Hello. My finace and I were wondering if it's possible to bring her dog (about 6 months old) to the US when she comes and enters on her K-1 Visa (from Ukraine). I think it's possible, but I was wondering if anyone has experience with bringing pets (specifically a dog) into the US and if the process is long and painful, or easy.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your input!

- Bill

It is possible to bring a pet, as long as it's not a bird (there's an embargo because of the bird flu).

You should check with the airlines for their pet transportation requirements - they usually require pets to be transported in special containers. You may have to buy that. Also, check with appropriate authorities about vaccination requirements and quarantine. You will need to know requirements for both Ukraine and the US. Here's a good site for the info:

http://www.pettravel.com/passportnew.cfm

It is not impossible to bring a dog. Sure it's a hassle, but it's worth it. Good luck!

I brought my Mr. Puppers with me from Mexico. It was pretty easy, if stressful. Just be aware that some airlines will not let doggies fly. We flew US Airways and they had vchanged their policy about animals flying and now don't allow it, but I was grandfathered in because of the date I purchased my ticket.

Hi,

I brought my cats from the UK to the US, and in order to travel, my cats were each given a full wellness exam and had rabies shots. In addition, they were boosted for other less serious diseases and they were each issued a pet passport with details of all their vaccines and full veterinary exam. Im not sure what is required in the Ukraine, but you will certainly need a vet to provide a written wellness exam and a rabies shot.

The most expensive part of the process is using a pet travel company to take the pets to the US. I used a UK based pet carrier, and they were fabulous. The bill however was $2000 in total for the cats to get to the US, in addition to the $800 for the vet charges. Its not a cheap process but my little babies were worth every penny and love it here !

Mr Puppers! I love it.

Thanks! That's actually just one of many nicknames...his name on his puppy passport is Leo.

We moved our rottweiler from the UK and although it was not cheap £650 and then the vet bill which included the rabies shot and a Fit to fly certificate, it has been worth it. She was a bit stressed when we collected her from cargo at the airport as she had been without us for over 11 hours and it was a 9 hour flight and she was stuck in the cargo hold on the aircraft all the time, but she is fine now, settling in really well although she is finding the weather a bit hot for her and we are only just going into April.

I am not sure if they will allow puppies so young to travel but you should check either the airlines or a pet transporter company on that one.

We brought my labrador here from the UK...cost a fortune but she is sooooooo worth it!!! She seemed to handle the flight really well.

Hey, can you PM me with more info on that? We just accepted an offer on our house and are bringing our 3 cats with us from the UK to the US. So far they've been chipped (airline requirement apparently) and had their rabies shots (required by Texas law). Some airlines won't fly them as cargo when the ground temp at the destination is 85F or higher, and since we'll likely arrive in Dallas in June, it'll be hotter than 85F. Thanks!

I brought my dog, Sam, and a chinchilla, Rio, from the UK.

Neither of them needed any more than a check up at the vet and a certificate to say they were well enough to fly. We did not have to have rabies shots for either of them - it's required within a month of arriving in VA. As the UK is a rabies-free country, the shot is to protect your animal and as long as you keep it away from other rabid animals they'll be fine. I think the shot is a lot cheaper in the US than the UK.

I was surprised that a rodent didn't need to have anything more than a health check. But that was all Rio had.

BA were wonderful with them both - they were loaded last onto the plane, they were first off! It was July and we arrived at night. The Animal handlers at Dulles were just amazing - they came to the side immigration office, where I was waiting and waiting and waiting to fill in paperwork. The handler came and found me and told the IO that they had to process me swiftly as there were animals waiting to get out of cages - the animals' welfare was far more important than any paperwork they needed!!! lol If it wasn't for the dog and chinchilla, knowing how slow USCIS are, I'd probably still be there now!

Oh, and the first year the dog did suffer a bit with the heat, but 5 years later and he doesn't have a problem with it at all.