Our Dog Frasier! Looking for a good shipping company, who do you recommend?

**Helchops** · 08-01-2012, 04:07 PM

Dear All,

We are moving out to SA on a tight budget, and we really want to take our dog with us (even though it is a huge cost) - he is apart of the family and and a treasured member at that!

We are looking for a reasonably priced shipping company that will offer Frasier the very best care! Any recommendations? We have had several quotes the highest and lowest having a difference of £400! So recommendations are going to be our deciding factor!

We know quarantine costs a lot of money too and have been told to expect 30 days of care to cost about £900. Frasier is a 8.5kg Jack Russell Terrier if anyone has a similar sized dog that can offer an insight to their quarantine costs we would really appreciate it. Should we expect more, less or around the £900 figure?

We know there are vets fees too in order to get him ready to ship (we are making him sound like a piece of furniture). We move in july and he has already had his vaccination against Rabies and has had his rabies blood test, so that part has already been paid for.

Thanks for your help in advance

Carlie

**snifter** · 08-01-2012, 04:31 PM

TBH any of the more well known reputable companies would be good. I've had numerous dealings with PetAir UK and they seem good. Other feedback I've heard on them has been positive also. IIRC PIO has a sticky thread on them, might be worth a read

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/pets/1...l-service.html

Might be some threads there also that will help you narrow down your choices.

Quarantine isn't based on the size of the dog, so I'd say the price you've been quoted sounds about right. That was about what we were quoted for our whippet, down in Melbourne (which is meant to be a great quarantine).

Sounds like you have done all the basics so far with the new rabies rule having come into effect in Aus from Jan 1 2012. But have a read of this thread to be sure you've covered it all and well in advance so as to ensure the minimum quarantine stay.

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/pets/1...ping-pets.html

Out of interest, what prices have you been quoted to ship him from UK to Aus. Our whippet was quoted in the region of £2300 iirc for a crate size of 81x46x51cm for the flight. Inclusive a few other things also of course that the shipping company offered. As we've put back our departure date of course that price is now probably a bit out of date but it will give you and idea. The shipping isn't based on weight of dog but size of crate, so depending on if your JRT is bigger or smaller you prices should tally. Have you measured the dog exactly? You need to measure to be able to get decent quotes. Dog needs to be able to stand up and turn around within the crate during the trip. The shipping company will know how big the crate will need to be to fit the dog and can then quote accordingly.

Hope this has been of some help :)

**Helchops** · 08-01-2012, 04:53 PM

Thanks for your reply! We appreciate someone elses input - as it is a very important decision!

The most we have been quaoted is about £1400 with PetAir, they have been the most professional with us so far and they have been really helpful with advising us on what we need to do with vets etc... to get him ready to go! Okay so we should really factor in the £900 as a given then! and hope it doesn't cost much more. Someone explained that you pay the quarantine bill upon the dog completing the 30 day stay, so i hope they do not bill us more!

We have managed to secure a rental that will allow him to live with us, so it is our intention to get him there!

Yes yes, Melbourne, thats where Frasier will be staying! Of course we have to pay for him to be sent from Melbourne to Adelaide and i think we have been quoted £400 for that! So altogether with vets bills its going to cost us about £3000!

Thanks for your help, if anyone else has any advice based on experience or knowledge we would really appreciate you sharing it with us!

Thanks again Snifter!

Carlie, Dan and Helena

**snifter** · 08-01-2012, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by Helchops

Yes yes, Melbourne, thats where Frasier will be staying! Of course we have to pay for him to be sent from Melbourne to Adelaide and i think we have been quoted £400 for that! So altogether with vets bills its going to cost us about £3000!

FWIW, look into one of you flying down on a domestic flight and bring dog back on the plane. Way cheaper I'd think. Some smaller dogs can go in the cabin (possibly in a small dog crate, like a cat carrier) but in the cabin, so with you the entire time. Way cheaper than flying him up on his own I'd think. Look into it. I know others have done this. Over on PIO MovingToMelbourne can explain more as she knows about this sort of thing :)

**Jennet** · 08-01-2012, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Helchops

Dear All,

We are moving out to SA on a tight budget, and we really want to take our dog with us (even though it is a huge cost) - he is apart of the family and and a treasured member at that!

We are looking for a reasonably priced shipping company that will offer Frasier the very best care! Any recommendations? We have had several quotes the highest and lowest having a difference of £400! So recommendations are going to be our deciding factor!

We know quarantine costs a lot of money too and have been told to expect 30 days of care to cost about £900. Frasier is a 8.5kg Jack Russell Terrier if anyone has a similar sized dog that can offer an insight to their quarantine costs we would really appreciate it. Should we expect more, less or around the £900 figure?

We know there are vets fees too in order to get him ready to ship (we are making him sound like a piece of furniture). We move in july and he has already had his vaccination against Rabies and has had his rabies blood test, so that part has already been paid for.

Thanks for your help in advance

Carlie

I'm the same as you fly out in july taking my cockerspaniel quoted 1800 with golden arrow they were the cheapest and also good, pet air also good but more expensive, i had a good chat with their vet very helpful but i'm gonna use golden arrow.

jennet

**Misplaced** · 08-01-2012, 08:08 PM

How about driving up to the Quarantine Centre in Melbourne along the coast road and make a couple of days of it - just a thought.

**Jennet** · 08-01-2012, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by Misplaced

How about driving up to the Quarantine Centre in Melbourne along the coast road and make a couple of days of it - just a thought.

thats the idea i have, i will be doing that trip to collect my dog, been down the great ocean roadin 2002, very good journey

**Helchops** · 08-01-2012, 09:18 PM

We were thinking about that...maybe getting a hire car (not sure I'd trust a $5k car on that journey) but it depends on how we're going finding work. Frasier would fly out around the same time as us so we'll have the month to settle - if we find work straight away we may not be able to take a trip by car...do these things have to be booked well in advance, or could we arrange the ongoing flight to Adelaide when we're there?