moving a dog abroad: the complete guide

Rob and I are both confident enough in ourselves to admit that the real star of this blog is Winston. It's cool, we know you've been thinking it (and some have even told us directly).

Almost as soon as we hit "publish" on our first blog post back in October, we started gettinge messages from people planning to move their pets abraod in the future and asking for our advice. We didn't feel right giving advice right away, but now that Winston is safely in his new home, properly registered and has basically been living la dolce vita for four months, we figured it was safe to start sharing our tips for moving your dog abroad.

You have two options when moving your pet abroad: handle it all yourself or hire a pet relocation company to do all or part of the work. We priced out those companies and if we had an endless supply of money we probably would've hired one just to ease our logistical workload, but it wasn't an option for us from a financial perspective. As such, we did every step of the process of ourselves -- and we're pretty pleased with the job that we did.

To help other nervous/stressed pet parents move their dogs abroad, we created a FREE e-book:

The DIY Guide to Moving Your Dog Abroad FREE E-BOOK! An efficient, effective and (almost) stress-free guide to moving your canine companion overseas. We put together this free e-book to help other expats (and future expats) with the process of moving their beloved canine companions abroad. Our guide is filled with practical advice and tips for staying organized and handling all of the details yourself. The guide is free, we just ask that you Tweet or Facebook post about the guide. The DIY Guide to Moving Your Dog Abroad is also available for purchase in print by visiting Lulu.com.

It's free in that all we ask you to do is "pay" with a Tweet or Facebook post about your free e-book download. Pretty cool right?

You can also check out a series of articles we've written about moving your dog abroad:

• Moving Your Dog Abroad - The Basics
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - Understanding the Rules and Regulations of Pet Travel
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - The Role of the USDA Certified Veterinarian
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - Booking Your Dog's Ticket and Getting Firsthand Advice
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - Getting Organized and Making Final Travel Preparations
• Moving Your Dog Abroad - Travel Day and Adjustment Period

We hope these resources will help answer any questions you have about moving your own dog abroad!

Disclaimer: The information, resources and tips provided in this e-book are intended to inform the reader about the process of moving a dog abroad. As in any situation, it is critically important that the reader seek out additoinal information relevant to their particular situation and needs.

moving a pet abroad: winston update!

{Winston sightseeing at the Duomo and utilizing his new faorite pillow...the air travel neck wrap}

When one moves their entire life abroad you have to wonder what they are most concerned about. Lost luggage? Nope. Language barier? Not that either. Their adorable dog having a stressfree trip? That's right!

The week before we left (of course) there was this big story about Delta losing a family pet on its way to Germany. So, naturally we were a little nervous for Winston. Those nerves turned out to be unfounded, however, because Winston ended up being one of the least stressful elements of the move.

Rob and Winston took Delta from Philly to Atlanta, and then from Atlanta to Rome. At each leg of the trip, Delta was extremely good about letting Rob know Winston had been loaded (and unloaded) off of the plane. In fact, the pilot himself talked to Rob before the flight to Rome.

He was delivered to Rob in the baggage area, had no problems passing through customs (so much for all that work we did getting paperwork!) and the boys were waiting for me when I arrived about an hour later!

Winston has also adjusted great in other ways. He LOVES taking walks through the streets and meeting new people -- although it did take him a few days to realize it really is OK to poop on the street. Once we get better with the language Winston will be a great way to meet new friends!

moving a pet abroad: predeparture update

#1: Yes, we are those people that take a million photos of their dog and treat him like a child. Deal.

The snow storm heading for Philly is totally cramping our Winston-prep plans. Thankfully, the USDA-approved vet in the city was able to squeeze in Winston for his pre-departure appointment today. Tomorrow's appointment most certinaly would have been canceled because of the snow.

Since we don't have a car, things are a little hairy, but people (my wonderful sister and father, in particular) are really coming through for us in this final week in town. Love you guys!

We are crossing our fingers and hoping that Rob won't have trouble making his appointment with the USDA in Harrisburg on Thursday to get the paperwork from the vet certified. We'll keep you posted!

Countdown to Italy: 7 Days

moving to italy: thank goodness we leave next week!

{photo found via the atlanta journal constitution}

Initially we planned to move to Italy this week. Thank goodness we opted for next week (full disclosure: the only reason we opted for next week was because we got more "bang for our buck" for our frequent flier miles).

The picture you see above is the Atlanta aiport, which is totally shut down and - as you might image -  restricting pet travel this week. Considering Rob is flying Delta through Atlanta to Rome, this would have been a total travel catastrophe.

Using my USAirways frequent flier miles was a total hassle and disappointment, but thank goodness for their crazy rules otherwise we'd probably be trying to move during a snowstorm!

Countdown to Italy: 8 Days

moving a pet abroad: prepping your pet's kennel for air travel

It's hard to believe, but in just 13 days Winston will make his journey from Philly to Rome, too! There are a couple (very important) things you need to do to ready a pet for travel. On the top of our list was getting the kennel ready and adding a wheel kit to make it easier to roll around in airports

In the video, Rob mentions the importance of drilling the holes in the back fo the crate, which had no openings. This is a common "horror story" that you read online -- people getting to the airport only to find out that their kennel doesn't qualify. It truly underscores the importance of doing your research before a move.

Next week Winston has his appointment with a USDA-certified vet and the next day Rob is driving to Harrisburg to get the paperwork certified. Who knew a 30 pound mutt required so much prep :-)