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kancan · 07-31-2011, 04:06 PM

Hi everyone! Just wanted to fill everyone in on our travel experience.

Documents before traveling abroad:

I ordered documents from this site: Pet Immigration Forms Pet Passports Rules Instructions for international pet travel to download forms necessary to travel to the EU. Follow the instructions carefully! The current guidelines are that your dog has to have a 1 digit microchip BEFORE his/her rabies shot, meaning if your little baby got rabies shots before the microchipping, you have to do it again. I discovered this technicality almost too late, as it has to happen at least 30 days before travel and I was at day 32 but we did manage to get them their 2nd rabies shot before the deadline. Yikes! You also need a health certificate which airlines look at before you board the plane on the US and a USDA stamped health certificate. This whole process you can find through the website above and/or at your local USDA office. I was really nervous about this whole process and worried that we were somehow not going to be able to bring our babies along with us, but it all turned out smoothly and we only got asked once for the forms upon leaving the US, and honestly, I think the agent barely glanced at them.

However, on our departure from Italy, the agent did ask for the "pet passport" which was just the EU travel form, which the Pet Travel Store provides (to be filled out by your Vet). So they do actually check!

The carrier:
Again because I was so nervous, we bought 2 bags - the medium Delta approved Sherpa carrier, and the large Sherpa (not Delta approved) with wheels. Because we had 2 Yorkies (1 10 lb, 1 lb) we preferred to give them as much space as possible and a medium Sherpa was just too small. We checked them in the large case and brought the medium one in case they complained about the size. What a relief it was that they barely glanced at it! We flew from MSP to ATL and from ATL to Milan without a problem with the large Sherpa carrier. Super comfy and spacious for both of them. Unfortunately our little girl chewed the zipper and we had to do a makeshift sewing job to keep them from crawling out of the bag on the way back home from Italy! This only happened because we left the flap open on the top to let them hang out with us in the waiting area, and our little beaver took that as an opportunity to destroy her carrier.

The flight:
During takeoff and landing, they were perfectly fine. When it was "night" time we snuck them out of the bag and put them in our laps with the blanket over them. No one even noticed. The flight attendants didn't even know. Neither one of them went potty from Minneapolis to Atlanta and from there to Milan - almost 12 hours traveling. And they slept the whole flight. When we finally exited customs, my husband placed down a potty pad in a quiet corner and they both dutifully relieved themselves. On our flight back, our boy didn't go at all, but the little girl seemed agitated, so I carried her in blanket to the restroom on board the plane. I put down napkins on the floor and told her to potty... unbelievably, she went on command. Amazing! And then back to sleep for the rest of the flight.

Medication:
We asked our vet for meds but felt a uncomfortable giving them prescription meds. He told us to give them some children's medication and that might calm them down. We never found a need to use anything.

In conclusion, I hope our experience helps anyone who is at all nervous or full of doubt about bringing your Yorkie babies on a long trip with you. Our experience was a relief and it was such a wonderful time, being able to enjoy long daily walks through old European villages with our Yorkies. Both Italy and France were extremely dog friendly countries and most restaurants welcome your dog friends at the dinner table.

07-31-2011, 04:06 PM	#18
kancan YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 7	Post trip with 2 Yorkies Hi everyone! Just wanted to fill everyone in on our travel experience. Documents before traveling abroad: I ordered documents from this site: Pet Immigration Forms Pet Passports Rules Instructions for international pet travel to download forms necessary to travel to the EU. Follow the instructions carefully! The current guidelines are that your dog has to have a 1 digit microchip BEFORE his/her rabies shot, meaning if your little baby got rabies shots before the microchipping, you have to do it again. I discovered this technicality almost too late, as it has to happen at least 30 days before travel and I was at day 32 but we did manage to get them their 2nd rabies shot before the deadline. Yikes! You also need a health certificate which airlines look at before you board the plane on the US and a USDA stamped health certificate. This whole process you can find through the website above and/or at your local USDA office. I was really nervous about this whole process and worried that we were somehow not going to be able to bring our babies along with us, but it all turned out smoothly and we only got asked once for the forms upon leaving the US, and honestly, I think the agent barely glanced at them. However, on our departure from Italy, the agent did ask for the "pet passport" which was just the EU travel form, which the Pet Travel Store provides (to be filled out by your Vet). So they do actually check! The carrier: Again because I was so nervous, we bought 2 bags - the medium Delta approved Sherpa carrier, and the large Sherpa (not Delta approved) with wheels. Because we had 2 Yorkies (1 10 lb, 1 lb) we preferred to give them as much space as possible and a medium Sherpa was just too small. We checked them in the large case and brought the medium one in case they complained about the size. What a relief it was that they barely glanced at it! We flew from MSP to ATL and from ATL to Milan without a problem with the large Sherpa carrier. Super comfy and spacious for both of them. Unfortunately our little girl chewed the zipper and we had to do a makeshift sewing job to keep them from crawling out of the bag on the way back home from Italy! This only happened because we left the flap open on the top to let them hang out with us in the waiting area, and our little beaver took that as an opportunity to destroy her carrier. The flight: During takeoff and landing, they were perfectly fine. When it was "night" time we snuck them out of the bag and put them in our laps with the blanket over them. No one even noticed. The flight attendants didn't even know. Neither one of them went potty from Minneapolis to Atlanta and from there to Milan - almost 12 hours traveling. And they slept the whole flight. When we finally exited customs, my husband placed down a potty pad in a quiet corner and they both dutifully relieved themselves. On our flight back, our boy didn't go at all, but the little girl seemed agitated, so I carried her in blanket to the restroom on board the plane. I put down napkins on the floor and told her to potty... unbelievably, she went on command. Amazing! And then back to sleep for the rest of the flight. Medication: We asked our vet for meds but felt a uncomfortable giving them prescription meds. He told us to give them some children's medication and that might calm them down. We never found a need to use anything. In conclusion, I hope our experience helps anyone who is at all nervous or full of doubt about bringing your Yorkie babies on a long trip with you. Our experience was a relief and it was such a wonderful time, being able to enjoy long daily walks through old European villages with our Yorkies. Both Italy and France were extremely dog friendly countries and most restaurants welcome your dog friends at the dinner table.