Bringing dog into HK

[JessBirardi]

We are moving to HK from the US and are hoping to bring our pug dog; however are concerned about the prospect of him having to fly cargo for 16 hours. We fly with him domestically all the time and can have him in the cabin with us.

Has anyone gotten around that (e.g. been able to fly with dog in cabin)?

Any advice and/or recos for agencies that can help us get our dog into the country??

Finally -- sorry! -- what HK parks and beaches are dog friendly?

[Star Gazer]

make sure to read about bringing your dog back to the u.s. also.

there are many sad stories of pets not being able to be brought back with their owners due to many reasons like cost etc.

[kanekure]

hi,

well without going into details, we just moved to hong kong from california with our two shetland sheepdogs. it's mainly a paperwork exercise (plus shots, state vet signature, and new microchip), but if you have a knowledgeable vet and time to complete everything, it's totally doable on your own.

as far as the flight, this is actually the second time our dogs have made the trip, the first being for a one month stay a couple years ago. we made sure the day of the flight we had a full day at the park/beach and got them nice and tired. ours road in the temperature/pressure controlled cargo so i cant speak to a passenger commute. of course you cant help but worry a little, but everything went smoothly. if your dog does go into the cargo, make sure you confirm with the flight attendants prior to take off. of course they will already know, but it's nice for your own peace of mind.

good luck!

[JessBirardi]

THANK YOU! This makes me feel so much better!

What were the flight attendants able to tell you about your dogs? CAn they go down to cargo where the dogs are located?

How long did the paperwork take? We're not planning to move him until after Christmas so have a few months.

Also -- sorry for all the Qs -- what kind of crate did you have for them? Were they able to use the bathroom and/or drink water? It's such a long flight....

thanks again!

[kanekure]

take a look at this link:

AFCD Import of Dogs and Cats

it's the agriculture and fisheries dept for hk and will outline the procedure/requirements.

also, it's important to check with your airline for crate requirements. we used a pair of petmate crates... clearly labeled with contact info for both sides of the trip, flight info and the names and ages of our dogs. this might sound odd, but a tip we picked up somewhere was to sleep on a couple towels for a few days and use those inside the crate. supposedly the scent of home and their master has a calming effect.

if i remember correctly, cathay pacific actually had a list of breeds that were not able to ride in the cargo area. the crew on cathay was able to access the cargo area and check on our dogs. there was a pair of golden retrievers making the trip as well.

for our trip, the handlers gave our dogs additional water during the trip, but no potty breaks.

cheers

[kanekure]

take a look at this link. between this, your airline and your vet, you should have all the info you need.

AFCD Import of Dogs and Cats

the flight attendants are supposed to have access to the dogs during the flight, and we were told that they give them water at some point. no bathroom breaks though... so they have to hold.

cheers

[tinanst]

you should be able to find most of the information/procedures and forms from this link:
AFCD Import of Dogs and Cats

For the crates and other informations about his flight back, You'll have to check with the airlines. I brought my labrador retriever from Canada 4 years ago flying Cathay Pacific.