You know how parents love to brag how well behaved their children are when travelling? Well I do the same about Camaron, our third culture dog, that is now placidly snoring besides me, on a makeshift bed, because his is, still, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
This is Camaron’s third country and hopefully, his last one. I can only hope he will be able to spend his last years making friends at Parque Mexico, snoozing by my side and visiting his grandma on the weekends.
We never intended to have a dog crossing multiple oceans but that’s how life goes and it seems, it’s happening more and more these days. Dogs have, fortunately, become a very important part of our families, and this means, that, when moving overseas, they come along even if they’re still not allowed in the cabin and it’s slightly complicated to get their papers in order. Hereby a comprehensive list of the important things to have and do for your puppers journey.
Hong Kong – LA – Hong Kong
There is one thing that one can say of gringos and it is that they love their pets, some years ago, we had to leave Hong Kong and move for a couple of years to Newport Beach California, we were newlyweds and very soon Alan realised that either Camaron came along or he would be traveling solo.
At the time Camaron was a 5 year old, 43kg rottweiler, he was a bundle of energy and was still in the happy process of eating anything he could lay his teeth into. I was extremely worried, obsessing over all the statistics of how many dogs perish/get lost in transcontinental flights and wondering how traumatic the experience of flying alone in a kennel for 13 hours would be for him. I had nothing to worry, we hired an agent to do the papers in Hong Kong and after a quick vet check and some vaccines (make sure your timing is right, the rabies vaccine has a specific timeframe for it to be accepted by US customs) he was off on a flight. I arrived shaking to LAX, only to find his massive kennel already there, he was disoriented and excited but breathing and all his paws were there. The officer didn’t even check his paperwork (that I was clutching tightly as we passed) and once in the US, he had his first In-N-Out Burger (two patties, hold the sauce and the onions).
Going back to Hong Kong however, was a complete different story, with our first pit stop to the vet because the poor guy had a bad case of diarrhoea and severe dehydration. It was only logical this time I was extremely worried that at age 10 he would not be able to make the very long journey back to Mexico.
Hong Kong – LA – Tijuana – Mexico City
Hong Kong - LA
The first hurdle was LA, (there are no direct flights from HK to Mexico) where we had lived but I felt confident it was going to be straightforward (which it was).
There are 2 ways of traveling with your dog on a flight, one is as extra luggage, second one is as cargo. Some airlines like United and American Airlines, even allow small dogs that fit under the sit to travel on board with you, if you have a normal sized pet, he/she will be documented with you, and will be on your flight. You will need to book your ticket by phone since you will need to reserve your pet’s spot and there are limited places per flight. There is an extra charge for your pet that is normally a calculation of his weight and it’s still affordable.
If your dog (like mine) resembles more a cow than a dog, he will need to be transported as cargo, which means you will need to book his flight independently from yours, unfortunately prices are steeper than the first option, but always remember your dog doesn’t roll his eyes at you, nor will you have to pay for college.
Second Leg of the Race LA – Tijuana
Because this was 2020, our trip was even more interesting, several airlines in USA, have completely halted pet traveling in vue of the CoVid pandemic and it is now impossible to fly abroad with your pet from USA. Our first leg was solved, but we were currently stuck in LA without a way of getting to Mexico.
Now, there is a good number of people that go across the border with their pets, either they spend the day at Balboa Park (San Diego, USA) or they travel to Rosarito (Tijuana, Mx) to surf with the dogs… traveling across might be easier for four legged friends than for humans and paperwork is fairly straightforward. Your dog must be microchipped, get a vet certificate that he/she is in good health and their vaccination card must be up to date.
It is impossible to cross the border on a rental car so we tapped unto one of our wonderful Angelino friends that drove us across the border and left us the following morning at the airport for what would the final flight.
Driving through the border with 4 huge suitcases, and a massive kennel we were expected a thorough inspection. Well, it was nothing of the sort... we actually passed by, again, clutching our paperwork, waiting for someone to stop us, and before we knew it we were already in Mexico!!! No one bothered checking our papers, we kept asking our friend, Are you sure this is Mexico? but once you see the first Farmacia Similar you know where you stand.
Third Leg of the Race Tijuana - CDMX
We made it to Tijuana!!!! but our trip was far from over... we still needed to go all the way to Mexico city,
We thought for about 3 days to drive from LA all the way to Mexico City, then it switched to Tijuana to CDMX but we soon realised driving across the country was not only lengthy and expensive but potentially dangerous, passing through a lot of cities that are not safe. -Please always remember, some areas in Mexico can be challenging and is best to drive only on broad daylight. -
It is impossible to cross the border on a rental and the pricing of picking up the car in Tijuana and returning it in Mexico City is equivalent to buying a used car for the trip. If you’re driving with your own car from USA/Canada you can drive across country and it will take you around 30 straight hours. One option that would cut on driving time and can be quite scenic is taking the ferry in Baja to Mazatlán and then drive across but again, you better have A LOT of time, and account that you will be on the ferry for 12hours.
In our case, time was an issue (Alan only had one week holiday) and we wanted to play it safe so we decided to take an extra flight. Now, there are A LOT of flights Tijuana-Mexico City and both Volaris and Aeromexico take pets. It is VERY difficult to get information from either of them so we've compiled all in our Mexico Flight Travel Guide with pets but for this article, let me give you the basics, if your dog is below 40kgs, (kennel included) they can fly as an additional baggage with you. They will go with you to the plane and you will later receive them at your destination. Documents are a health certificate + a IATA approved kennel and their vaccinations card. Again, flying with my cow, we had to bring him to the cargo area in Tijuana and boy was that interesting, he flew with roosters!
9AM sharp we were already at the Cargo Counter because neither Volaris nor Aeromexico allow you to book the flight of the dog, be early and ready so that they can fly in the same flight than you, once papers were done we took him with us for one last shrimp taco and later on the day just before boarding we brought him there so that he could fly... 3 hours later, we had finally arrived to Mexico City! Camaron was tired and excited, but we were finally ready to start our Mexican Adventure.
My last note would be, if you're coming with lots of luggage you can rent a van at the airport or reserve an Uber XL beforehand, just be aware that the dog will need to travel in the kennel to your destination.
Why do you care? If you're planning to travel to USA or Mexico with your pup this is for you!
What: Remember to prep the documents with enough time, A Vet's Health Certificate, the Vaccination Records (check on the rabies shot) and a IATA approved kennel with the right fit. Do remember some countries will require your pup to be microchipped.
When: For Flights, remember you can't book your pet travel with you on internet tickets, call the Airline and make sure his place is reserved.
Check on vaccination times, the rabies vaccine has very specific timings depending on the country.
Additional Info: If in doubt, contact directly Senasica, the Government Organ that supervises pet traveling.
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