please help me
 

I will emigrate to China in November, how can I take my dog with me???

First, check the official People's Republic of China web site for information regarding importing a domestic animal not indended for human consumption. Your local Chinese consulate or embassy is also a good option for information. At a minimum, you will have to ensure that all shots are up to date, rabies testing has been done and the proper certificates issued. You may also have to have a microchip implanted. That is the easy part.

Next, comes transportation. You will want to ensure that your dog is on a direct flight. The airline carrier will have to be sealed and certified. If the carrier is opened at any time during transportation, it will have to be re-sealed and re-certified. If the direct flight is longer than 8-10 hours, you may have problems with feeding, elimination, dehydration and general fear and anxiety in your dog.

This is the hardest part, now you have to check on quarantene requirements. Almost every country in the world has some sort of quarantene requriement for imported dogs. New Zealand's, for example, range from 30 days to 6 months, depending on the country of origin and travel history of the dog. The longer the quarantene period, the greater the chances your dog will not survive the experience with her health (mental and physical) intact. That's just a fact of putting together a large number of animals in a confined space and depriving them of the socialization and exercise level they are used to.

Also, you will have to consider what is required to bring your dog back to your usual country of residence. Once you take your dog to China, will you be able to bring her back and under what conditions. Again, I am thinking about the quarantene requirements, in particular.

Lastly, and perhaps the biggest consideration, is the attitude of Chinese people themselves to dogs. There are many cultures in the world that do not share our Western European/North American attitude towards dogs. There are many areas in the world where dogs are considered as pests, not pets. This is not a critisism of Chinese people and culture, again this is just a fact. My own personal experience has taught me this as I am part Arabic by heritage and the Arabic half of my family has always been puzzled by my family's pet-owning ways. Indeed, some of my relatives have been outright fearful of our pets.

The biggest thing you have to weigh, is how long you are planning to stay in China and if the duration of your stay merrits the effort and length of quarantene for your dog. There's no point subjecting your dog to a 6 month quarantene if you are only staying in China for a year, but if you are staing for a much longer period of time, it may be worth it.

[QUOTE=Floppy Dog;941868]First, check the official People's Republic of China web site for information regarding importing a domestic animal not indended for human consumption. Your local Chinese consulate or embassy is also a good option for information. At a minimum, you will have to ensure that all shots are up to date, rabies testing has been done and the proper certificates issued. You may also have to have a microchip implanted. That is the easy part.

Next, comes transportation. You will want to ensure that your dog is on a direct flight. The airline carrier will have to be sealed and certified. If the carrier is opened at any time during transportation, it will have to be re-sealed and re-certified. If the direct flight is longer than 8-10 hours, you may have problems with feeding, elimination, dehydration and general fear and anxiety in your dog.

This is the hardest part, now you have to check on quarantene requirements. Almost every country in the world has some sort of quarantene requriement for imported dogs. New Zealand's, for example, range from 30 days to 6 months, depending on the country of origin and travel history of the dog. The longer the quarantene period, the greater the chances your dog will not survive the experience with her health (mental and physical) intact. That's just a fact of putting together a large number of animals in a confined space and depriving them of the socialization and exercise level they are used to.

Also, you will have to consider what is required to bring your dog back to your usual country of residence. Once you take your dog to China, will you be able to bring her back and under what conditions. Again, I am thinking about the quarantene requirements, in particular.

Lastly, and perhaps the biggest consideration, is the attitude of Chinese people themselves to dogs. There are many cultures in the world that do not share our Western European/North American attitude towards dogs. There are many areas in the world where dogs are considered as pests, not pets. This is not a critisism of Chinese people and culture, again this is just a fact. My own personal experience has taught me this as I am part Arabic by heritage and the Arabic half of my family has always been puzzled by my family's pet-owning ways. Indeed, some of my relatives have been outright fearful of our pets.

The biggest thing you have to weigh, is how long you are planning to stay in China and if the duration of your stay merrits the effort and length of quarantene for your dog. There's no point subjecting your dog to a 6 month quarantene if you are only staying in China for a year, but if you are staing for a much longer period of time, it may be worth it.[/QUOTE]

Very very well said Floppydog. I think you covered just about everything and even gave a 'food for thought'. :thumbs up

One thing to add to Floppydogs comments. I have a friend who moved to Australia and took her dog. The quarantine was long I think 4 months but she was allowed to go and visit her dog daily and play with him. But that is something to consider will they allow you to visit or do they quarantine and not allow visits because that would be horrible for the dog and you. Also you want all these things in writing not just verbal yeah you can see the dog then you get there and the whole story changes

4 month quarantine? that is just crazy... When me moved from Israel to Canada, we had no quarantine period for our dog. She did require special health certificates but that is it... I cant imagine having her in quarantine for so long... she was a nervous wreck for the flight as it is, even with the 'relaxing pills'.....

[QUOTE=Masha;941890]4 month quarantine? that is just crazy... When me moved from Israel to Canada, we had no quarantine period for our dog.[/QUOTE]

Actually, it isn't when you consider that Australia is an island. The countries with the most stringent quarantine requirements are the UK, New Zealand and Austrialia, all because of their geography. As islands, they are protected from some of the animal diseases which plague the larger continents such as Europe and Asia. Hoof and mouth disease and rabies are two such that come to mind. You can't blame a country for trying to keep such devistating diseases out.

Canada doesn't need such stringent quarantine for Israeli domestic animals for two reasons. One, Israel is a developed nation and as such can provide excellent vetrinary care for its animals. Two, Canada already has many of the diseases that quarantines are designed to guard against.

Perhaps if you had immigrated from a less developed nation, say one of the sub-Saharan African nations, your dog may have been quarantined.

[QUOTE=BenMax;941870]Very very well said Floppydog. I think you covered just about everything and even gave a 'food for thought'. :thumbs up[/QUOTE]

Thanks, BenMax. It's always very nice when a "junior" like me gets the :thumbs up from a "senior" like you!

You will need to find out the requirements as soon as possible. With only three months to go before you leave you don't have a lot of time. If you follow all the requirements and come from a country that is rabies free or has a low incident of rabies a quarantine period may not even be necessary. Also regulations are somewhat different if you are going to Macau, Hong Kong, or other parts of China. Among other things you may need to get a microchip for your pet that is ISO compliant (this is the case in Macau), or if it is not ISO compliant you will need to take your own scanner with you so it can be read. If the microchip cannot be read, your pet will not be allowed to enter Macau. I'm not sure if this is true for other parts of China.

For most countries any required vaccinations must not only be up to date, but must be done more than 30 days in advance of leaving your country to avoid unnecessary quarantine.

Non compliance to the regulations for a country could even mean your pet would need to be returned to the country of origin, unnecessarily quarantined or (worst case) euthanized.

The above may sound scary, but as long as you make sure you are aware of and follow all the requirements, you should have no problems and everything should work out just fine.:thumbs up

As Floppy Dog suggested, a good first step would be to check the official People's Republic of China web site and contact the Chinese embassy in your country, and also make yourself aware of what the requirements would be should you plan to return to your own country in the future. Your travel agent could also be helpful.

I think the reason for such a long quarantine if I remember correctly was that they have not had rabies there and we do so hence the quarantine

Please make sure you check the references of the pet-export company. Shipping a live animal is a complicated business and can be very dangerous if proper safeguards are not taken. After all, 7 puppies recently died while being shipped by American Airlines when the airline company did not follow its own guidelines for safe shipping of live animals.