Traveling with dog

There is very little understanding of "service dogs" here.  However we do take our dog with us to restaurants in town but not into stores, shops, offices, banks, government buildings and such. 

Bob K

The whole concept of emotional support animals is being challenged thanks to abuse....

Examples of abuse .... emotional support animals -
A peacock
A squirrel
A pig
A ferret
All were brought on to airplanes... and refused

This has made dog travel very difficult across the board
Why would an airline bother itself ?
Easier just to ban all animals.

Personally, I have been on a plane with a St Bernard
It had its own seat.
Service animal ??
It begged for food & attention from every passerby.....

They will make no allowances for your animal honey.  So expect you won't be allowed to take it into restaurants, or on public transportation etc etc. It is not recognized here.   

There is almost no support for wheelchair access in public places, sidewalks etc. In many ways we are way behind the times.

If you need your support animal to be widely accepted you may want to rethink this country.

The St Bernard incident introduced me to Kim Beddall.
I didn't know her before but we were watching the dog lady advance in  the line...
and saw no cage

I pointed out to Kim that the lady had 2 boarding passes...
Yup- dog on board in cabin with a water bowl

Slobbering St Bernard....

haha

Thank you all for the information.

It means you will not find any level of support for this animal like you are used to there.

Can you take it to the beach, probably. Will they allow it in the store - some maybe others no.

There is NO special allowance for support animals! It's not recognized nor accepted here.

Interested in hearing about the airport process to travel with dog.
How does the dog fair in the process?  My first time flying dog is 10 years old, great health but not young.
Still looking but not many accommodations in the Playa Dorada area that allow dogs.

I´ve read some practical information on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service section of the United States Department of Agriculture website about the requirements to brings pet to the DR.

Hi Golfdogs,

We travelled with our 2 dogs, both 10 years old. They flew in cargo, not the cabin.  Neither one had flown before, neither one had been in a crate before.  We bought the crates 6 months ahead of time, assembled them without the doors, and slowly got them used to going inside them.  They would get their treats and food in the crates so they would associate them with good things.  Closer to flying time, about 2 weeks out, we installed the doors, and continued as before, but closing the door for longer periods.  I believe this did help, but at the airport, all bets are off.  So much commotion, so many people, I'm really glad they were in crates, in a place they felt comfortable, it was much easier than forcing them into a new crate and stressing them out more. We flew from Toronto to POP non-stop, a little over 4 hours in the air, and about 7 hours in the kennels from drop-off to when we got to our apartment, with a quick bathroom stop outside the airport in Puerto Plata.  It was our first time flying with dogs, and the hardest and longest part was checking in at Toronto.  Piece of cake on this end.  I would do it again for a permanent move, but not for a trip, at least not with a dog that had to fly cargo.  Not with these 2 dogs, anyways.  Both dogs came out perfectly fine, and have adjusted to their new country well.  No squirrels or chipmunks to chase here, so they are making due with the lizards, chickens, street dogs, and the occasional heard of goats roaming down the street.  I'm really glad we brought them for the move, but I'm glad we won't be flying with them any time soon.

Great info, very helpful!

All accurate Uncle Buck..
I got the VIP treatment at YYZ with a dog...but it's still a long crate run

You did it all right in the prep stages...the crate is safety/security when trained right
In cargo- crates go in ;last & out first....beat me to the carousel
$10US and you're in the DR

Like you I fly them no more - they stay here and now I buy them here
Just got 2 Boxer puppies from STI.. excellent dogs

At POP, it was easy to find our dogs.  They were the only ones on the flight, and we followed our hounds' howling.  I'm sure they were happy to get rid of him!

Awesome information.  Thanks so much!

We just flew in on Monday with our two dogs, both have never flown, and they did it in the cargo hold. Both did really well and the staff at Puerto Plata airport were helpful. They did say that the paperwork that we had for the dogs was only good for the 30 days.  Does anyone have any experience with that end of it? We plan on being here for quite a while, at least a year, how do we keep the dogs current? Thank you.

That's news to me... a followup test
Never heard of such a thing.

