# Family pets moving with you.



## allanpeter (Jan 2, 2010)

Can someone kindly give me a steer on the drill with Family pets out in Dubai.
We are considering bringing our dogs with us.
Will this be expensive?
Is it practical?
I take that Vet practices are part of the scene out there.
How do the Compound/ Family gated communities deal with such issues?
All comments appreciated.


----------



## ReggieDXB007 (Mar 10, 2011)

We brought our two dogs with us when we moved out here and it was all quite painless and not that expensive considering the size of their crates. Having said that, this was nearly 10 years ago so things may have changed on the cost factor.

My biggest concern would be the travel time - 7 - 8 hours from the UK seems a long time to me; ours only travelled 4 hours from Cyprus.

We used the services provided by the Dubai Kennels and Cattery (DKC) and they were absolutely superb, on the receiving end. I emailed them before hand and they told us exactly what to do in terms of paperwork and other formalities; they collected our babies, groomed them and delivered them to our new home.

The sending end was a little more chaotic but again it was no big deal we just needed to get a health certificate from the government vet (who was scared of dogs!). I don't know what that involves in the UK but I'm sure whoever you use will know and let you know.

The cost of DKC wasn't much, comparatively speaking - no idea what it would be now - but it was definitely worth every penny as I would have been lost trying to sort it out by myself. 

The timing of the flight is important as the last thing you want is for your pet to arrive during a weekend or some odd hour and then sit in the crate waiting for customs to come back to work.

The cost of airfreight is based on the weight or volume x 6 of the crate, so it very much depends on the size of your pet. From what I've heard it tends to cost as much as a normal ticket but don't quote me on it.

Therefore I would say it is possible and practical (subject to a vet's opinion on your pet travelling for that length of time)

There are loads of dogs, cats and other pets out here, loads of pet shops and loads of vets/kennels - some of them good and reliable. Costs tend to be high, however I suspect no higher than in the UK.

Many landlords/compounds don't allow pets, so you need to check that where you will live does. 

You also need to bear in mind that most dogs can't take the heat of the summer over here. This doesn't need to be a problem as they tend to stay indoors in the a/c and only go out really early in the morning (before 6) and after sundown in the evening for their needs. Also they seem to get acclimatised, and I see huskies, alsatians and all sorts of hairy breeds out and about, presumably for relatively short periods of time.

You also need to bear in mind that a) in Islam, a dog is considered unclean and b) there are many people over here that are not used to and therefore frightened of dogs and so you will almost certainly need to exercise some discretion about what your dog does when in public. You would need to keep it on a lead at all times when out of the house and not go to the beach (unless it is a particularly deserted one). If you live in an apartment, you may find other tenants object to the dog using the lift.


----------



## allanpeter (Jan 2, 2010)

Reggie, many thanks,you have answered many of the thoughts we had on this issue.
Thanks.


----------



## Sunset (Jan 24, 2011)

If you have pedigreed dogs, make sure they are not on the banned list. Also, dogs must be on a lead when walking them. I think some breeds may also require to be muzzled when outside. Unfortunately there are no dog parks so you would have to take them somewhere away from residential areas to give them a run.

Take a look at "Jet My Pet". You can find them on FB. I understand they do a good job and are reasonable compared to other pet relocation agents.


----------



## allanpeter (Jan 2, 2010)

Thanks for that information,much appreciated.
What would be the most productive method of tracking down pet friendly accomodation near the Jebel Ali Trade Zone?


----------



## Laowei (Nov 29, 2009)

allanpeter said:


> Can someone kindly give me a steer on the drill with Family pets out in Dubai.
> We are considering bringing our dogs with us.
> Will this be expensive?
> Is it practical?
> ...


Hi Allan,

We bought our dog from the UK last year so can give you a little advise. 

1st step is to conact DEFRA to start the export process, they will send you a form to complete with general details, name, address, location of move, date of move and your vets details. It would be advisable to have a vet who is registered as a government vet (LVI) these are vets authorised to carry out blood tests on behalf of Defra.

Telephone number for DEFRA is 01288 403600, they will fax you the form through complete it and fax it back ( worth checking they received as they lost mine and caused a delay of 10 days!) once the form is completed DEFRA will send the med form direct to you nominated vet.

The tests and innoculations have to be completed within 28 days of travel so timing is crucial.

Regarding looking for a place i would if you have the option leave the dogs with relatives in the UK while you find a place, if your a family Springs are reasonable priced villas and close to Jebel Ali as in Green Community, both are as much as possible here dog friendly. It all comes down to the landlord, but there are plenty of choice. Once settled then your relative in the uk can help in getting blood tests and innoculations done. 

For the flight we used Emirates form Birmingham, you can call Emirates in Manchester which is the freight office 0161 498 1180 they will book your pets on a flight and give you a manifest number. You dont need to pay anything up front you pay when the dogs are booked in for their flight. My dog stayed with my brother, who kindly helped with all the process, from my side it was a case of paying over the telephone with CC for vets and the flight. As a guide our dog is a Golden Retriever around 30KG's so total for her and large crate was around 850GBP. Make suire you book the afternoon flight from BHX as this arrives after midnight which is a lot cooler than arriving in the day time with the current heat.

