Should you hire a pet shipper when you are relocating with your dog, cat, or bird to a new city or country?
If your furry friend is a bird, the short answer is “yes”. For dogs and cats, it is a little more ambiguous.
Here is the good news about moving within the US: If you have a cat or a smaller breed dog this will be easy-ish.
The bad news: If you have a larger breed dog or one that is considered a ‘banned breed’, your furry family member will have a lot more hoops to jump through.
Most domestic routes won’t take pets that are larger than about 55 pounds. However, a 55-pound dog could be accepted by the airline if he/she can fit into an acceptable-sized crate (more on this below). No domestic flights will accommodate most flat-nosed breeds such as a bulldog.
Moving Domestically
There are fewer requirements but also fewer options. You only need a “fit-to-fly” certificate, which is basically a doctor’s (aka veterinarian) note saying your pet is healthy enough to fly.
Have a dog or cat small enough to travel under your seat (typically that means that they fit comfortably in a carrier that is no bigger than 17 L x 7.5’’ H (43.18 x 19.05 cm)) or have a service dog (not an emotional support dog), then you may be in luck. Remember though that not all airlines accept animals in-cabin and, they may have a limit as to how many dogs /cats are allowed per flight per person.
It starts to get tricky from here. We’ve talked about this before, in pet travel – size does matter.
Different Airlines, Different Rules
Certain airlines, like Alaska, will allow a pet’s human to book their pet directly as excess luggage (checked baggage). However, as of this writing, the largest crate size that they can take in the cargo hold is a 40L x 27W x 30H” (102 x 76 cm) aka the 500 series like this. This means that your dog can not be larger than 26” tall and should be able to stand up and turn around without touching the sides of the crate and, cannot be on their “banned breed” list. Keep in mind that other airlines may have other dogs on their banned breed list. Note that domestic flights will NOT accommodate most flat-nosed breeds like a bulldog.
Delta, American, and JetBlue Airlines, also allow small pets in-cabin but require a pet shipper to book dogs and cats as manifest cargo. (Note: Military on PCS orders can still travel with their pets as checked baggage. Size and breed are still factors though).
Regardless of the airline, you will still need a fit-to-fly letter and sometimes a health certificate filled out by your veterinarian.
If you’ve gotten to this point, and you have a larger dog or “banned breed” dog/cat your choice begins to become clear. When you need to move across the 48 contiguous United States, your fur-mate needs to go by ground. There are many companies that will drive your pets around the country and sometimes they take multiple pets to keep down costs per pet. When you hire a pet shipper, be sure to check their reviews and their credentials. Are they a member of IPATA?
Moving internationally
What is your destination? Some countries have more rules than others (think: Australia, who is enacting new harsher rules beginning March 1, 2023). How big / what is the breed of your pet? What is your budget? Do your furries need to transit through another country?
Hiring a pet shipper is a good idea when moving internationally. We have specialized knowledge of the regulations and requirements for transporting animals across international borders and are also the first to know when a country changes these rules. About 60% of the information on the internet related to pet shipping is misinformation–we help you navigate through this. But we are not all the same. As we’ve mentioned before, do your research when choosing. What are you being charged for? Don’t just pick a company based on price. Remember to compare blueberries to blueberries and understand what the blueberries are.
There are three primary components to international pet shipping:
1. Front-end/Veterinary Paperwork
2. Actual Physical Transport or the “Ride”
3. Destination and Customs paperwork.
Some companies will only arrange Parts 2 and 3. Some may offer to do just part 1. Other Pet Shippers will just handle Part 2. Some pet shippers will offer a combination of the above, depending on your preference. Make sure you have a grasp of what is offered, especially when shopping around different pet shippers. Beware of pet shippers that are WAY cheaper than all the others. Be especially aware if a pet shipper does not offer Part 1, which can be the most complicated part. Guess what? Some companies never answer their phones. They only communicate by email. Others are always available by phone. Keep this in mind. When you are down the stretch and, in a pinch, and timing becomes crucial, do you want to be able to call the business and reach a human. Ask questions. Make sure you are okay with the pet shipper’s way of doing business.
Who To Trust?
In IPATA’s words on why to hire a pet shipper: “Members of IPATA, the pet shipping experts™, are dedicated to the care and welfare of pets and animals during transport…IPATA members focus on the pet’s health and welfare and manage all details including crate suitability and training the animal for its crate; health preparation and documentation; and coordinating all logistics with the airlines.”
We couldn’t agree more.
One last note here: We get lots of calls from folks asking about using United Airlines to ship their pets. Even though United Airlines once moved more pets than any other domestic carrier – in the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, they decided to stop shipping pets as manifest cargo. As of this writing, they have not restarted their program.
Want to hire a pet shipper? We’ve got you covered here at AE Pets International. Click here to get started today!