Importing a dog from Europe – part 6. Dog airline travel accessories and information.
To learn more about my experience traveling with dogs internationally – read my articles from “Importing” section.
Here is a list of dog airline travel accessories and information I used for my trip from Poland to California in 2013:
- an article about proper sizing your crate;
- more about suitable dog travel crates;
- information about international pet import regulations (the original link doesn’t work, but the site is a good resource);
- pet passport and veterinary health certificate for the new puppy must be provided by the breeder. But if you travel with your dog, you can purchase the forms at online pet travel store;
- US customs regulations for bringing pets to the US;
- XL absorbent pad for crates from DryFur. There are 2 in pack and they recommend stitching it back to back. I did. It worked great – my puppy and the crate were dry after 16 hours flight. I recommend buying an extra pack, especially if you have a connecting flight. My puppy chewed it a bit after the first flight and I wish I could have replaced it before the long flight.
- Do not recommend buying pet airline travel kit with labels and bolts – they gave me the same labels at the airport, and bolts didn’t fit my crate.
- I bought this dog spill proof airline food and water dishes. They were too small for my 3 months old doberman puppy. I ended up leaving water in both of them as I was afraid my puppy will be dehydrated during the flight.
- Leave some toys in the crate to keep puppy busy during the flight. I also left a couple of blankets to protect absorbent pad in case he wants to make a bed for himself – he’ll need something to move around. And have a few diapers with you in carry on. These are extremely handy when you are stuck inside the airport and your puppy needs to potty.
I had good experience with DryFur online store. I was late ordering accessories online and emailed the store inquiring about prompt shipping. Items arrived promptly, worked as described, and I think their pricing was more reasonable than at other online stores.
Previous article in this series is Importing a dog: cost to ship a dog from Europe.
If your puppy already arrived, you might want to read How to raise a doberman puppy – first days at home.
If you are researching about Doberman breed you must read Doberman genetic diseases.