Bringing dogs back from India to UK

dippy

Hi All,

I've been advised to move my thread from the newbie section to this new animals area - so here goes......

I have searched the posts, but can't seem to find what I'm looking for - so I'll be very grateful for advice. We're wanting to bring two beach dogs from Goa home to England. I've got the UK side pretty much researched and understood, but I'm drawing a blank on the Indian side of things.

Can anyone advise what I do or where I go for advice? For instance, export papers/permits, the airport/s, what to do re bribing etc? Any info/experience is welcome!

Thanks again

Noodle

Hi Dippy! Great you want to give two beach dogs a good home!

I have never done this so can't give you detailed advice. All I heard is that the UK has strong regulations, for example a quarantine of 3 months if I'm not mistaken?

Apart from that the dogs need to be vaccinated and have a health check by your vet who will give you certificates for both (vacc + health).

I'm sure your vet will be able to tell you more.

Have you checked with your airline about taking dogs on the plane? As far as I know no dogs are allowed in any cabin of any airline (apart from guide dogs), so they would need to go in the luggage hold. You have to inquire with your airline if you need to provide the kennels or if they will do it. You will also have to pay extra for them, usually it's done by weight and calculated like extra luggage.

I would advice you to fly non-stop to make it easier for the dogs.

Sorry that I can't be of any more help. Maybe someone else here will be ...

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stop digging.

Indian saying

GracefulTravel

There's an animal shelter in north Goa called Animal Tracks, near Mapusa. They are part of International Animal Rescue, which has UK connections. I'm sure they can be helpful. Sorry, I don't have their direct number.

birds

Hi Dippy,

Fantastic that you are doing this!

From what I understand is that it is a lot easier these days as the mandatory quarantine in the UK has been lifted.

You will need to transport the dogs in separate crates. The cages can be bought at pet shops in India but are expensive (between Rs.6,000 and Rs.10,000 per piece!, "Imported for Italy Madam" ). When I moved my dogs from Bangalore to Goa I got crates made by the local carpenter from what they called 'jungle wood' and they did cost Rs.750 but I am not sure whether these would be acceptable for international flights but if they are, I still have them and if you still in Goa I be happy to give you two.

The cages need a construction which allows the dogs access to water all the time, the dog needs to be able to stand up in it and should be able to turn around. It should be possible to lock the crates and you should stick a paper in a transparent plastic folder on it with name and age of the dog, the local address and destination address plus a telephone number. In addition you need to put in copies of the doctor certificates which, by the way are easy to get. Just ask the vet. Make sure you keep the originals with you so you can show those at customs in the UK. It also makes sense to get the name of the person who handles the dogs at both the departure airport as well as the destination airport. In India that is very easy, abroad it may be more difficult

Make sure you check whether the cargo compartment is sufficiently pressurised to supply sufficient oxygen for two adult dogs. Double check this with the cargo managers because people do not always know this. Initially Jet Airways said it was no problem to fly my seven dogs as they assumed they were puppies. At the latest moment I found out that there would not be enough oxygen for adult dogs. In the event I moved my dogs with Indian Airlines which was most helpful. Although the cargo guy could not quite believe it “But Madam, these are Indian dogs! Why you take them? You have exactly the same dogs in Goa!”

Although not required we put on collars with the address and telephone numbers, just in case…We also asked our vet for a light sedative which did not put them to sleep but calmed them down a lot. Of course, this was only a one hour flight.

Like Noodle says, check with the airline and take only direct flights to your destination as there are horror stories about dogs escaping their crate and the airport attendants taking the first stray they see and put it in the crate. Not sure whether it is true but it doesn’t bear thinking about, although that stray may be lucky in a way. Not so long ago a dog escaped on a Spanish airport and the owners were still looking for it after ten days. In the end the found it but they got lots of hassle with not being allowed to enter certain parts of the airport. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...i153250S16.DTL

Since there are no direct flights from Goa to the UK, unless you take a charter but I can imagine they do not have a suitable cargo area, you may wish to drive to Mumbai first or do the whole trip in two steps. Especially since you need to change airports from domestic to international and you want to be absolutely sure your dogs get there.

I think if you stick to the rules set by the airline (triple check!) you should be fine without paying bribes. From what I understand the Indian site is easier than the foreign site.

Like GracefulTravel says, you may wish to contact Animal Tracks, their number is 0832-2268 328, email iargoa@satyam.net.in, address: Madungo Vaddo Assagoa, Bardez. I think the boss is Astrid.

Once, we came in on a BA flight and there was an Indian women travelling with a pug dog (the type they use in the Hutch advert, not sure what it is called). She was in first class and told me her dog was allowed to run around there!

