Bringing 2 dogs from Australia to Thailand

[lemoncake]

Hi all again,

I am bringing 2 elder dogs from Oz to Thailand .

Can anyone suggest a reliable company some has used from Australia ?

Thai airways and Singapore airlines do not allow people to ship without a company , both suggested they work with jetpet.$3800 for 2 dogs.

Advice from recent experience would be very appreciated

[mariemasters]

You can actually do it yourself. Try TG (Thai Airways) as they have a pet policy. The dogs can travel with you on the same flight as AVIH or something like that which means animal in hold. They would be billed as excess baggage including the crate. So if you dog weighs says 30 kilos crated, you will pay 30 x whatever the excess baggage rate is. You just bring the crate, dog and all when you check in. Make sure they have water & some snacks with them. You need to advise TG via e-mail beforehand so they can clear with the captain and crew. They will then confirm to you back via e-mail that everything has been arranged and all you would need to do is bring your dogs when you check in. If you keep an eye out whilst they are loading the plane you will even see your dog loaded on board. Once on board double check with the chief steward that everything is in order.

You need to have an export permit from where you are coming from. And then you would need an import permit from Thailand. I know someone who did this as they do not trust anyone else to care for their pet as much as they do and all they paid was THB1000 upon arrival in Thailand. When they went to pick up their baggage at the carousel, the crate was already there in front of the big baggage area.

[Billy The Kid]

$3,800 for jetpet. Must be on business class. I always go for the cattle class. Sigh , Every dog had their day.

[kurnell]

I met a fella called Thorn at AGS Four Winds Thailand that handles pets into Thailand. Might be cheaper than Jetpets

[retell]

i brought a dog to thailand ( boxer) with LTU only charged me overweight for the dog

[jmccarty]

Brought my Jack Russell from Singapore to Thailand on Thai Airlines, not a problem. Came onboard in the cabin with us. Cost S$500 in excess baggage, probably would have been cheaper in the cargo hold.

Customs has a special office in Swampy always open, bring your export permit from Aust., shots record and bht 100 per dog.

[guig]

My experience two years was with jetpets from Sydney. I paid around 1500aus dollars and they handled all the paperwork, permits etc. They will advise you about what inoculations they need but I am pretty sure you can find this out with your local vet. The main issue I had is that although it was expensive they did not advise me that the dogs would be taken to Thai cargo instead of coming out with the baggage at baggage claim........and then the fun and games began.

I thought it better to send my wife who speaks Thai to deal with the notorious Thai cargo thieves and 3 hours later in tears she appeared with the dog. We both had to take taxis to Thai cargo near the airport. The amount of money you pay in Sydney doesn't cover the taxes Thai cargo charges you and they will try to extract as much as they can. Jetpets said they cannot control what Thai cargo does at the airport so it is up to us.......mmmmm!

My wife explained to cargo that we had paid all the fees in Sydney and their response was one of sheer arrogance and told her if she liked she could come back on Monday after the weekend but the dog would stay in the crate without food and water because that is not their concern. So she finally paid the bribe of around 3000 baht and the dog was released. Also our dog was covered in urine and was very stressed with no water although when it departed Sydney it had water. Jetpets picked up the dog from my house which is part of the overall charge. They also advised me what size I should get for the dog and then when they got to the airport they rang to say they wouldn't let the dog travel in that crate as it was too small. So another few hundred and we had a bigger crate.

In did read somewhere that you could do it yourself but when I rang to garnish more information they advised me it was better to use a trusted company...ummmm. As we were close to departure and had a few hundred things to settle before moving to Thailand I rang jetpets.

I am sure you love your dogs as much as we do, so it only remains that you find out every detail you can before departure and have your patience and cunning prepared for the dishonest Thai cargo team. If you know someone who is connected with Thai Airways I would advise you to have where phone number at the ready so you can get some help when you collect your dogs.

I remember my wife telling me that that also had an Australia lady with two dogs that were going on to ChiangMai and she was in tears and they wouldn't release her dogs. They wanted 10,000 baht but she didn't have the money with her......this was by far the worse experience we had since out arrival nearly two years ago. Good luck and post how you went because only then can things change or maybe not!

