How is your airline pet carrier for travelling abroad?

Are you planning on going on a vacation abroad with your pet dog? Needless to say, an international tour with your dog would be a wonderful experience for both you and your pet. However, you need to take care of certain regulatory issues involving your pet, for a hassle-free journey. Perhaps, the most important thing when considering international travel with a pet is getting a passport for your dog. A dog passport, duly verified by the State authorities allows your dog to travel to most international destinations with you, without the fear and restriction of a mandatory quarantine. The following five points will explain everything you need to know about dog passports.

1.      A pet passport actually refers to a set of documents which contains all the relevant information about a particular pet animal. The passport is authorized by an international system known as Pet Travel Scheme or PETS. Initially introduced in UK, today the system has included almost all the countries of European Union as well as the United States, Canada and Australia.

2.      The information requirements on the passport varies from country to country. However, information regarding health records and inoculation verifications are compulsory in most of the PETS member countries. Some countries also include the use of suitable dog carriers in their permissible check-list. It would be better if you get yourself acquainted with the pet travel policies of the particular country you are planning to visit beforehand.

3.      Although there might be variations, you would compulsorily need two documents to travel to most countries from the United States. One, an annexure containing a health endorsement by any State veterinarian. And two, an inoculation record, also known as the Rabies Certificate attested by any registered veterinarian. For traveling to several countries, you might also need to carry a declaration that you are not taking your pet dog with you for any commercial purpose.

4.      A few specific countries also levy specific rules for dog travel. For example, a few countries like the UK demand certificates for tapeworm and tick treatments too. UK also prohibits airlines from carrying dogs in passenger cabins so a pet carrier is absolutely necessary. Japan also demands that pet dogs are micro chipped before traveling in and out of the country.

1.      As the PETS scheme is not yet standardized, it is your duty to ensure that all possible requirements for dog travel have been met. A comfortable and authority-approved airline pet carrier to carry your pet dog might be an obligatory requirement for many countries.