Noodle

This is good news!

dippy

Thank you all for such great advice,

So far I've managed to find a quarantine kennel only a few minutes away from where we live. Unfortunately Piglet and Skinny will have to do 6 months in quarantine - the other option is to sign them up to the PETS scheme, but the UK does not recognise India for this (plus it means major tests over a period of time, and we can't fly back and forth to India like that).

We will be taking two dog crates with us - as we've been advised that these are now strictly tested and your dog is refused if anything is wrong with them. Thank you so much for the offer of your crates Birds, but I daren't risk it. I'm also investigating one large crate so both dogs can travel together. I think this will cut down on stress.

The dogs will have to go in the hold, as they will be on the same flights as us, we can check them in as excess luggage (weight) rather than freight (volume). It will have to be a 2 stop journey, but I'm researching going via the Middle East rather than Mumbai, so that the 2nd leg is not too long and traumatic. We are advised not to sedate the dogs, as this may affect their breathing etc and have been assured that the hold is dark and the dogs should settle quickly.

It is so strange that you mentioned Animal Tracks!! We took our 2 dogs there in January to be sterilised and they were fantastic. Both dogs came through the experience very well, especially as they had never been in a car before. It just shows the amount of trust 'our girls' had in us to let us carry them off like that. I am contacting them to see what advice they can give me re medical certificates and treatment etc before they fly.

Birds your advice is invaluable re documents and id etc - thanks for that. All in all, I think I just need to double check everything, try to get some info from the Indian Embassy (again!!) and hopefully we are looking at August to get our dogs home. This meanns that the UK will be warm and Piglet and Skinny have got 6 months to slowly acclimatise to our lovely weather. Fingers crossed we can have them home for the New Year.

I've added a couple of photos for you - Piglet as a pup with her Mum in Jan 06, as she is now (with our collar on bless her!!) and Skinny proudly showing her war wounds after her operation.

I'm not a dog person (always had cats) but these 2 dogs broke my heart and I worry about them and miss them. Luckily we have a lovely Goan family keeping an eye on them for us, so I hope they will still be there when we fly back.

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PRIYA

Not a doggie person??? You could've fooled us

And just a silly reminder.......please don't forget their 'blankies' which will make them feel at home, with a familar smell, when they're crated

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birds

Hi Dippy,

Good to hear from you!

Annoying that quarantine is still in force for dogs from India but I can't say it surprises me. Anyway, it is good that they are making at least some changes. Will it be possible for you to visit during those six months?

I remember that on the Jet Airways flight the dogs had to be in separate crates. I think that is also the official line of Indian Airlines but they offered to put the dogs together to reduce the cost. We did not take up the offer as the crates were way too small

They are beautiful! Surely worth all the hassle! Any idea what happened with Piglet's mother and her siblings?

Do you think that Goan family would be willing to look after other dogs as well? We often get requests from foreigners who need temporary accommodation for their dogs. Many would be prepared to pay a little as well.

Lastly, if you still in Goa and like to go for a drink to exchange dog-experiences, let us know.

ba9rn

It's all about rabies control. Unless there is a 'pet passport' showing vaccination history and stuff, 6 months quarantine is applied for animals from ANY country (rabies is still a problem in France, for instance).

The plus side is that the quarantine kennels are just like those used for stashing your pet when you go away. They most definitely do allow (and encourage) visits, and the animals are extremely well cared for.

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Dr. Gajaprishthakara

the next thing you need to do is contact a cargo company - they will tell you what their requirements are for shipping animals. you could waste money if you try to second guess their requirements.

ba9rn

The OP has already stated thatThis is standard practice. No need to involve 'cargo' people.

But he will need an import licence

Dr. Gajaprishthakara

whoops. thanks bar9n. missed that. reading off phone

well, we seem to have solved that one then

Noodle

6 months for rabies? That sounds too long. I heard of a not-yet-vaccined stray cat that bit a vet in the US and she had to be under observation for a month, I believe, to make sure she wasn't rabid. 6 months can't be because of rabies. There must be other illnesses they worry about. Bird flu?

ba9rn

You may be right that it is 'too long', but rabies is the prime reason for UK quarantine. It has been in place for many years (before bird flu was the flavour of the month) and was relaxed recently (from some countries only) with pet 'passports' aka the PETS scheme. nb. PETS is not available from India.

See also - http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

... and a direct link to the rabies advice:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quar...ine/qindex.htm

NOTE: we do not have a rabies problem in the UK. There is rabies in wild animals in mainland Europe, which is the main reason we have such strict quarantine procedures. It may well be long, but it has kept rabies away! Before PETS, if you took an animal away with you for a short while (to France, say), you had to quarantine it on the way back. So PETS is a vast improvement!

Noodle

6 months just seemed over the top to me but I must admit now that you're right after looking it up on Wikipedia where it says "The period between infection and the first flu-like symptoms is normally three to twelve weeks, but can be as long as two years."

So 6 months seems like an acceptable compromise.