How to relocate your dog from India (Bengaluru) to USA
6 min readMar 27, 2018
When I married the love of my life last year and decided to move half way across the world to be with him, there was no question of leaving my other love, Jimmy, behind. My pooch-loving husband thankfully asked me, “What, is that even a question?” December 27, 2017, the day I was scheduled to leave to Seattle, Washington from Bengaluru, relatives flocked to see if the ‘dog-obsessed girl’ was in fact, as news went around, flying with her four-year-old dog. Yup, it was happening.
Even though premonitions of rattling luggage caving in, a space devoid of air supply and a scared, lonely dog stuck in a dark cabin for over 24 hours, swirled out of control in our heads, we decided to take the next big leap (a leap bigger than tying the knot if you ask us!)
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how we brought the roguishly handsome Jimmy to Seattle and how he’s ever the star on the streets!
- Airline matters: While Emirates allows you to fly with pets too, we chose Lufthansa for its high reviews from the pet parent community. Before you book your tickets, make sure to call the airline and a) check for procedure b) and if they have pet cargo availability on the intended dates of your travel. When you book your tickets, ensure it’s stamped with ‘Pet in cargo compartment: confirmed’. You’ll only have to pay for your pet after checking in at the airport.
- Crate stories: This goes without saying, but your pooch needs to be crate trained. Our treat-loving fellow was trained by the famed Vicky Christopher of Fetch. You can also do it yourself with some treats and a little help from Youtube.
For international travel, an IATA certified crate is a must. Measure your dog from nose to the end of his/her tail and purchase one accordingly. After reading countless reviews on Amazon, we purchased a Petmate Skykennel in ‘large’. Although Jimmy had gotten used to this crate, and could sleep and turn around in it, we were told by Lufthansa authorities at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport that this was just a little small for him as ‘the fur on his tail’ was sticking out of the grills. Our world came crashing down when we were told we couldn’t take Jimmy along if we didn’t get another crate before boarding time, aka in 2 hours. We were lucky enough to get a crate one size up, at the very last minute, thanks to some crazy stunts our family pulled — including driving over the speed limit, calling people incessantly at 1 am and finding ATMs that had enough money after people had left home for Christmas, to be able to pay for the crate.
A crate that fits a labrador our size, costs anywhere between Rs. 35,000–50,000 depending on whether it’s new or old. - Pack those documents: a) Your doggy needs to be microchipped (while we paid Rs.1,500 for microchipping and an authorised letter from CUPA, we later found out that this can be done for half the price by any veterinarian.) b) An updated vaccination book is a necessity c) Obtain a letter from the vet that your pet has been vaccinated, dewormed and is fit for international travel. d) Get an export permit or a ‘certificate of health’ from the Animal Quarantine & Certification Services at the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries located at BIAL, Alpha-3, at the airport. As much as I’d hate to admit it, don’t be alarmed if you’ve to grease (a lot) of hands to obtain this. It costed us Rs.9,000.
- At the airport: If you love arriving fashionably late like me, please take note: Don’t. Arrive when your airline’s counter opens so as to have enough time for all procedures. We walked Jimmy from the parking lot up until the door and then put him in the crate, before trolley-ing inside. After you check-in your luggage, your pooch will go through a security check. Once he/she’s cleared for departure, you’ll be allowed to pay at the Lufthansa counter (we paid $400 for a labrador weighing 29 kgs or 64 pounds, approximately). The receipts will then be attached to your boarding pass. Ensure you slap ‘Live Animal’ stickers on the crate, the food/water bowl is firmly fixed, a water bottle and some dry dog food is plastered on the top of the crate, along with your contact information and your pet’s leash. The airline will zip-tag the doors shut for extra safety too. You’ll get to see your pooch off at the cargo once you’re checked in.
- And away: Once you’re on the flight, inform the cabin crew that your pet is on board. The kind attendants consoled us — the pet cargo had ventilation, it was lit and was separate from the luggage area (hallelujah!). Before we boarded our flight from our transit at Frankfurt, we made sure to check if Jimmy was onboard again.
At the destination airport, once we cleared immigration, we were sent to a department that verified Jimmy’s documents, aka, the only thing that matters — the export permit, which took all of 15 seconds. We were then guided to the luggage area and a wagging tail in a crate. Jimmy was home. - ‘Paw’ints to note:
🐾Assuming that you don’t have the heart or soul to abandon your pet, but just don’t have time or patience to go through this process by yourself, know that pet relocation services exist. We got in touch with the highly-recommended Anvis Inc and the newly-discovered Global Cargo who both quoted Rs.1.25 lakhs (without the pet ticket) and upwards for end-to-end relocation services. We had also heard a great deal about Furry Flyers.
🐾Contrary to popular belief, the uber-expensive rabies titer test is not a requirement for USA, although it is a must for UK and Australia.
🐾We weren’t asked for profile photographs of our dog either.
🐾 Feed your pooch at least 6 hours in advance to avoid any boo-boos and walk him before you wheel him inside the airport.
🐾It’s natural to want to feed your pet as soon as he/she lands. We were told by vets to refrain. Most dogs don’t eat or drink water on the journey and it causes them gastric strain to do so in a hurry. Give them an ice cube or two to lick on for starters, and introduce food in small quantities.
🐾 It’s advised not to leave toys, chew sticks or anything that they can choke on in the crate. One valuable advice we received from our trainer Vicky was to leave an old t-shirt that still smells like you (or one that you’ve sweat in) in the crate to make your dog feel like you’re around. Jimmy didn’t want to leave those t-shirts alone for weeks after!
🐾 Line the crate with a thick layer of shredded paper, potty absorbent pads and the aforementioned t-shirts.
🐾 Apply for pet insurance in USA, because, no matter how healthy you think your pet is, he/she will start to develop issues that they didn’t have before, during their period of adjustment here.
🐾 A 2015 post by Archana Iyer talks about this process too: http://archanaiyer.blogspot.com/2015/03/step-by-step-guide-on-how-i-got-my-dog.html
If you have any questions about the process, head over to https://sortofsneha.wordpress.com/ and let me know in the comments there. Jimmy and I will answer them as best as we can!
