Ask Cesar - Moving to a Foreign Country

Hi Cesar,

My name is Rhian, and my dog is called Taz. She is a seven-year-old Lab/Collie mix. My partner and I have decided to move to Australia, and I am so worried about her going. Will she make the flight?

Is she too old to fly? They say not to feed her for 24 hours before the flight, and the flight is 24 hours on top of that... won't she starve? I know you have millions of people e-mailing, but I really respect your thoughts and decisions. I will be taking her to a couple of vets to make sure she is healthy before the flight. But I am scared I will be doing the wrong thing by taking her. Please help.

Many Thanks,
Rhian and Taz

Rhian and Taz,

If your dog has already been living with you for several months or years, taking her on your new journey is the right thing to do in my opinion. The dog has already bonded with you. Adapting to a new family is a big change, especially if that family didn't know how to help her through the transition. The dog may feel lost or abandoned. Twenty-four hours is not much compared to what she would go through to adjust to a new human.

As for starvation, generally dogs, and even humans, can last more than 72 hours without food. However, that greatly depends on your dog's health. Consult your veterinarian to find out if your dog can handle the trip and what precautions you can take to make the trip safer for her.

I recommend that you think of your dog as an astronaut. Before they blast off, astronauts practice spending time in a confined space with limited food options. That way they are able to control the anxiety of being behind walls for such a long period of time in space -- sometimes for months! Do the same for your dog. Have her spend time in the crate she will be using on the journey. Gradually increase the time that she is in there. Help her to associate the crate with positive things.

Above all, don't feel bad! Embrace this new adventure you are embarking on. Think about all the great things you are about to accomplish. Your dog will sense how you feel about a situation and then put two and two together while you arrive at the airport. If you are feeling anxious or upset, then the dog will pick up on that and worry too. Oh no, you're sad because we were coming here, so this must be a bad decision! And I can't help you, because I am stuck in this crate and strangers are taking me away from you! Instead, let your dog know that this is an exciting and happy event, and that's how she'll see it too.

I highly recommend that you look into Australia's regulations about quarantine. It has some of the toughest quarantine regulations in the world. That is something your dog will have to go through. The twenty-four hour flight will be a piece of cake -- it's when your dog arrives in Australia that's going to be another challenge.

When your dog is in quarantine, I recommend that you visit her every day. If you can, take her for a nice long walk. If they don't allow you to take the dog outside, see if you can donate a treadmill in the name of your dog. Make a little card that says this treadmill is help the dogs from around the world drain energy, so they can spend their time in quarantine relaxed!

Stay calm and assertive,
Cesar Millan

Click here for more information about Australian Quarantine.

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Sat, 07/31/2010 - 7:46pm — Cindy Easterbrook

Quarentine

In 2006 we moved from London to Sydney, and our 8 year old Shih Tzu, Trey had to do quarentine at Eastern Creek in Sydney. I would have to say they ladies and gents there did a fantastic job. Trey came out as happy and healthy as when he went in. I think maybe the dogs are influenced by their visiting owners however. People that were highly critical of the surroundings and ammenities always seemed to have unhappier dogs, where as people who were focussed on the having their pet rejoin the family, seemed to have happy dogs. As for the flight itself. Hire a profesional company to organise the event. They will make the crate and know how to help dogs travel safely and happily.

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 5:00pm — jtp

Australian Quarantine

I definiltely would not put another dog through Australian quarantine. I brought my dog over several years ago and it was a very bad experience. The Dogs are kept in very small concrete cells for at least one month with little or no human contact. The food was a handfull of dried food thrown on the floor without even a bowl. They are never taken out or exercised, not even for a few minutes. It was summer and the temperature was in the 30s every day.It was the worst example of animal boarding facilities I've ever seen. My dog paced the tiny cell for 4 weeks until his paws had worn to nothing and were constantly bleeding, nonetheless he was not allowed out until the month was completed. It took months to rehabilitate him and he was forever fearful afterwards. Don't put your dogs through this if you can find someone else to look after them.

Thu, 02/25/2010 - 6:06am — Diana Cox

Travelling with dogs

My advice to the person going to Australia is, yes,do take your dog. The trauma of abandonment would be much worse than the journey.
I've flown dogs between Hong Kong, Spain and the UK. The dogs were fine and trotted out of their crates on arrival as if nothing had happened.
I recommend you get your dog used to the crate months before you travel. I used to feed mine in the crates as well as put toys and bedding in them. On the journey, put some worn clothing of yours in the crate. That way your dog will have your scent close by.
I also recommend using a good pet relocation company. They fly dogs every day and really know their stuff. They can find everything you want to know and have probably flown dogs to Australia before.
Good luck!

Mon, 02/08/2010 - 9:22pm — obriensmc

Moving, with pet, to foreign country

The key to moving to a foreign country with your pet is PREPARATION! We are a military family and have moved overseas twice. We took our almost 2 year old Pekingese with us to Japan over ten years ago. Recently, we transferred from Texas to Okinawa, Japan with our (now) 13 year old Peke, and our 5 year old Golden Retriever. We started preparing for the move even before we had our military orders, just in case we did indeed need to go overseas. I checked with our USDA vet, researched military veterinarian suggestions/requirements, and made sure what the Japanese government required, since the import rules were very different this time around. We aren't even moving back to the US for another 2 & 1/2 years, but I'm already making sure of what we need to do to get our pets back to the States.
It took a lot of time, questions, and money to get the dogs ready and get all the paperwork in order! But, if you're like me, your pets are family and there is NO other choice but to take them. :-)

Good luck!!
Michelle