Shipping dogs back to the US

[Wino]

When DW and I moved to Dubai, we had the dogs shipped over by an agency. It cost about $2500 per dog to have them come over. We had to have the dogs shipped because we had no housing when we came here, and knew that we could not find a hotel in Dubai that takes dogs.

We're heading back the US next month, and we decided that Dubai for the dogs is too hot in the summer,. We contacted the same agency to arrange a return for the dogs. We were flabbergasted to find out that they were going to charge us just short of $10K for the two dogs on the return. Yes, you read that right: ten thousand dollars.

When we first brought the dogs over, we had to do almost all of the legwork other than the one trip to the airport on each end. We knew that it was going to be the same going back. Well, we checked the website for the airline and found out that dogs can be shipped as excess baggage, but our breeds were not on the "allowed" list. They were also not on the "not allowed" list. After about 10 days of telephone calls, we got word this morning that we would be allowed to ship the dogs as excess baggage.

We expect this to cost no more than $200 for both dogs. We just saved at least $9,500.

Score!

[Redraidernurse]

Great savings! You must really love those dogs.

[creditcardfree]

Great job looking into alternative and being persistent in getting an answer, which I hope you have in writing for when you arrive at the airport. Safe travels!

[kork13]

I just want to give you one warning... When it comes time to fly back to the US, keep an eye on the weather. If it's too hot/humid, the airline won't allow your dogs to fly. The dogs are loaded down below as cargo, and if it's too warm out, it gets dangerously hot down there sitting a few feet above the scorching tarmac with little to no climate controls. I know alot of people who ran into this problem moving back from Okinawa, Japan. The airline basically gives you the option of removing your dogs and flying back without them (don't remember if they'll ship them later to catch up with you or not), or you AND your dogs get off the plane and you have to reschedule your flights. Normally I would never recommend buying full-fare, refundable tickets, but in this case, it might be a prudent step in order to give you some needed flexibility.

[Wino]

Thanks for the tips on the weather. Here in Dubai, they have a special animal-friendly compartment on the airplane. That was why we needed prior approval to reserve the space on the airplane. They keep the dogs in a special area inside the terminal, as well, until they bring them to put them in the animal compartment.

I guess they do this for two reasons: 1. It is always hot and humid in Dubai. 2. Dubai is a tourist destination. Imagine not allowing Paris Hilton to bring her dog and thereby losing out on her celebrity/notoriety when she visits!

We're calling the airline again in the morning (well, in a few hours. It is now 5:30 am here) to make sure the dog arrangements are noted on our reservations. We have been calling just short of two weeks now, but we started early knowing that, as I say, "There is no word for 'efficiency' in Arabic. The concept doesn't exist, so why have a word for it?"

We still have to go to the veterinarian to get the rabies certificate (they're both kept up-to-date so that's just paperwork). We also have to go within five days of travel to get them checked for screw worm. Not sure what screw worms are, but we keep the dogs inside except for their "nature breaks." I hope they haven't picked up the screw worms, but I believe the chances are small. The other good news is there is no quarrantine upon return to the US. The UAE is a rabies-free country.

If we had been forced to pay the $10K, we would have done so, though begrudgingly. Had the shippers said it would be $5K for both of the dogs instead of $5K for each of them, we would have probably used their services. We budgeted for that when we brought the dogs here, so the money is already set aside. Ten thousand was not in the budget, so we would have had to cut elsewhere to find that cash. With only a month before our trip back (DS's wedding is in June), that would have meant hitting what passes for an emergency fund for me; the churn in our transfer accounts.