Pet travel is the process of traveling with or transporting pets. Pet carriers like cat carriers and dog crates confine and protect pets during travel.
Pet travel is the process of traveling with or transporting pets. Pet carriers like cat carriers and dog crates confine and protect pets during travel.
Pets may experience stress and anxiety from unfamiliar situations and locations. Cats are especially stressed by change. [1] Instead of travelling with their owner on vacation, pets can be boarded at kennels or kept at home with a friend or pet sitter. [1] However, that also includes unfamiliar situations and locations. This is not an option when moving permanently.
Pets may travel in the aircraft cabin, checked baggage or cargo. However, airlines set their own policies regarding the travel of pets. [2] [3] [4] [5] Some big airlines stopped pet cargo and only allow in-cabin travel. Most airlines also charge for emotional support animals. Pet Airways specialized in transporting pets, but failed as a business. In recent years,[ when? ] private-jet pet travel has gained momentum especially due to discounted flight sales. [6] In such travels pets are allowed in the cabin with their owners, which reduces stress and trauma. However, unlike flying commercial airlines where ticket fees are paid one-off up-front, there may be extra costs involved in private jet flights with pets onboard, such as cleaning fees and de-icing fees. These costs may only be known post-flight. [7]
The Humane Society of the United States recommends avoiding air travel if possible. [8] Extreme temperatures and thin air have extra risk for brachycephalic animals such as bulldogs, Pekingese dogs, pugs and Persian cats. [8] [9] The United States Department of Transportation Air Travel Reports recorded 302 deaths, injuries and disappearances over 6 years with 35 deaths in 2011. [10] [11] At least two dogs died on United Airlines flights in 2012. [10] [12]
If pets escape, they can face danger, even if they escape on the ground. A cat named Jack escaped from his carrier in American Airlines' baggage handling at John F. Kennedy Airport, went missing for 61 days, and was eventually euthanized. [13] [14] [15] Another cat escaped and was run over by a vehicle on the tarmac at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India when traveling with Jet Airways. [16] [17]
In 2018, United Airlines admitted to forcing a passenger pet to be stowed away in an overhead bin, resulting in the animal's death. [18] Only two days later, another dog aboard a United flight was mistakenly sent to Japan instead of its intended Kansas City destination. [19] A similar incident occurred in March 2018 when Delta Air Lines sent a puppy to Salt Lake City instead of its intended Boise destination. [20]
Pets riding in cars are safest contained in carriers tied with a seat belt. [21] They are advised to be in the back seat or have the airbags turned off. [21] Dog harnesses can restrain but the Center for Pet Safety found "a 100 percent failure rate to protect either the consumer or the dog". [21] [22] Unrestrained pets can interfere with driving and can be seriously injured in an accident, [21] but no states require pets to be secured in cars.
Smaller domestic animals can be ambulated locally in a pet stroller pushed or pulled by a human; this may be especially useful for ill, lame, and elderly creatures. [23] A pet stroller is similar in design to a baby stroller. The stroller may be enclosed with netting to prevent escape while allowing the pet to view, hear, and smell the ambient environment. Unlike a human infant, the animal is not immobilized in the stroller, but is free to move about within it.
According to the General Administration of Customs of China, since 2019, each passport holder is allowed to import into mainland China, one pet cat or dog per passport holder without any permit requirements. [24] [25] [26] Provided that the pet cat or pet dog has an ISO 11784/11785-compliant microchip implant and has a rabies vaccination certificate and negative rabies titer test result from an approved laboratory, [26] [27] and a veterinary certificate (attained within 14 days before arrival), all obtained no less than 30 days prior to arrival into mainland China, such pets may avoid 30 days' quarantine. [26]
Pets without a microchip or such documents may have to enter mainland China through designated ports and go through a mandatory 30-day quarantine. [26] [28] [29] [30] The designated ports are: [26]
According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) of Hong Kong, for the import of cats and dogs from the following countries/territories—Category I & II—Special/Import permits are required but the pets may be exempt from four months' mandatory quarantine:
Pet cats and dogs from other countries/territories—Category III—will have to apply for a Special/Import permit and go through a mandatory four-month quarantine upon arrival at Hong Kong, at the owner's expense, and provide proof of dogs being vaccinated against canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis and canine parvovirus and cats being vaccinated against the feline panleucopaenia virus and feline respiratory disease complex not less than 14 days before and not more than a year before importation into Hong Kong. [31]
All pets entering Hong Kong must enter as manifested cargo only (except for land border crossing) and must be AVID or ISO 11784/11785 microchip implanted and carry a veterinary certificate (attained with 14 days of import). [31] Pets may exit Hong Kong in the aircraft cabin with the owner or as checked baggage. [32] Proof of rabies vaccination is generally not required by the AFCD for importation of pet cats and dogs. [31]
Pet animals transiting through Hong Kong also require a transit permit. [31]
A correctly prepared cat, dog, or ferret may be imported without quarantine into the United Kingdom from the following countries under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), but only via an authorised transport company (which includes the Channel Tunnel and most ferry services for arrivals by car). [33] [34]
Countries issuing pet passports recognized by the UK include all EU countries, plus Andorra, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican City.