[Bcgardener]

My experience two years was with jetpets from Sydney. I paid around 1500aus dollars and they handled all the paperwork, permits etc. They will advise you about what inoculations they need but I am pretty sure you can find this out with your local vet. The main issue I had is that although it was expensive they did not advise me that the dogs would be taken to Thai cargo instead of coming out with the baggage at baggage claim........and then the fun and games began.

I thought it better to send my wife who speaks Thai to deal with the notorious Thai cargo thieves and 3 hours later in tears she appeared with the dog. We both had to take taxis to Thai cargo near the airport. The amount of money you pay in Sydney doesn't cover the taxes Thai cargo charges you and they will try to extract as much as they can. Jetpets said they cannot control what Thai cargo does at the airport so it is up to us.......mmmmm!

My wife explained to cargo that we had paid all the fees in Sydney and their response was one of sheer arrogance and told her if she liked she could come back on Monday after the weekend but the dog would stay in the crate without food and water because that is not their concern. So she finally paid the bribe of around 3000 baht and the dog was released. Also our dog was covered in urine and was very stressed with no water although when it departed Sydney it had water. Jetpets picked up the dog from my house which is part of the overall charge. They also advised me what size I should get for the dog and then when they got to the airport they rang to say they wouldn't let the dog travel in that crate as it was too small. So another few hundred and we had a bigger crate.

In did read somewhere that you could do it yourself but when I rang to garnish more information they advised me it was better to use a trusted company...ummmm. As we were close to departure and had a few hundred things to settle before moving to Thailand I rang jetpets.

I am sure you love your dogs as much as we do, so it only remains that you find out every detail you can before departure and have your patience and cunning prepared for the dishonest Thai cargo team. If you know someone who is connected with Thai Airways I would advise you to have where phone number at the ready so you can get some help when you collect your dogs.

I remember my wife telling me that that also had an Australia lady with two dogs that were going on to ChiangMai and she was in tears and they wouldn't release her dogs. They wanted 10,000 baht but she didn't have the money with her......this was by far the worse experience we had since out arrival nearly two years ago. Good luck and post how you went because only then can things change or maybe not!

We brought our Burmese cat with us from Sydney and also used Jetpet but this was about 5 years ago. I think all in it was about AUD$750 not including the vet costs in Oz (Rabies etc). We needed an export permit from Oz and an import permit here in Thailand. I used a friend in the freight business here to get the import permit and also to clear the cat through customs. Didn't have to make any under the table payment but was hit with "Customs overtime" for 500 Baht, but this is not uncommon with any freight. Be aware that they will charge you import duty on the animal . I have no idea how they work it out but for our cat it was about 2,500 Baht and we did get an official Customs receipt for the duty the same as I get when I import components now.

[o2eZy]

why would you want to bring a dog to thailand from OZ poor dog will overheat with the weather here..

[Billy The Kid]

why would you want to bring a dog to thailand from OZ poor dog will overheat with the weather here..

At least he will have a thai dogs to play with.

[lensta]

Many years ago I used Blue Cross and my dog flew Qantas.

[HUAHIN62]

I didn't have time to read all the posts so I may repeat. Please make sure what the vet requirements are it differs between countries. When I brought in my dogs they had to do blood tests for a certain virus/disease. They had all the normal shots but this was extra and I don't know if it apply to OZ.

Don't worry the dogs adapt better to Thailand than most foreigners and they also don't bitch as much. Pun intended.

[PromPhong]

Ladyhaye is a pet travel agency operating out of London, but shipping worldwide as far as I know.

Some colleagues and I used their services when we moved with our dogs from Ethiopia and Belgium to Barbados respectively (albeit via London because that is a requirement here to avoid quarantine). Ladyhaye provided excellent service, they are very professional and very friendly.

I would use a professional customs broker to take care of the paperwork and the customs hassle on arrival in Bangkok.

Good luck with your trip.

[lemoncake]

Thanks all for replies. Taking them as excess luggage is not an option with Thai ,Quantas , Virgin or Singapore airlines, as all mentioned no longer deal with pet cargo and will only deal via company such as Jetpets.

