Pet travel

Got word that we'll be moving to London shortly. So naturally I started working on the details off the move and was a bit stumped when I realised Miss A (the dog) would have to spend 6 months in quarantine on the other side. That's mainly because Ukraine is not a rabies-free zone. Quarantine's not a comfortable situation for Miss A so the only solution was to drop her off at my sister's in Dubai.

Dogs from Dubai do not have to be quarantined in the UK if they're chipped and have the right documents. More info on that here. The only downside is Miss A is going to have spend a minimum of 6 months in the searing Dubai heat.

Bringing Miss A to Kiev from Dubai was easy enough. I contacted Dubai Kennels and Cattery (DKC) who have an excellent reputation for sorting out pet travel. Friends of mine recently brought their dog over from Baku, Azerbaijan to Dubai, UAE and DKC helped them the whole way through.

But coming back to bringing Miss A to Kiev, I got her chipped and updated her vaccinations. Got all this information recorded in her 'passport'. DKC sorted out the health certificate from the UAE government. I bought Miss A a travel box from DKC made according to airline specifications and then contacted the airline to let them know I'd be bringing a dog along with me. On departure day, Miss A came with me to the airport and I checked her in with all my other luggage. And that was it. Super simple.

However bringing Miss A back into Dubai was not as simple. She needed to have her vaccinations followed by rabies test. Once the test results came back negative, there was a 3 month period during which she wasn't allowed to travel. Once that was done, I went back to the vet to get the health certificate from the Ukrainian government.

Dubai doesn't like dogs coming in as checked-in luggage. They have to come as cargo. So although Miss A was travelling on the same flight as I was, she had to be dropped off at the cargo company about 4 hours before take off. And she didn't get out until about 3 hours after the plane landed. DKC had to 'clear' her from the cargo section.

But it's all good now. Miss A's back in Dubai with a new haircut. Had to give her shave to combat the Dubai heat. Her coat will grow back and she'll be in London soon enough.