Returning to America with my pet dog ?

[mystic1]

I have a Thai dog that's about 15 kilograms in weight, and about 2 years old. Too big to bring as carry-on luggage. Can fit in a carrier about 3 ft. high, 3 ft. long and 2 ft. wide.

Can anyone tell me what's the procedure / requirements necessary to return to the USA with the dog, and what airlines would be best for the return trip (Thailand to Florida) ???

 

The Mystic 1 

[topt]

Sorry I have no specifics for the US but I did arrange export to a European country earlier this year.

I presume you have already Googled the requirements specific to the US?

 

Eg - https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/bring-pet-into-the-united-states/pet-travel-dogs-into-us

 

If you do a search on here there are a no. of earlier threads to do with exporting dogs/cats.

This is a recent one  -

The potentially hardest part (to get your head around maybe) was getting the export clearance and I basically used the handling agent to manage this - although I had to be there. In the overall cost this was less than the cost of the one of the two crates I needed.

 

Finding a good cargo agent for your destination in the US may help you a lot but expect to pay - and don't forget customs clearance at the other end.

 

I hope it goes well for you.

[mamypoko]

This organization does exactly that. They will know. You might also be able to help them out

at the same time. 

 

https://www.soidog.org/content/become-flight-volunteer

[DavidB4]

Got to a vet to get the work up done required to show that he's healthy, the vet will forward that to the pet immigration people. Then you take the dog to the immigration office at the airport where they'll inspect him and issue his visa. Make sure you don't wait till the last minute, my friend went and the date on the vets paperwork was one day off from their records in the computer so they denied it, and this was one day before departure. 

[realenglish1]

You will need to go to a vet that is recognized by the American Embassy and get all shots up to date and a health certificate from that Vet

 

Once you do it is find for export the airline and American Immigration as well

 

They have a list on the US   Embassy Site

[gohmer]

Here are the steps and tricks I used to bring my dog back. 

 

1. For those who have dogs in the 7kg or less range,  which is still well over the limit that the airline specify, however if you put your dog in a collapsible carrier as small as you can bye and sling the carrier over your shoulder when you go up to the checkout, they never weigh the dog. My dog was 7 kg and he wrote in his own seat on the plane since there was empty seats.

 

2.  Get the paperwork the vet needs ahead of time, vets generally do not have it. you have to get it from Immigration. Then hand-deliver the paperwork with the dog to the vet for a check up.

 

3.  After the vet fills in the paperwork hand-deliver that, do not have the vet deliver it, to the agency that you got the paperwork from and have them stamp it.  

 

4. Make sure the dog gets all of his shots and you have a complete history of his medical records with you when you start your trip.

 

5. Book the dog on the airlines and show up plenty early. 

[Suradit69]

On two occasions I have returned to the US with cats. Had to have vet check them out and get a certificate from the Ministry of Agriculture (not in Thailand) where we were resident. That seemed to satisfy US authorities.

On one occasion we had a stop over in London. Horrible experience. The other time we went through Frankfurt Germany. They were very laid-back and accommodating.

 

Important that you check and then double check with the airline you use.

[habanero]

 

Contact Boonma Moving and Storage in BKK.  We used them to accept the arrival of our dog from the U.S. They were excellent. They will be able to answer all your questions. I highly recommend them.

 They work closely with  www.animalamerica.com.  I know it is doable to handle everything yourself, but it is such a hassle. 

It is so much better to pay to have someone do this for you and a lot safer for your pet. You can also email     [email protected] for information on the other end.

[tryasimight]

Awwww...all the US dogs will laugh at him!  Row..row...row. Lark...lark. Loof...loof

[NickJ]

Also....I had to have a transit permit for my dog. We had a connecting flight in Taiwan. We didn't even see our dog  during transit. The form was downloaded. The transit permit was time sensitive as well. This was a few years ago. Again this was for the authorities in Taiwan. 

[hdkane]

As noted previously, you can find the rules and regs online easily...you may also want to get a list from the us embassy website that lists qualified vets in thailand, as a qualified vet needs to administer vaccines and sign off on the paperwork before your dog clears transport office here in bkk...also vaccines need to be administered 30 days in advance...so plan accordingly.

[mrwebb8825]

You could just eat it before departure and it'd be with you for a good 2 days.