However, as Northern Ireland shares a land border with EU member Republic of Ireland, EU rules apply if traveling there. This means that pet owners visiting Northern Ireland from EU countries can use their pet's EU pet passport, while those arriving from outside the EU must present an EU pet health certificate. [35]
Countries listed by the UK for this purpose: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Ascension Island, Australia, [a] Barbados, Bahrain, Belarus, Bermuda, BES Islands (Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba), Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Curaçao, Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, [b] Guadeloupe, [b] Hong Kong, Jamaica, [c] Japan, Malaysia, [d] Réunion, [b] Martinique, [b] Mauritius, Mayotte, [b] Mexico, Montserrat, New Caledonia, [b] New Zealand, North Macedonia, Russian Federation, Saint Maarten, St. Helena, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Pierre and Miquelon, [b] Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Taiwan,[ vague ] Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, USA (includes American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands), Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.
An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would be penned or impounded until they were claimed by their owners.
A pet passport is a document that officially records information related to a specific animal, as part of that procedure. The effect is to drastically speed up and simplify travel with and transport of animals between member countries, compared to previous procedures if the regulations are followed. The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) is a system which allows animals to travel easily between member countries of the European Union without undergoing quarantine.
A pet harness is equipment consisting of straps of webbing that loop nearly around—that fasten together using side release buckles—the torso of an animal.
In some countries there is an overpopulation of pets such as cats, dogs, and exotic animals. In the United States, six to eight million animals are brought to shelters each year, of which an estimated three to four million are subsequently euthanized, including 2.7 million considered healthy and adoptable. Euthanasia numbers have declined since the 1970s, when U.S. shelters euthanized an estimated 12 to 20 million animals. Most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge animal caregivers to have their animals spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted and accidental litters that could contribute to this dynamic.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (Chinese: 漁農自然護理署; formerly the Agriculture and Fisheries Department before 2000, of the Hong Kong Government is responsible for agriculture and fisheries in Hong Kong, conservation projects and issues, and managing the country parks and special areas.
Dog meat, also known as fragrant meat or simply fragrant, is the meat derived from dogs. Historically human consumption of dog meat has been recorded in many parts of the world.
World Animal Protection, formerly The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), is an international non-profit animal welfare organization that has been in operation since 1981. The charity's mission is to create a better world for animals by protecting them.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a registered charity to promote animal welfare in Hong Kong, with outreach services to China.
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the bearer may return to the issuing country, and are often issued in booklet form to allow other governments to place visas as well as entry and exit stamps into them.
Animals used by laboratories for testing purposes are largely supplied by dealers who specialize in selling them to universities, medical and veterinary schools, and companies that provide contract animal-testing services. It is comparatively rare that animals are procured from sources other than specialized dealers, as this poses the threat of introducing disease into a colony and confounding any data collected. However, suppliers of laboratory animals may include breeders who supply purpose-bred animals, businesses that trade in wild animals, and dealers who supply animals sourced from pounds, auctions, and newspaper ads. Animal shelters may also supply the laboratories directly. Some animal dealers, termed Class B dealers, have been reported to engage in kidnapping pets from residences or illegally trapping strays, a practice dubbed as bunching.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a volunteer-based, non-government organization whose goal is to prevent animal cruelty through education, animal sheltering and advocacy, based in Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded in 1954 by Muriel Jay. PAWS believes that the creation of a more peaceful society starts with the widening of mankind's circle of compassion which includes animals, thereby envisions a nation that respects animals, practices responsible pet ownership and protects wildlife. The volunteer-based organization rehabilitates these animals in the hope of finding them new homes and a second chance at a good life. PAWS does not take in pets of other people, but only victims of cruelty or neglect where the animal offenders are charged with violation of the Animal Welfare Act in court.
Pet shipping is an industry that involves transporting animals, specifically pets, often by plane. This service is commonly used when the animal's owner is moving house. However, it can also be used when transporting animals for other reasons, such as performing in dog shows. The worldwide industry body for pet shipping is the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association. Pet microchips, vaccinations, rabies titre tests, import permits, and health certificates may be required to ship an animal. Certain breeds are banned from the process due to the increase in associated risk.
The transportation of animals is the intentional movement of non-human animals by transport. Common categories of animals which are transported include livestock destined for sale or slaughter; zoological specimens; laboratory animals; race horses; pets; and wild animals being rescued or relocated. Methods of transporting animals vary greatly from species to species.
The prevalence of rabies, a deadly viral disease affecting mammals, varies significantly across regions worldwide, posing a persistent public health problem.
A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of which around 20% are regarded as owned pets and therefore restrained.
Dogs in the United States have significant popularity and status – they are often treated as family members. Currently, the American Kennel Club is the largest registry of pure breed dogs across the world.
The current pet keeping policy in public housing estates in Hong Kong was introduced in 2003 by the Housing Department after the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Its objective is to improve the hygiene of public housing estates. Under the policy, public housing tenants are allowed to keep small household pets such as cats and birds but are prohibited from keeping dogs at their premises except under special circumstances, subject to the approval granted by the Housing Authority. The policy has led to debates and calls for amendments.
Animal welfare and rights in Hong Kong relates to animal rights, such as the treatment of non-human animals in fields such as agriculture, hunting, medical testing, animal conservation, and the domestic ownership of animals in Hong Kong, and are generally protected under Cap. 169 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, Cap. 169A Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations, Cap. 139 Public Health Ordinance, Cap. 167 Dogs and Cats Ordinance and Cap. 421 Rabies Ordinance.
The Hong Kong Dog Rescue is a registered charity in Hong Kong established in 2003 by Sally Andersen. The founding purpose is to save dogs and puppies from the Hong Kong Government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) Animal Management Centers, where at that time thousands of dogs and puppies were killed every year.