a much stricter set of rules and there will be a 10-day quarantine (based on current requirements). You can find more information from Australia's official website.

 

Second, many people do feel nervous about flying their pet in the cargo area, but if you choose a pet friendly airline and learn about how things work, you'll hopefully become more comfortable with the idea. We fly pets in the cargo area of a few select airlines all the time. Again, with pet friendly airlines it's very safe (here's a more in-depth explanation of how it works).

 

It's also smart to talk to your vet about how diet and exercise are important to your pet travel preparations, and you'll need to work to help Leo get used to his travel crate (if he's not already). This cuts down on his overall stress level and will make the flight safer and smoother for him.

 

Choosing a door-to-door service provider to handle your move won't be cheap, but arranging all the moving parts does require quite a bit of time and expertise. If you'd like a quote from us to see how we compare to the other providers you've talked to, please fill out our free online quote form. Typically an international move for one small pet begins at around $2500 USD (but the actual cost will depend on a few more factors). Here's a post from our blog discussing the costs of pet travel. 

 

Hopefully this helps to get you started. If you have further questions just let us know, and either way, good luck with everything!