This might be a new rule as I was advised by all mentioned - must use a company.

I know to avoid import duties, one has to be on the same flight, though no doubt it will not stop some extortion.

The $3800 covers all costs including vet and crates.

My concern at the moment as confirmed by someone and a friend, jetpet stop to do anything once arrived, which is somewhat strange because in quotation they state door to door service, so it should include handling all matters with Thai customs also.

[shawn11]

I used dogtainers in Brisbane about 6 years ago to bring my english staffy over. I would highly recommend them, but from memory, with all the shots and everything,it was about 3 grand.

[DeanWeen]

$3,800 for two dogs sounds exorbitant. We moved ours from Hong Kong to Thailand at the end of last year. We found a guy who handled our Thai paperwork from the HK side for maybe A$75. I took care of updating all her shots (rabies is the most important one as far as Thailand is concerned), and went to the relevant government offices in person to finalize the vaccination documents. She was checked in as excess baggage on our Cathay Pacific flight, and we collected her near the bag claim at Suvarnabhumi. All told, I don't think it cost more than a few hundred Oz. Either there's something about Australian export law that makes it that expensive, or JetPets is making one hell of a margin.

[lemoncake]

$3,800 for two dogs sounds exorbitant. We moved ours from Hong Kong to Thailand at the end of last year. We found a guy who handled our Thai paperwork from the HK side for maybe A$75. I took care of updating all her shots (rabies is the most important one as far as Thailand is concerned), and went to the relevant government offices in person to finalize the vaccination documents. She was checked in as excess baggage on our Cathay Pacific flight, and we collected her near the bag claim at Suvarnabhumi. All told, I don't think it cost more than a few hundred Oz. Either there's something about Australian export law that makes it that expensive, or JetPets is making one hell of a margin.

HK and Australia is not the same, again airlines advised pet company only

[DeanWeen]

Taking them as excess luggage is not an option with Thai ,Quantas , Virgin or Singapore airlines, as all mentioned no longer deal with pet cargo and will only deal via company such as Jetpets.

Sorry, posted mine just as you posted yours. Have you tried Cathay? I did this just nine months ago. But Cathay might not fly direct from Oz to Thailand, and maybe they've changed their rules too.

It seems like a real scam to make people go through companies, where they have you over a barrel and can charge whatever they want. Maybe it saves the airlines hassle and perhaps some liability, but it shouldn't have to be that way.

[lemoncake]

I used dogtainers in Brisbane about 6 years ago to bring my english staffy over. I would highly recommend them, but from memory, with all the shots and everything,it was about 3 grand.

Thank you, contacting them for a quote

[lemoncake]

Taking them as excess luggage is not an option with Thai ,Quantas , Virgin or Singapore airlines, as all mentioned no longer deal with pet cargo and will only deal via company such as Jetpets.

Sorry, posted mine just as you posted yours. Have you tried Cathay? I did this just nine months ago. But Cathay might not fly direct from Oz to Thailand, and maybe they've changed their rules too.

It seems like a real scam to make people go through companies, where they have you over a barrel and can charge whatever they want. Maybe it saves the airlines hassle and perhaps some liability, but it shouldn't have to be that way.

Have not tried Cathay, as rather avoid stop overs. But I think it has to do with liability.

[DeanWeen]

HK and Australia is not the same, again airlines advised pet company only

Of course they're not the same, and I'm familiar with the fact that Australia is a police state with draconian laws for just about everything. I just shared my experience to wonder aloud whether you could handle some of the documentation and vet work yourself and avoid being forced to use a company. But again, it sounds like they've got people over a barrel there.

[rbrick49]

leave your dogs in Australia if you love them beleive me I am a retired soldier if you bring your dogs here they will no 1 die of heat exhaustion no 2 mosquitous will possibbly give them some diseaese and 3 they will possibly get rabies

sorry for the bad news but it is true thailand dogs are well adapted to the enviroment

but make your own choice

Edited September 26, 2013 by rbrick49

[itchybum]

why would you want to bring a dog to thailand from OZ poor dog will overheat with the weather here..

Yes....it snows in North Queensland all year round.

