Bringing pets when moving to the DR

buenviaje

Newbie
Feb 10, 2015
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Hi everyone,

Moving to the North Coast in Summer 2015 and planning to bring my dog. It seems there are plenty of expats living in the DR with dogs, but in investigating the logistics of getting him there, I'm hitting some roadblocks. All the airlines say they won't ship a dog if it's forecasted to be over 85 degrees upon arrival, and as far as I can tell that's a possibility just about every day. Can anyone offer insight into this? Thanks in advance for all your help!
 

pularvik

Active member
Jan 2, 2011
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28
Yes, true! You can't ship a pet in the hottest months. I can only speak about Westjet,- no pets in cargo May to November. I came in summer and left my dog with family,- in november I paid their fare to bring the dog to me,- almost the same cost as shipping the dog unaccompanied.
I know this is harsh news but it simply isn't safe to ship your dog is the hottest months.
 

Bob K

Silver
Aug 16, 2004
2,520
121
63
This is true most airlines will not ship dogs during the heat of the summer.

Also remember you need a health certificate from your vet, up to date rabies vaccine and $10 fee when you land.

We brought our dog however he is a small guy and flew in the cabin with us.

Good luck

Bob K
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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its getting harder - many airlines refuse checked animals these days.

speak to United - they have a special pet program
 

charlise

Bronze
Nov 1, 2012
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All Canadian Airlines won't ship pets in cargo bay during the hot months of the year, usually from May to October 31st. But if your animal is small enough, you can travel with it in the cabin. Otherwise, no can do... You'll have to wait after November 1st.
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
Hi everyone,

Moving to the North Coast in Summer 2015 and planning to bring my dog. It seems there are plenty of expats living in the DR with dogs, but in investigating the logistics of getting him there, I'm hitting some roadblocks. All the airlines say they won't ship a dog if it's forecasted to be over 85 degrees upon arrival, and as far as I can tell that's a possibility just about every day. Can anyone offer insight into this? Thanks in advance for all your help!

What type of dog do you have? I'm assuming that it is too big to take onto the plane itself. You may have to contact airline companies that specialize in shipping pets and animals. There is a lot of info on the net.
 

Jaime809

Bronze
Aug 23, 2012
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United Airline PetSafe program will ship your pet, as they have climate-controlled container for pets. It's more expensive but (IMO) worth it. I think, however, they will only do direct routes to foreign countries from the USA.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
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United has a 'pet hotel' at Newark airport.
I know of dogs that have spent the night and flown on the next day to RD

Far and away the best pet travel program.... $$$$ but good
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
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You neglected to give the area where you are coming from, the breed of dog, it's age and its current health status.

Apart from the logistics of getting a dog here there are other considerations. It is hot here during the summer months, usually well into October/November. Depending on the breed of dog, it may very well be miserable if it has a thick coat. There are no deadly animal threats to humans here but there are deadly threats to your dog which has absolutely no experience recognizing or dealing with them. On the north coast, there are cane toads, large spiders including tarantulas, centipedes and a host of tenacious wasps, hornets and africanized bees. Fleas, ticks and mosquitoes and all the canine diseases they carry abound. Rabies, parvo and leptospirosus are all endemic. There are gastro worms and hookworm and countless others. It is quite possible for your pet to make you sick if you are at all remiss with preventative measures.

It can be safely said that Dominicans don't view pets as we do and will not try to avoid them on the roadways if they were to get loose. Shooting a strange dog that has ventured onto your property happens all the time here even among some neighbors.

Vet care is available, but it is not like at home. Much of the diagnostic and support equipment that is commonplace in NA is not available here. Specialized medications are expensive. Not bank breaking expensive but significant if you find yourself having to medicate for a prolonged period of time. Flea, tick & heartworm meds are a must and you can have these shipped in from places like Amazon which are cheaper to buy there but by the time you pay to get them here shipping may or may not eat up any savings. Gringo vets are usually more expensive that local vets and in most cases you get what you pay for.

Just like people, your pet(s) will go through a period of adjustment when they arrive here full time. You have to be really careful and watch them all the time while they explore the yard. Hazards to your pet's safety transit your yard on an hourly basic. The poisonous cane toad that wasn't there an hour ago, is often too much of a temptation for most dogs to resist playing with. The poisonous centipede (Scolopendra gigantea) inflicts a lesson that some dogs do not recover from. There are no porcupines here so no quills to pull, but the hairs from the abdomen of a tarantula are just as painful and all but impossible to remove if your dog gets a snout full.

Lot's of unfamiliar plants that are not good to chew on stuff like that.

Many gringos have dogs. In fact I'd go so far as to say most have at least two. It's important for you to understand that upon arrival you will not be able to toss your dog outside and leave it to its own devices while you putter around unpacking and partying.

A much loved pet here requires a monthly maintenance budget, time and effort. You will quickly see evidence of the pervasive principle - it's easier and cheaper to replace a pet than to fix a broken one. Pets that accidentally get loose often don't come home. Implant chip readers are not standard equipment here.

The concept of pets being a part of the family is not at all understood here by the locals. If your pet is in the latter stages of its life, it might be prudent to find it a good home where it is rather than subject it and you to the stress of the relocation. If, however, your expect to have many more years together, and are prepared to spend the time, effort and $$$, by all means, come one down.
 

RandyLRM

New member
May 21, 2014
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My dog (90 pound German Shepherd) came down in August. I used United PetSafe, which is more expensive than most airlines, but, on the U.S. side, seemed like a better service and I could get her on a non-stop flight, which I wanted.

