As part of our military move from Hawaii to Germany we are going to drive from Oakland, CA to Hampton, VA. When I say we . . . I mean me, my husband, our 11 year old son and our 5 year old Lab/Sheppard mix, Koda.
The first hurtle was getting him an airline ticket. Military tickets booked us with Hawaiian Air (http://www.hawaiianair.com/) because they take pets. Well when we called to confirm, we discovered the pet PLUS the kennel can’t weigh more than 70 lbs. Well Koda weighs 65 lbs. without the 20 lb. cage. We called the airline, but they said, NO! Sorry, you will have to fly with someone else. So it was back to the travel office and now we are flying with Delta (http://www.delta.com/), but instead of a nice 5 hour direct flight, we are flying from Honolulu, to Salt Lake City, UT and then BACK to Oakland Ca for a total travel time of 10 hours.
For starters we got him a nice haircut so that we aren’t eating and breathing long hairs during out 3300+ miles and 2 weeks long road trip. He looks kind of funny, but it will be worth it. I think he feels better too, cooler. I have goggled pet friendly hotels – keep posted with my blogs and I will let you know how that goes.
I was told that the DoubleTree hotel in Waikiki accepts pets . . . for a fee of $75 and there is a max weight of 75 lbs. http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/HNLKADT-Doubletree-Alana-Hotel-Waikiki-Hawaii/index.do We are keeping Koda with a local friend on base, we have dog sat for them in the past.
Taking a pet overseas to another country requires careful planning. Germany requires a health inspection for a USDA approved Veterinarian and a particular form is required. It can be downloaded at the following site and printed and taken to your vet: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/animal_germany.shtml
Germany also prohibits the import of certain breeds that are considered dangerous. i.e.: American Staffordshire terrier , Staffordshire bull terrier , bull terrier. Check out this website for details: http://www.zoll.de/english_version/a0_passenger_traffic/e0_vub/h0_dangerous_dogs/index.html
All dogs must have implanted chips. Tattoos are no longer sufficient.
Keep following this blog and I will keep you posted on how things are going
'til next time
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