Dog transport from the US to Munich

Hi everyone,

can anyone who has brought their dogs with them from the US offer any advice or comments?

We've got spaced reserved for "the boys" on our Lufthansa flight and as long as they haven't plumped up in the last few weeks they should make the weight requirement. They've also had recent rabies shots (older than 30 days but newer than one year) and I have the bilingual health certificate/rabies document that my vet will finish filling out next week before we leave.

So, maybe that's it? Thanks for any help and hope to meet some of you soon.

Kit

hi. pao and i brought our 2 furry kids with us from the states and, thankfully, it was a smooth transition. it sounds like you have everything you need except the forms from the German Consulates website. here's a link to the page:: http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/info/...es/customs.html

once there, click on "Traveling to or through Germany with Domestic Animals" and that will give you the pdf. print it out and let your vet fill out the last few pages.

hope that helps!

Hi Kit -

I just moved here from the US a little less than a month ago and brought my pup with me. They barely glanced at the paperwork (though they did ask for it) and I hadn't had it translated into German. Less than 10 seconds and I was through.

I will say he's quite small, and gets away with a lot because of it. He was able to fly in the cabin with me, and my landlord is fine with him (I rented an unfurnished place and had my stuff shipped). How big are "the boys"?

I'm sure they (and you) will love it here - so much more pet friendly than the US!

Liz

I brought my cat over from the US a year ago & was so paranoid on the way over that they would say she couldn't come in the country for some reason (don't know why, I had the health certificate in German & everything). I walked right through customs with her in her carrier and no one even stopped me to look at the papers!

Kit, I have replied to your email, but just wanted to let you know that I had no problem finding a place to live with our dog (who was only 3 months old at the time). However, I did have the assistance of an agent. Please let me know if you would like her name. She was VERY nice and spoke Enlgish very well. Unfortunately, I do not know the cost as my company received the bill.

While I absolutely love the pic of Timber that Lottie posted, that is actually our old dog that passed last December . The dog we brought over was actually a white german shepherd named Kymba - http://www.dgraver.com/gallery/kymba - She's now 11 months old.

Click to view attachment

Hope to meet you once you come out. Our dogs should get along ok being of simular size and Kymba's a (spayed) girl. Hopefully we can give you assistance as a fellow large breed owner on pet shops, kennels, etc. (there is a regulation here that your dog can only be alone 6 hours, though enforcement of that will depend on your neighbors)

If you can find a place near to the English Garten, your dogs will have a great place to run and play. We live in an area called Herzogpark which is perfect for Kymba (and parking )

Thanks to all who replied, especially Barbiejane and Hellcat.

Suffice to say, after having worried about the rabies vaccinations, the paperwork, etc, when it came time to leave the Frankfurt airport and go thru Customers THERE WAS NO ONE TO CHECK OUR PAPERS. We just sailed on through...

kit

welcome to munich! glad it all worked out for you guys.

Same happened to me with my cat. All that trouble to get her legal and no bother on this end. Still, better safe than sorry. German's probably the worst language in which to hear you've done something wrong.

Welcome.

I would recommend flying directly to Munich from JFK or wherever you are coming from. The customs agents are really relaxed here. When I brought my dog, they did not even ask to see the verification of the rabies vaccination, though I would definately recomment it. There is a patch of grass right outside the baggage claim area, so you can quick make a run for it after you collect the babies. They don't mind if you the dogs go there, just be sure to have a plastic bag for any "surprises".

My family - which includes two dogs -just received notice that we'll be moving to Munich by the end of the summer. I need to find an animal (dog) transport service that leaves from the NJ/NYC/Philly area and flies to Munich.

Can anyone recommend an airline carrier (not commercial)/service that you've used that is good, safe, and reliable? My dogs have never traveled in anything other than a car and I expect this to be a trumatic experience for them, so any good/bad stories you have would be very welcome.

Thanks.

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You need to have a record of your dogs shots. Where they were born and all that.

How big are these dogs? I brought my dog from Munich to Boston a few years back. She is a small breed (terrier) but too big for the requirements for taking her in the cabin. I was able to talk the folks at lufthansa (thank you nice folks!) into letting me take her with me, but I had to buy a business class seat and bring her in a soft carrier.

I don't know what to make of current pet air travel. I've heard horror stories. I even tried to go on the QEII, the only ship that will allow dogs, but she would have needed to be quarantined and chipped before even entering England to get on the ship!

When you do send them, I think maybe it would be best, if they have to go in the cargo bay, to make sure you are on that flight so you can make sure they are on board. Try and fly direct so they can't get lost in connecting flights! Talk to your doc about tranquilizers, but remember, as with alcohol and people, one on the ground is worth two in the air!

Try and make arrangements with a European airline (Americans are not flexible where dogs are concerned) to let you bring them aboard unless they are too big.

Hope I helped in some small way. I love pooches!

I brought my 13 year-old border collie from Toronto last year. He travelled in a kennel in cargo with Air Canada/Lufthansa, and did very well (though the entire plane could hear him barking below us as the planed landed!). The vet insisted that he not be sedated (me, on the other hand...) Lufthansa is EXCELLENT with animals. Make sure it's a direct flight, and that the cargo bay is temperature controlled.

They'll be fine. It'll be more traumatic for you than them. ;-)

i flew in from philly on usair with my 75 lb. labrador. it’s a direct flight, which was key since he had to fly cargo as they allow no dogs whatsoever to fly in the cabin. they did a great job with him, and i would highly recommend them. we checked in and they took his crate to check it out and told me to sit with him in the check in area and they would call me when it was time to take the dog. i had him with me until about 20 minutes before the flight, which was great. when you board the plane, make the flight attendants aware that your furry pal is in cargo. they made sure he was on the plane and they made the pilot aware of his presence. they really seemed to care. upon arrival, they brought him out to me in the baggage area and he was tickled pink to see me.

i did medicate, but i gave it to him in advance of going to the airport, not expecting to be able to keep him so long and i think he got all wound up by all the people petting him at check in. i am not so sure it worked, and i am not so sure i would use medication again having read the pros and cons. i would however recommend dr. bach’s rescue remedy, a herbal solution administered to the dog’s tongue. here’s some testimony from a pet owner who used it on her dog.

i had spent a month assembling paperwork to get henry in the country and in the end the guys at customs were too busy petting him and saying how cute he was to give it anything more than a cursory glance.

on the day of the flight, get him out for a long walk. exhaust him. it will be good for you too! when he gets to germany, realize that this is a whole new world of smells for him and allow him time to become acclimated before leaving him alone for a long stretch. i made the mistake of going out for a long night just after we arrived which resulted in him barking from anxiety and neighbors ready to kill me. learn from my foolishness!

if your dog is small, you can fly on an airline which allows dogs in the cabin. i have friends who do it all the time, one of whom i am sure will post as soon as she wakes up and sees that you need this information.

anyhow, here’s a web site with some very practical information about bringing a dog into germany, and here’s a thread on Toytown about kennels and vets, which you might find handy.

lastly, your dog will love germany. dogs are loved by all and fawned over everywhere. our dog is well behaved and is happily allowed in restaurants, pubs and shops. he’s in for a rude awakening when we move back to the states in a month.

have fun!