Importing a dog from Europe – part 5. Cost to ship a dog from Europe.
I have 2 imported from Poland dobermans. I flew to Poland to pick up my first puppy in August 2013. My second puppy was shipped from Poland to California in May 2014. Both of the methods have its pros and cons.
When I was planning to pick up my first puppy in Poland, my boyfriend and I planned a vacation in Europe at the same time. We visited Ireland and on the way home – flew to Poland. The owners of the bitch kept our puppy for an extra month to accommodate our trip dates. And it was so nice of them to let us stay (free of charge) in their spare condo in Krakow. We had a wonderful time – great architecture, history, and various destinations. We spend amazing few days in Krakow!
Here is a breakdown of my trip and the cost to ship a dog from Europe:
- One KLM multi-city ticket in August 2013 – $2000: San Francisco-Dublin-Warsaw-San Francisco;
- Hotel in Warsaw ~ $80-100/night (we stayed 3 nights in Warsaw in Sheraton, and at the breeder’s condo in Krakow);
- KLM pet ticket ~ 200 euros (if you fly with a pet – KLM alliance group charges for pet as for an extra luggage; the price slightly varies depending on the weight of the crate);
- 1 month extra hold of the puppy to accommodate our trip dates – 100 Euros;
- Crate cost ~ $130 (the crate was bought in Poland).
KLM CARGO phone number in the US: (1) 800 556 9000
Also, I wanted to see the puppy before finalizing my purchase. I was a bit skeptical buying a dog without seeing it live first. So trip to Poland worked out well for us. We made good friends with the owners of the bitch. They and the breeder are still very supportive and helpful with both of my dogs.
The second option is shipping a puppy as cargo. KLM alliance group charges about 800 Euros for this, and it is only possible through a third party – a broker that breeder has to hire. When puppy arrives, you have to sign a bunch of paperwork. Sometimes they might want to follow-up with you after the puppy is 3 months old and it got a rabies shot. It seems like a pretty smooth option.
The previous article in this series is airports and dogs.
The next article in this series is Dog airline travel accessories and information.
You also might want to know A day in the life with a European Doberman.
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