Most pet owners treat Fido or Fluffy like another member of the family, with birthday parties and stockings full of rawhide hanging on the mantel during the holidays. These pet owners come from the school of thought that a pet is not just a pet—he or she is a beloved member of the family, an integral part of the home, and a loyal best friend.

At some point, relocation counsellors likely will be faced with the task of overseeing the move of this trusty companion. It is not always just a matter of handing off the transferee to a pet relocation company that specialises in the international door-to-door transfer of pets.

How does pet relocation work?
IPATA relocation
At-risk Breeds
Why use an expert?
‘Crate-train’ pets before the flight
Plane travel
Which airline?
Tips for transporting snub-nosed breeds:
At-risk Pets
Navigating the diversity of import requirements

Many times, the relocation counsellor is the one responsible for having the initial conversation about the pet move with the transferee. Having a general knowledge of how the process works and answers to common questions will ease concerns about the pet’s upcoming move, and can facilitate a smooth transition from the relocation counsellor to the pet relocation company.

How does pet relocation work?
Pet relocation companies boast the ability to serve the entire world. The practice itself is fairly straightforward: pets typically are picked up at the transferee’s residence, checked in at the departure airport, cleared through customs on arrival, and delivered to their owner’s new residence.

Pet relocation specialists also usually are responsible for selecting appropriate flight arrangements, carefully reviewing the import and export documents, and counselling the transferee on the intricate details of the pet’s move.

Some pet relocation services arrange door-to-door moves by opening offices at major hubs or franchising their businesses in various parts of the world. However, a pet is not always travelling to and from the main ports of entry—sometimes it is necessary to facilitate customs clearances or deliveries in more obscure cities and countries. top

IPATA relocation

Most reputable pet relocation companies are members of the Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA). The association regulates and monitors the pet transportation industry by setting ethics standards and overseeing the performance of its members.

As part of their membership, companies are given access to a network of pet transportation professionals worldwide that have guaranteed reputations for the services they provide.

“IPATA is crucial to upholding quality service for pet relocations,” said current IPATA President Gay O’Brien. “If a company wants to ensure its transferee’s clients are receiving the highest level of care, with careful attention paid to the well-being of the pets, IPATA’s listing of member companies is the best place to start.”

IPATA is comprised of pet transportation professionals—local pet taxis and veterinarians, major corporations, freight forwarders, and customs brokers. Because of IPATA’s exacting standards for membership, affiliates are able to safely coordinate the door-to-door service for the most precious of cargo.

As a way of bridging the gap often found in a global industry, IPATA also offers an annual conference where the members gather to meet and exchange ideas, attend classes on country import requirements and species-specific handling techniques, and attend forums where representatives from major airlines come to answer questions in a round-table format.

International requirements vary from country to country, so working with a quality pet-relocation company which is up-to-date on the current import requirements is critical.

These intricacies often can affect the overall cost, and many people tend to underestimate the rates surrounding a complete door-to-door relocation for a pet. The cost of the pet move consists of the ground transportation to and from the airports, the documentation and import fees, and the air freight charges for the pets.

When pets travel as cargo, the airlines generally charge for the dimensional weight of the travel crate, which sometimes can mean that the cost of a one-way international flight for a pet travelling overseas costs the same amount as a first-class, round-trip ticket for his or her owner.

The general transportation procedure may be understood by the transferee, but there often are concerns regarding the care and safety of his or her beloved pet(s), rather than the “nuts and bolts” of the logistics. top

At-risk Breeds
Following are breeds of pets that are susceptible to heat stroke and breathing problems when exposed to stress or extreme heat—a condition that puts them at risk for travel—because of hereditary respiratory problems. top

Dogs
- Boston Terrier
- English Bulldog
- French Bulldog
- Boxer
- Dutch
- Pug
- Pekinese
- Brussels Griffin
- Bull Terrier
- English Toy Spaniel
- Shih Tzu
- Lhasa Apso
- Japanese Chin
- Japanese Pug

Cats
- Himalayan
- Persian

“Most important is how our clients feel about [their pets’ moves],” said Rick Olson, regional operations manager of Crown Relocations, Los Angeles, CA. “It is a foreign process to them loaded with emotion and concern.”These sentiments and anxieties can lead to a multitude of questions for the relocation professional. top

Why use an expert?
Many myths surround pet safety and air travel, which perpetuates anxieties that a transferee inevitably has when they first start contemplating a pet move. Most of the horror stories that circulate about pets flying are a direct result from pet owners attempting to fly their pets without assistance.

Anyone who has ever tried to highlight their hair using an at-home kit or build a deck after picking up some two-by-fours at the local hardware store knows that some processes—while not impossible to do on one’s own—often are better left to professionals. It helps to remind the transferee that they will be in experienced hands—for professional pet relocation companies, their duty is to ensure that every pet arrives safely and without incident.

The risk of extreme temperatures affecting the pet’s safety is one of the other common concerns among pet owners—many airlines even will embargo pets during the winter and summer months. However, most reputable pet relocation companies work with airlines that have programmes in place to keep pets in climate-controlled environments for the duration of the flight. The pet never is exposed to inclement weather, and this allows companies to relocate pets all over the world year-round. top

‘Crate-train’ pets before the flight
Dogs escaping from or getting hurt while in their crates is an example of why pet relocation companies emphasise to clients that they crate-train their pet before the day of the flight. Some relocation companies even can arrange professional crate-training classes.

It is important to contact the pet relocation company as soon as a potential transferee mentions he or she might be relocating a pet, as the more time he or she can spend getting accustomed to his or her new crate, the more relaxed he or she will be on the day of the flight. top


Plane travel
There are three different ways a pet can travel on an airplane: with the owner in the passenger cabin, as accompanied (or excess) luggage in the cargo hold, or as manifest cargo (typically without the owner).

Most owners initially want to take their pets in the cabin, but unfortunately because of airline restrictions on weight and size limits, as well as various government restrictions for international imports, rarely does a pet qualify to fly in the cabin.

However, as long as care is taken in choosing the correct airline, the cargo hold where the pet will travel always is pressurised and climate-controlled. This means a transferee’s pet will travel in comfort even when apart from its owner. top