This is a guest post from our Latin & South America Specialist, Mathews:
A few weeks ago, the Pet Relocation family facilitated quite an interesting relocation consisting of two dogs traveling from Michigan to Brazil. The unique thing about this particular move is that one of the dogs - a 4 year old, 60 lb, Vizsla - just happened to be diagnosed with a fairly severe case of kennel aggression while the owner was attempting crate training prior to the date of travel. This posed a good-sized problem for two main reasons:
1) If the dog was too aggressive upon check-in at the airport, airline officials were well within their rights to refuse handling, boarding, or acceptance of the pet, regardless of any prior
2) If the dog was deemed a hazard upon entry into a foreign country, in this case Brazil, the border veterinarian responsible for customs clearance might order the pet euthanized or put on the next flight back to the United States at the owner’s expense.
To address the first issue I contacted the airline’s cargo department to inquire about their policies concerning crate aggressive animals. I was told that if the dog arrives and the cargo employees are uncomfortable loading the kennel onto the plane, then the dog would be refused boarding. Given that the vast majority of travel kennels are made of plastic, have four sides of ventilation, and no handles, there isn’t a whole lot to protect a person from a severely angry pet. This left us with the option of having a sturdier, custom kennel built to fit both the dog’s, and the airline’s, specifications. The kennel was constructed of ¾-inch, heat-treated plywood to provide maximum security and included a pallet base for use with a forklift to allow cargo employees an option if they did not want to physically handle the crate. No worries there - now the first obstacle was taken care of!
The second hurdle proved a relatively easy-fix as well. I simply contacted the border vet in Brazil and detailed the situation to prevent any surprises upon arrival. He was very understanding and said that he’d actually allow the dog’s owner into the bonded area of the airport where the inspection takes place, just in case officials needed a helping hand. In a case like this, honesty and advance notice made this aspect of the move so much easier.
Then came the day of the move. To begin, the dog ended up not being very crate aggressive at all. Granted, he was a little flustered, but it ultimately ended up as a prime example of “pet owner embellishment”, and in all actuality, this was a very nice dog that would have been perfectly fine in a normal travel kennel. This turned out to be a very good thing, because upon check-in, we were informed by the airline that the aircraft we had originally booked service on was out for repairs and a smaller aircraft was taking it’s place – an aircraft too small to accommodate the custom kennel we had built specifically for this trip. Luckily, we came prepared with a standard travel kennel as well and transferred our peaceful friend to his new crate, after which, he did just fine.
Upon arrival in Brazil, customs officials noted that he was a great illustration of the ideal furry traveler and showed no signs of aggression – just excitement to see his owner. The move was a resounding success!
So, the moral here? While all of our concerns ended up being for naught, the attention to detail provided, along with the anticipation of all outcomes and possibilities, allowed us to be prepared for anything a move like this can throw our way and ensured that this pet truly made it “home” safe and sound.
A few weeks ago, the Pet Relocation family facilitated quite an interesting relocation consisting of two dogs traveling from Michigan to Brazil. The unique thing about this particular move is that one of the dogs - a 4 year old, 60 lb, Vizsla - just happened to be diagnosed with a fairly severe case of kennel aggression while the owner was attempting crate training prior to the date of travel. This posed a good-sized problem for two main reasons:
1) If the dog was too aggressive upon check-in at the airport, airline officials were well within their rights to refuse handling, boarding, or acceptance of the pet, regardless of any prior
2) If the dog was deemed a hazard upon entry into a foreign country, in this case Brazil, the border veterinarian responsible for customs clearance might order the pet euthanized or put on the next flight back to the United States at the owner’s expense.
To address the first issue I contacted the airline’s cargo department to inquire about their policies concerning crate aggressive animals. I was told that if the dog arrives and the cargo employees are uncomfortable loading the kennel onto the plane, then the dog would be refused boarding. Given that the vast majority of travel kennels are made of plastic, have four sides of ventilation, and no handles, there isn’t a whole lot to protect a person from a severely angry pet. This left us with the option of having a sturdier, custom kennel built to fit both the dog’s, and the airline’s, specifications. The kennel was constructed of ¾-inch, heat-treated plywood to provide maximum security and included a pallet base for use with a forklift to allow cargo employees an option if they did not want to physically handle the crate. No worries there - now the first obstacle was taken care of!
The second hurdle proved a relatively easy-fix as well. I simply contacted the border vet in Brazil and detailed the situation to prevent any surprises upon arrival. He was very understanding and said that he’d actually allow the dog’s owner into the bonded area of the airport where the inspection takes place, just in case officials needed a helping hand. In a case like this, honesty and advance notice made this aspect of the move so much easier.
Then came the day of the move. To begin, the dog ended up not being very crate aggressive at all. Granted, he was a little flustered, but it ultimately ended up as a prime example of “pet owner embellishment”, and in all actuality, this was a very nice dog that would have been perfectly fine in a normal travel kennel. This turned out to be a very good thing, because upon check-in, we were informed by the airline that the aircraft we had originally booked service on was out for repairs and a smaller aircraft was taking it’s place – an aircraft too small to accommodate the custom kennel we had built specifically for this trip. Luckily, we came prepared with a standard travel kennel as well and transferred our peaceful friend to his new crate, after which, he did just fine.
Upon arrival in Brazil, customs officials noted that he was a great illustration of the ideal furry traveler and showed no signs of aggression – just excitement to see his owner. The move was a resounding success!
So, the moral here? While all of our concerns ended up being for naught, the attention to detail provided, along with the anticipation of all outcomes and possibilities, allowed us to be prepared for anything a move like this can throw our way and ensured that this pet truly made it “home” safe and sound.
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