Thanks all for replies. Taking them as excess luggage is not an option with Thai ,Quantas , Virgin or Singapore airlines, as all mentioned no longer deal with pet cargo and will only deal via company such as Jetpets.

This might be a new rule as I was advised by all mentioned - must use a company.

I know to avoid import duties, one has to be on the same flight, though no doubt it will not stop some extortion.

The $3800 covers all costs including vet and crates.

My concern at the moment as confirmed by someone and a friend, jetpet stop to do anything once arrived, which is somewhat strange because in quotation they state door to door service, so it should include handling all matters with Thai customs also.

They say that because of the unknown nightmare that follows.

They throw up their hands and say 'over to you'

Do not send a dog via cargo....been there done that.....you will get shagged big time, its that simple.

[DeanWeen]

Have not tried Cathay, as rather avoid stop overs. But I think it has to do with liability.

I'm sure it does. But even if you did stop over, I guess Australia would force you to use a company just to get to Hong Kong, which would cost you the thousands anyway. Good luck -- I'd do whatever it takes to get my dog here too.

[itchybum]

leave your dogs in Australia if you love them beleive me I am a retired soldier if you bring your dogs here they will no 1 die of heat exhaustion no 2 mosquitous will possibbly give them some diseaese and 3 they will possibly get rabies

sorry for the bad news but it is true thailand dogs are well adapted to the enviroment

but make your own choice

Why should I believe a retired soldier over anyone else ?? Strange.

Dogs adapt.

There are mosquitos in Australia also I think....unless those great quarantine laws have worked wonders...yes rabies is an issue, but you can prevent that.

[lemoncake]

Have not tried Cathay, as rather avoid stop overs. But I think it has to do with liability.

I'm sure it does. But even if you did stop over, I guess Australia would force you to use a company just to get to Hong Kong, which would cost you the thousands anyway. Good luck -- I'd do whatever it takes to get my dog here too.

Mine 2 are also special case. My mother just passed away, and they were her dogs. Both are pensioners 14 and 12 years old and my moms last wishes were to take care if them, so would pay any money to fly them over. Just trying to find "best" company to get them there stress free

[bkk_mike]

How big are the dogs? Because the quote for cargo is really based on the size of the containers rather than their weight. (Which is why it's so much cheaper to have dogs go as excess baggage, if you can do that).

We shipped two dogs to the UK from Thailand earlier this year as cargo (UK doesn't allow dogs in planes other than as cargo) and it was under A$2K, but they were small dogs.

[lemoncake]

leave your dogs in Australia if you love them beleive me I am a retired soldier if you bring your dogs here they will no 1 die of heat AGS Four Winds no 2 mosquitous will possibbly give them some diseaese and 3 they will possibly get rabies

sorry for the bad news but it is true thailand dogs are well adapted to the enviroment

but make your own choice

If I am spending $4000 to fly them over, do you really think I can not afford air conditioned house and would leave them in heat to die from heat?

[lemoncake]

How big are the dogs? Because the quote for cargo is really based on the size of the containers rather than their weight. (Which is why it's so much cheaper to have dogs go as excess baggage, if you can do that).

We shipped two dogs to the UK from Thailand earlier this year as cargo (UK doesn't allow dogs in planes other than as cargo) and it was under A$2K, but they were small dogs.

One is big and one medium, I am definitely insisting on excess luggage

[HUAHIN62]

Thanks all for replies. Taking them as excess luggage is not an option with Thai ,Quantas , Virgin or Singapore airlines, as all mentioned no longer deal with pet cargo and will only deal via company such as Jetpets.

This might be a new rule as I was advised by all mentioned - must use a company.

I know to avoid import duties, one has to be on the same flight, though no doubt it will not stop some extortion.

The $3800 covers all costs including vet and crates.

My concern at the moment as confirmed by someone and a friend, jetpet stop to do anything once arrived, which is somewhat strange because in quotation they state door to door service, so it should include handling all matters with Thai customs also.

Mine included everything including the transport to HH. Wait for the joy when they see you again. My daschhund nearly had a heart attack and the lab jacked knived waging her tail.