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HERE’S
OUR STORY!
Sue Gingerich and I had been good doggy friends for years
chatting on the email about our malamutes, as you do!
I had been interested in importing a malamute from Canada
for some time, then seeing a pictures of Sue’s Dodger
<Can CH Snowventures Knightinshinarmr >almost defiantly
mind our minds up!
After finding out more about his heritage and ancestry from
Sue we were thinking quite seriously about it!
Sue had a breeding planned the late spring after between Dodger
and Epic <Can Ch Norspirits Epic Snowventure> another
gorgeous girl who had just finished her Canadian championship
in the autumn..
So we started to find out more before taking the plunge and
putting ourselves on Sue’s puppy list and then started
to research all about the pet passport scheme
On the 16th June 04 Epic had 5 puppies 4 girls and 1 boy,
the first pictures got emailed to us a few days after delivery
right away I had my eye on the wolf sable girl, but it was
far to early to tell!
So it was time to start looking at importing rules and regulations.
and the first place to start was DEFRA website under the pet
travel scheme. <www.defra.gov.uk>
The scheme has now been extended to many more countries on
non European counties including Canada, allowing pets to travel
from Canada on an approved route under the pet passport scheme
,from Canada its called a third country veterinary certificate.
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The
whole process of importing is not something easy to do, we
spent months reading researching reviewing, emailing and asking
folk who had done it before! <Thanks Maureen and Ann ;+)
So I am going to go over the details in brief for now as to
what has to be done just to get your pet passport.
Standard puppy vaccinations
Micro chipping <iso standard,so it can be read in the uk,unless
you have your own chip reader>
The Canadian kennel club kc has to be registered in new owners
name plus a certified 3 generation pedigree.
Next
to have done is the Rabies vaccination 1 usually done at around
16 weeks of age. Wait around 21 days before having the rabies
“titre test” done<the vets take a blood sample
Which is sent off for analysis in this case it was sent to
Kansas, to be tested For the titre, amount of rabies antibodies
test.
Sit back &wait for results….!! If the results come
back positive you then
You have to wait 6 months from the date The blood was drawn
before they can leave The country.
If
the results come back negative You then have to have the process
done all
Again, revaccinate against rabies, wait 21 days Have another
titre test done…
The vet has to sign off the paperwork and it Also has to be
signed by a government vet.
The final job to do 24-48 hours before the Flight is flea/tick
and tapeworm treatment. check before leaving The vet the paperwork
is all correct and completed
Make sure the flight is booked and there is room on the plane.
In cargo, you have to go with DEFRA approved routes for non
EU countries The clock is now ticking as the documents for
flea/tick and tapeworm are signed/dated and timed, you have
to arrive for your flight <at check in> no earlier than
24 but no later than 48 hours is up after that treatment or
you have to have it all redone they wont let your pet fly.
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One
of the things about this whole process, is the expense, it
was VERY costly you are thinking about importing yourself,
I found it a whole lot easier sending money every month where
possible as it was not too much huge expense all at once!
<or in case!>
Another real downside is you don't get your puppy as a baby
and miss out on a lot of fun and bonding time! and it feels
like waiting forever for the whole process to be completed!
LAST MINUTE CLITCHES!!.
Ooh yes there was a big one!!! After all the doc signings
paperwork vets treatments and not to mention the huge expenses
so far, the flight was booked the flea/tick tapeworm treatments
at the vets were booked everything was set!! And then!!!
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Sue
went down to the airport to buy Skyes vari kennel for the
flight according to her size she should have been fine in
a Vari 5 extra large, but the airport wouldn't sell the crate
to her as her ears just slightly touched the top of the crate,
apparently if the crate is too small even if its only a teeny
tiny bit ,the airport can refuse to let your dog board the
plane, apparently the air company can be fined<we also
found out it can be either way, and if it meant Skye had to
go in a jumbo size, the crate would be wayyy to big...so Sue
ended up rowing at the airport as we did send her in a vari
5 because the jumbo was just swimming on her.
The rules were ridiculous and there's not much out there to
find out exactly how to measure your dog for a crate, we ended
up contacting ITAI about sizing for a crate
There’s hardly any info on the web, but according to
Skyes size she would have needed a custom built kennel as
there is nothing at all between a vari 5 and a jumbo.
The airline company also wanted an EXTRA $800 Canadian dollars
on top of $2,300 already quoted for a vari 5 size,so in total
$3,000 dollar flight that’s just one way from Calgary
to Heathrow...in cargo!!!
For that kind of price you would think skye would have been
sat in first class on la double leather seat. Watching a movie
while sipping on a martini with a twist of lemon and a cherry
on top!!!
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so
it was the 27th of April and it was THE BIG DAY!!! Sue had
stayed over with friends in Calgary the night before ready
Skyes flight and the possibility of a big argument at the
airport,over the crate sizes,and at this time I didn’t
actually know for sure if Skye was coming or not!!!!! I got
the phone call at 10.20pm to let me know she was going to
arrive as scheduled, but it was not without its arguments
at the airport first, luckily as we had spoke to so many folk
about troubles they had had shipping dogs <according to
crate size>in the past Sue made sure she was prepared for
it…well prepared for it she was too!!!!and after a good
discussion with the managers < to put it mildly!!!>
they did agree to let her board…..PHEWWW!!!!
so the phone call came and in the early hours of the morning
we set off for the animal reception centre in London <what
a place I might add is that to find!!>
we walked in and asked about Skye and she had just arrived
in about 10 mins prior to us arriving,3 hours later we were
still sat there!!!then finally dogs started getting released
to there owners and out came Skye! I had Never been as pleased
to see anyone more in my whole life!!!!!Thankgod she was safe
and sound and coming home with us!!!!
I rang Sue and we both cried our tears of joy!
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