Make sure you get the international vet certificate, which must include an indication that the dog has been treated for internal and external parasites. They will also need the rabies certificate, with the ID number of the vaccine administered.

If you use PetSafe, they won't take a kennel with plastic fasteners, so I had to replace those with metal screws and wing nuts. Make sure you have the two containers for food and water attached. I used both of mine for ice, which they gave me at the terminal.

As for the temperature restrictions, UA didn't seem to concerned with those, because she was not a snub nosed dog.

While I recommend PetSafe, know that if you go this route, it's more expensive and, depending on when you call with questions, you may get UA Cargo people, who may give you conflicting info as to the travel requirements. In one case, I was told I needed a certificate from the USDA (I called the Dominican consulate, they laughed and said "we stopped requiring that years ago.").

You also need to know what size of kennel you will be taking and specific type of aircraft that will operate on your intended route. There are size limits for specific aircraft. Also, there are travel embargo periods for dogs due to the high demand for checked luggage space on the aircraft.

The actual travel process is pretty straight forward. I checked in at the PetSafe terminal in Chicago early in the morning (5:00am). At the terminal, they will verify all documents, confirm that the kennel meets requirements, and weigh your dog and calculate the final shipping price (her one-way ticket was more than my one-way ticket). The were very friendly, professional, and "dog people."

I ended up sitting directly above the forward cargo door, so I was able to watch them board my dog, who rode directly below me. Just like clockwork, a van pulled up near the end of loading the luggage. As soon as the luggage was on, they got her out. They were petting her through the kennel as they boarded her, which was cool to watch.

Once in the DR (PUJ), the process was a little different. She was brought into the luggage area on a dolly, sideways, which was loaded with the rest of the stuff I brought. It was quite a sight. There is a fee ($10 or $20 US, I don't recall) once the paper work was inspected. She was also very, very thirsty, so have water or have a plan to have someone go to the bathroom to get some as soon as you can.

I was also told that there was another fee ($75), if the shipment has an airbill number associated with it, which United apparently does do (PetSafe is part of UA Cargo, so they treat the dog as a cargo shipment, not luggage). The document guy, who knew we were coming because I had been to the UA office at PUJ they week before to ask about the process, said "here's what we're going to do: I am going to help you out with all of this stuff, we're going to walk with a purpose past customs, if they say anything, just smile and keep walking." So that's what we did. No $75 fee.

Finally, if you do United, do yourself a favor and don't search too hard for anonymous reviews of the service. UA does a lot of international shipments for members of the military (US mainland to Guam, Japan, Hawaii, etc.) I saw their schedule for the day we flew, which I was told was a slow day: 14 dogs flying out of Chicago (a more typical day may see twice that I was told). If your dog is healthy, it's very safe.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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Water tip....

I froze my water dish .... we stiil had water when we arrived at AZS from 5am to 2:30pm
the airlines gave me that tip

if you can get to Canada you will have a very easy time with Westjet - who fly into the resorts airports including Samana
and its $50Cdn for a one way flight.
My friends came from Vermont at $350 / dog after driving to NYC
they now wish they had gone to Montreal.....

depends where you're coming from
 

Jaime809

Bronze
Aug 23, 2012
1,152
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My dog (90 pound German Shepherd) came down in August. I used United PetSafe, which is more expensive than most airlines, but, on the U.S. side, seemed like a better service and I could get her on a non-stop flight, which I wanted.

Make sure you get the international vet certificate, which must include an indication that the dog has been treated for internal and external parasites. They will also need the rabies certificate, with the ID number of the vaccine administered.
(snipped for brevity)

Your experience pretty much matches my own, especially the 5am Chicago drop-off (could they have put better signs directing you there?). One thing they didn't tell me until I got there is that the pet needs to be able to stand up completely while in the kennel, and there are different tolerances for international vs domestic flight. So while the carrier my cat was in met the US standard, it was too small by international guidelines. Fortunately someone had donated a kennel that was big enough, so that was the only hiccup to the process.
 

Jaime809

Bronze
Aug 23, 2012
1,152
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Almost forgot to mention; there's a process for taking your pet *out* of DR as well. So consider that if you'll only be living here a short time, or are moving permanently.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
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vet certificate and a few pesos...... adios

they like to charge you for that vet certif.... quite a lot......the vets here don't make much
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
About three years ago AA had a temp requirement for the take off and landing airport. I had to find a flight at like 5am to Miami to beat the heat rule. Problem is that dogs do not do heat and will die quickly if over heated for any length of time. Delayed planes sat on the tarmac and airlines got sued so they wrote rules to stop the law suits. AA also has a list of dog breeds they will not fly.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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thats what I always did, zoomer -- MIA on an early flight.

if I'm not mistaken, AA won't fly checked animals..... many airlines have stopped - too risky
AA used to let BoBo the Boxer fly.....

Sometimes they sniff the breed and sometimes not -- moot now.... no fly zone as far I know
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
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and if SDQ...... go the office first, before checking in....
office is lower level,,,,, then go up to check in

I made that mistake once - just once.......... all the way down w/ dog and back up
waste of time////
car waits while you check the dog out and drives you up
 

RandyLRM

New member
May 21, 2014
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thats what I always did, zoomer -- MIA on an early flight.

if I'm not mistaken, AA won't fly checked animals..... many airlines have stopped - too risky
AA used to let BoBo the Boxer fly.....

AA, DL, UA all accept checked pets, with varying conditions.

MIA is the closest US point of departure, which would put you on AA, if you're interested in the shortest possible trip for your dog.