For those planning similar adventures, we thought we would share the details of the planning and execution of our trip in terms of transporting our dogs. Note – this is a record of our experience only and will not be updated with any changes in regulations, you should do your own research before travel.
Travel Planning
We have shipped our UK truck from Liverpool to Halifax, Canada and needed to join it with our dogs. Although there are direct flights from London to Halifax, you are only allowed to arrive into Canada with dogs in Montreal or Toronto, the nearest to Halifax being Montreal. Although I cannot now find the link for that information.
There is a lot of information on the Canadian government website about the rules for travelling with your pet. The key being that you can prove that you own it (it is not a commercially imported dog for sale), have anti-rabies documentation and appropriate travel container for your flight:
General guidance on travelling with pets to Canada – https://inspection.canada.ca/travelling-with-pets-food-or-plants/travelling-with-a-pet/dog-travel/eng/1687538593648/1687538594086
As we have European Pet Passports for our dogs (which included in date rabies vaccine records), these were acceptable evidence to prove both ownership and valid rabies vaccination status. This meant we could bring our UK dogs into Canada without any quarantine being required.
Documentation required to enter Canada with a pet dog – https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/pets/eng/1326600389775/1326600500578
We bought IATA approve Pet Carrier Crates using the calculations available on line to choose the right size. We could have put both of our dogs into one crate (as their combined weight with the crate was acceptable), but we decided that they would be more comfortable travelling separately, the airline cost is for two dogs whether in one crate or two. We bought these several weeks before travelling and got the dogs used to sleeping in them and being shut inside.
For regulations for the size of dog crates when flying – https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/live-animals/pets/
We also brought sealed unopened commercially packaged pet food with us on our flight, for some reason, any imported dog food is required to be from the United States. We normally feed our dogs Orijen Original Dog food which is made in Canada, which we figured ought to be ok too. This was declared to a customs officer when asked, but not inspected.
Rules for importing dog food – https://inspection.canada.ca/animal-health/terrestrial-animals/imports/import-policies/animal-products-and-by-products/pet-food/eng/1321129023397/1321129556426
Travel Booking
We chose to fly with Air Canada as we could book our dogs on the same flight as us and they offered flights which worked for our timetable. If our dogs were a little smaller they could have travelled in the aircraft with us in an under seat carrier, but they were a little too large and had to travel in the hold. We were told by one of the ground crew that it is a separate part of the hold used for dogs, where the temperature is maintained as neither too hot or cold and they are protected from other baggage. You are supposed to book your flights then call the customer service desk within 24 hours to book the dogs on the same flight. I found when I called them that there was only 2-3 places for dogs per flight and there were several flights the week we were planning to travel (nearly 8 weeks before our flight) which were already full for dogs.
Air Canada guidance on travelling with your pet – https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/plan/special-assistance/pets.html#/
It cost $270CAD per dog for the international flight to Montreal, then a further $105CAD per dog to fly onwards to Halifax, for some unknown reason, this was paid for at the check-in desk for the flight and not when booking.
Taking The Flight
You are advised to arrive extra early when checking in with dogs, we arrived 3 hours before our flight time from Heathrow (LHR) to Montreal (YUL). The procedure is that you go to check in at the usual check in desks, the check-in staff issue a baggage tag for each dog crate. They also get you to fill in a Canadian customs form which is attached to each crate with the dog’s name, your address and destination address. It asks if the dogs have been sedated, which is not advised. The check in staff complete the other side to confirm that the crate is of sufficient quality, size etc. This form is attached to the crate.
On the Air Canada website they advise not feeding your dog for 5-6 hours before the flight. We know our dogs and they can go for hours (especially if it’s raining!) without toileting but are not so happy to miss food, so we did not observe this.
Please note that the dog air crates are extremely bulky, we opted to not use the detachable wheels on the crate but lift them onto a luggage cart. This was easier for us as our dogs are only 10kg and makes it easier for transport to and from the airport. We had to plan ahead to book a minibus taxi to the airport and had to get a limo taxi at YUL to fit the crates in. Even in the Volvo X60 we hired on a one-way basis to get to LHR we had to drop both backseats to get the crates in.
Despite having arrived early for check-in as requested, we were then asked not to take the dogs to Oversized baggage to drop off for another hour – 1hr 15mins before our flight. When we did got to Oversize baggage we were escorted to the staff security gates where the crates were security checked in a side room (swiped with a cloth which was scanned by a machine for explosives etc). Another form was also completed by the security team who rang through to the baggage handlers to collect the dogs. Unfortunately for us, it took 30 mins for them to arrive and we then had a brisk walk to get through security and to our gate in time for boarding.
We were told to empty the detachable water bowls in the front of the crate whilst in the security area, as the baggage handlers would refill this after the dogs were loaded. The crate was therefore not sealed with a zip tie. However, when we flew from YUL to Halifax, the security team asked if we had zip ties to seal the crate ourselves and when we did not, they produced some to seal the crates there. Therefore, I added a little water to the bowls there. We did not provide extra food for the journey as it says on Air Canada website they will not feed the dogs.
Arrival
When we arrived at YUL, we proceeded through to baggage collection (after passing through passport control etc ourselves). I was directed to the Air Canada baggage office in the corner of the room when I enquired about the dogs. They were sat quietly like angels outside the office with two other dogs in crates that had arrived that afternoon. There are signs not to let your dogs out of the crates in that area.
At Halifax, the girls arrived by conveyer belt in the outsized luggage area and if I had not been there to receive them they would have been left there unattended.
Our dogs seemed to manage the flight pretty well and were not unduly stressed when we collected them. They are very used to travelling on trains, ferries and have done a short flight before, though in the passenger cabin.
Customs
Once we had collected our dogs in crates from the baggage area, we had to queue in the Something To Declare area at Montreal. In fact, you should download the ArriveCAN app to pre-notify of your arrival (having previously applied for your Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) online). You will declare that you are transporting a Live Animal and will be directed to that area by the customs staff anyway. After queuing for quite sometime, a cursory review of the rabies vaccine page of our EU pet passports was completed and we were asked about bringing in dog food but were not searched. We were waved through and entered Canada successfully with our dogs. There were no checks at Halifax as it was an internal flight.
We took them outside once cleared and found some grass! They were very thirsty on arrival and the bowls were empty, though the beds were not wet from spillage. I think if I was doing it again I would look to see if there is a better on-demand option for water as the little bowls which come with the crates spill very easily and hold little.
Other Options
However, another option worth considering if your dogs are more sociable than ours might be the Queen Mary Cunard Atlantic Cruise. It takes 10 days from Southampton to New York and when we priced it up it was almost exactly the same cost for a 10 day cruise with all meals inclusive for two people in a cabin with a balcony as it was for two 7-hour premium economy flights from LHR to YUL! There is a dog deck and you are allowed down several times a day to walk them. However, the Atlantic cruises are infrequent and you’d need to plan well ahead and also line it up with your truck shipping dates.
Queen Mary cruise pet options – https://www.cunard.com/en-us/cunard-stories/pets-on-board
In for a Penney 