taking our cav to australia

[Karlin]

I'm only seeing this now, a bit late! But

1) as Nicki says, NEVER sedate dogs for transport; this is dangerous for animals during flights, especially short-nosed breeds. It is important to start to work to crate train her now so that a crate is a calm and happy environment for her. I doubt you'd find a knowledgeable vet who would even be willing to sedate an animal for a flight though.

2) dogs CANNOT go in the main cabin under a seat, to Australia. They must go in the hold; the whole quarantine process is very strict. So as EddyAnne says, get a very very good transport company or make sure you build in all the time you need to have her fly on your flight if that is allowed (it was for me to bring dog from the US to Ireland, via Heathrow). Be prepared -- the cost is likely to be *at least* 2-3 times your one way flight ticket and maybe much more, if she is not flying the same flight as you. I had to have her to the airport FOUR-FIVE HOURS before the flight as there's a lot of paperwork and they have to seal the crate (eg with a locking plastic band so the crate cannot be opened). Also be absolutely sure you have an adequate, officially-acceptable flying crate.

There are cavalier breeders in Australia so the breed is able for the climate. But you want to make sure a dog always has access to shade and water and isn't overexercised in heat or overexposed to it.

I flew an older, crate trained cavalier transatlantic San Francisco to Heathrow and she seemed happy enough at the end of it. I have also flown three of my dogs on shorter routes (UK/Ireland).

My advice is to get and review all the documentation; ring the embassy in Ireland for help and advice; talk to the correct office by phone in Australia... also your airline will probably provide checklists and directions too (which I reread tons of times yet still almost failed to get a needed stamp due to ambiguous phrasing). I still found the airline's materials easier to follow than what was on the USDA website... however if you fly with a good transport company they will look after all this. I know there is a crowd in Northern Ireland that do animal transport internationally; don't know anything about them though.

There's advice on crate training in the Library section here. Feel free to PM me with any further questions as I am also based in Ireland.

[davey]

u lucky lucky lucky thing!!! congrats on yer decision and the very best of luck...as u can guess, im only the slightest bit envious (as I gaze out at the rain...again)!!!

poor little doggy has to go in hold (i worked as cabin crew for yrs on long haul flights), and animals never allowed in cabin...although i am soooo impressed that they are allowed in the cabin in us airlines..thats sooo cool!
oz is a great place to live (as u know), and its such fab great outdoor life!

id move there in the morn if i could.

hope all quarantine goes well, im sure u already know this, but when my sis and her husband were emigratin with their dog, they put an old scarf of my sisters and a toy or two that she (the dog, not my sister) really loved, and that was the dogs company for the trip, and that dog is ultra spoiled!! goodluck and bon voyage...at least ul still be on the forum..makin all in irl jealous (my bf would kill me if he knew i was saying that im jealous of u)

[Kate H]

I brought my Cavalier back to England with me from South Africa in 1990 (a 16 hour journey) and she coped very well, both with the long journey in a crate (which she had only met a couple of weeks before) and 6 months in quarantine (I visited once a week as it was a quite long journey by public transport). In fact the time in quarantine helped her a lot with her shyness as it forced her to relate to strange people, who were very loving and spent time with her every day.

Meg got used to me visiting regularly and then going away (though we had a sticky couple of weeks in the middle of the 6 months), but when I finally took her to her new home, arriving early evening, she had her supper and went to bed quite calmly but realised when she woke up the next morning that I WAS STILL THERE!! She went crazy, tearing round the house, leaping up at me, clearly saying 'Whoopee! I'm home, I'm home!'

Dogs don't have our sense of time, so even if you can't visit every day, regular visiting reassures them that you are coming back; and my experience of boarding kennels generally is that Cavaliers are such charmers that they get spoilt rotten!

All the best for your new life,

Kate, Oliver and Aled