As posted by previous posters we used DKC and couldnt fault the service, they handled everything this side including import permit and delivery to our house. They expidiated everything quickly and our dog was at our house within 2 hours of landing. We spoke with Farsal contact details can be found DKC ~ Dubai Pets, Dubai Dogs Cats Animals, Kennels Cattery Relocation.
Cost was around 1000GBP all in. 

Hope this helps but feel free to drop me a PM. By the way good to see another black country expat out here, from a saddler!


----------



## allanpeter (Jan 2, 2010)

Thanks for your assistance,much appreciated if i need to i will take upyour offer on the PM. 
Best.
Allan


----------



## Ladymai (Jul 25, 2011)

*Family Pets moving to Dubai*

Hello, I'm new to the site and to the possibility of moving to Dubai. We will not have a definite on our move for another 3 weeks. However, we do have 2 senior cats, which we are bringing with us. All the information posted has been very helpfull. Does anyone have any insight to traveling with cats to Dubai?


----------



## nichols (Jul 25, 2011)

ReggieDXB007 said:


> We brought our two dogs with us when we moved out here and it was all quite painless and not that expensive considering the size of their crates. Having said that, this was nearly 10 years ago so things may have changed on the cost factor.
> 
> My biggest concern would be the travel time - 7 - 8 hours from the UK seems a long time to me; ours only travelled 4 hours from Cyprus.
> 
> ...


Hi Reggie
I don't know how to message you directly, but I could do with talking to you regarding how you got yours dogs over here. DKC are sorting things this side, it's the UK side I'm having trouble with. I'm in Dubai, both my dogs are in England. Can you contact me directly?


----------



## nichols (Jul 25, 2011)

Laowei said:


> Hi Allan,
> 
> We bought our dog from the UK last year so can give you a little advise.
> 
> ...


Hi 
I don't know how to message you directly, but I could do with talking to you regarding how you got yours dogs over here. DKC are sorting things this side, it's the UK side I'm having trouble with. I'm in Dubai, both my dogs are in England. Can you contact me directly?


----------



## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

Don't forget when your animals arrive, you need to take them to a vet with their vaccination records to get a municipality tag for their collars for when they are out and about.


----------



## Laowei (Nov 29, 2009)

nichols said:


> Hi
> I don't know how to message you directly, but I could do with talking to you regarding how you got yours dogs over here. DKC are sorting things this side, it's the UK side I'm having trouble with. I'm in Dubai, both my dogs are in England. Can you contact me directly?


Hi Nichols sent you a pm with my cell number, give me a call if you need any help.

Laowei


----------



## starbright (Jun 14, 2009)

nichols said:


> Hi
> I don't know how to message you directly, but I could do with talking to you regarding how you got yours dogs over here. DKC are sorting things this side, it's the UK side I'm having trouble with. I'm in Dubai, both my dogs are in England. Can you contact me directly?


We brought our two Springers out two weeks ago - I was in the UK and my husband already here but it was a relatively easy process for me.
We used DKC over here and the English stuff I did myself. The need a rabies jab and just the normal annual vaccinations.

When you contact Defra in Carlisle regarding pet export they will also send you a document which says UAE specimen about UAE import of animals. It lists several vaccinations and blood tests which you actually don't have to do to get an import license.

They need a Rabies jab at least 30 days before they fly. I did the rabies jab at the beginning of July so that they could then have the blood test 30 days later. They don't actually need the blood test - I did it so that I knew they could fly back quickly if they had to as that is the start of your Pet passport - I was only asked to send proof of the rabies vaccination though.
Then they need a copy of their up to date vaccination card with their annual boosters on.

DKC apply for the import permit 2-3 weeks before they are due to fly. Once they send you a copy of this you can then phone emirates cargo in Manchester to book them on a flight. They will also ask for scanned copies of their vaccinations, UAE import permit and a copy of the owners Passport and residence visa. 

Defra need you to fill in their paperwork and send it to them at least 10 working days before they fly. You must make sure that your nominated vet is registered with them as the export license will go straight to the vet ready for the health check 48hrs before they fly. When the animal goes to the vets in the Uk for the health check you must take with you a copy of the UAE import license as they have to fill in alot of the export license while you are there.

Other than that the main thing is to make sure that your paperwork carries the same names addresses etc. The one mistake I made was at the cargo desk when I was checking the dogs in. They asked me to write the name and address of the person in dubai - I wrote my husband as the consignee when it should have been DKC. Birmingham, cargo had faxed over a copy of the airway bill to DKC and they warned my husband that he might have to make a trip to the airport to help clear them but all was fine and they were delivered to the villa some hours later.

Both DKC and my vets said they knew agents who handled the UK side of things but as I was there it wasn't too bad for me to do.
Hope this helps.


----------