You need a retest/certification before you leave....
nothing in between

My dogs have stayed the winter on that program.
BoBo the Boxer flew frequently....from both MIA & YYZ

That's great. I may easily have misunderstood the guy. My Spanish is very rusty and his English was non-existent. Where do you go for retests and certifications?

Any veterinary clinic would do this

When you leave the DR on any trip to the US you will need a certificate from a local vet to show that the dog is free from Hookworm. I believe it has to be within a week of travel.

We like Dr. Bob his place is between Cabarete and Sosua. He is on Facebook.

Dr Bob is highly regarded on the north coast.

Caring & reasonable. My dog makes use of his services............... & I, of course, pay for it.  I say yes to DR. Bob.

Bob, I'm currently in the Dominican Republic with my dog. We flew in from the United States with all of the appropriate paperwork from the USDA. Do you know if I have to take my dog to a vet in Punta Cana before I leave with him back to the USA? I've heard 2 different answers. We've always gone to the vet and she's given us papers, but the last time we left the agriculture department at the airport said it was unnecessary since we were only here for 2 weeks. Do you have any idea which answer is correct? Leaving Tuesday 4/9. Thanks!

Bob is travelling so not really available right now honey.  You are best to confirm with the airport or vet ahead of time.

For those with more than one dog to transport:

We have two Jack Russells (less than 20lb each) and a German Wirehaired Pointer (55lbs) that we are flying from Denver to Puerta Plata, which -- depending on the airline -- necessitates a transfer/stop-over either in Newark or Miami.  We wanted to escort them ourselves, but then learned that there are often two-dog-per-flight and temperature restrictions and not all airlines will fly pets to the north coast.  Plus, we had our own itinerary issues with family members traveling at different times from different airports.

As this is a one-time deal, we turned to the pet-shipping services.  They are shockingly expensive, I mean profoundly -- even obscenely -- expensive and we have spent a good deal of time researching.  Eventually, however, we found a service that came recommended by the local shippers of our possessions as well as a local veterinarian and they are more economical than those advertising on the internet.  They take care of virtually everything from transporting the dogs from our residence here to the DR airport and have guided us through the few remaining items.

Fortunately, the dogs have been crate-trained since puppyhood.  They fly out this week. 

We will report on the experience/service afterwards.

Can the 20lb ones not go in the main cabin - under the seat.

The Pointer will be underneath.

MIA has a dog walk area....

The 2 dog limit applies to dogs in the hold - I think
I always booked early to get a spot

The limits in cabin are just as strict.  We lucked out, booked a week ahead, and there are 3 dogs allowed in the cargo hold, and we were flying with 2.  I believe most airlines have a similar limit on in cabin animals.  The so-called "support animals" may be different, but I hope they start cracking down on that nonsense too.  Nobody has a peacock as a a support animal!  Seriously?

Unfortunately, the little one's are not little enough!

Did you have any issues getting your animal in country? Anything you had to do bringing back into us?

Anyone flew in with a dog from US to DR recently?

It's the same - vet certificate coming in and $10 US Approx

Outgoing = same game -
local vet certificate -$10 - and you're gone

So my trip is from Nov 5 to the 10.  So your saying I need to go to a local vet their before I leave their country to come back to USA?

Yes - papers in = papers out..........

I always did that.
Someone else will confirm it

Thanks a billion

Yes. You need papers out. See Dr. Bob in Sosua.

We flew once with dog in cabin. We have decided it is too expensive and too much hassle for short trips. We won't do it again till we are coming for several months.

I was at Dr. Bob's recently when a client came in to get paperwork for his dog filled out.  If I understood correctly, it had to go to Santo Domingo to get stamped there.  Not a 1 day in-and-out visit.  You need to plan a few days or weeks in advance.

Sounds like for a 5 day trip it's going to be a stretch!

Hi Bob. Where can I find this form for the Dominican for my dogs? The 10 day form the vet needs to fill out.

https://www.pettravel.com/immigration/D … public.cfmhttps://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringin … /dogs.html

Thank you I found the one for entering Canada. Thank you for the Dominican info.