For anyone aiming to take a dog back to the US, here’s a little
summary of what I did…hope it works for you!
It really wasn’t too bad!
Most
Important
·
2 Rabies Shots – I
believe the second has to be at least a month before you leave and the first
has to be three months before that. You
can do them earlier but the last one has to be within a year of your departure.
·
Pet
Passport – It is a little Carnet de Sante Veterinaire, and it needs to
have the stickers from both rabies shots along with the dates and the vet’s
stamp and signature.
Possibly
Less Important
·
Export
Permit – Mine was not checked but it was free and easy to get from the
Bureau d’Elevage in Kolda, it’s a single sheet of paper and will be signed and
stamped at their office.
·
Pet
Passport Packet – On www.pettravelstore.com they sell
3 different forms for pet import into the US.
The forms are emailed to you together and they cost about $10.00
total. Again, no one asked to see any of
these forms when I took Kindii (my dog) to the US.
Prepping
for Departure
·
I ordered my ticket directly from South
African so that I didn’t have another website in the middle like Kayak,
etc. I figured if for some reason they
refused to take Kindii then it would be easier to deal directly with the
airline than with any kind of travel agency.
·
I selected a flight online, then called the
SAA cargo department to ask if I could take a dog on the flight, then bought
the ticket and then called the cargo department again and officially reserved a
place for Kindii.
·
A purchased a cage from Lufthansa (SAA doesn’t
have them) – I called Lufthansa Cargo a month or two ahead of time and asked
them to keep a cage for me and told them when I would pick it up. When I went to Dakar I went to the cargo
department and purchased the cage (60,000 cfa cash only). This was about 4 days prior to my
flight. All of the cargo departments are
to the left as you walk into the airport complex – each airline has its own
building, you can find the one you are looking for easily enough by asking.
(Lufthansa Fret or South African Fret)
·
Within three days of departure you need a
certificate from a vet stating that your pet is healthy and free of screw worms
– no idea what those are…the vet here also had no idea what I was talking
about, so he just wrote that Kindii was parasite free.
·
After I had all the vet info I went to the SAA
Cargo department with all the forms and told them I had made a
reservation. They took it from there – I
just signed many a form! I believe this is also when they weighed Kindii and
her cage together and I forked over the money for her “ticket” based on this
number.
Day of
Departure
·
I arrived at the SAA cargo department 3 hours
prior to my flight with Kindii, her cage, and all the forms. I attached an upside down baby bottle filled
with water to the inside of the cage (no idea if this worked, she didn’t seem
to drink it) and taped a bag of dog food to the top of the cage with
instructions to feed her through the cage door if the flight was delayed more
than 5 hours.
·
Make sure all the forms and live animal
stickers are attached to the cage and then go catch your flight in the main
part of the airport!
·
One website suggested reminding the flight
crew that your dog is in cargo when you board to ensure the pilots monitor the
temp and pressure in the part of cargo where your dog is. I did this and I’m pretty sure the flight attendants
thought I was super paranoid…but I felt better.
Arrival
·
I arrived in Dulles, and after I made my way
out of the airport I drove over to the shipping department and picked up
Kindii!!!! She didn’t seem too frazzled!
Notes
·
Technically there is a law stating that dogs
cannot fly in cargo when the runway temp is outside of 45°F-85°F. I think they don’t follow this rule exactly
but it’s something to keep in mind.
Phone Numbers
·
Kolda Vet – Bubacar Diallo – 77.943.9325
·
Kolda Vet Dr. Badji – 77.613.8166
·
Airport Vet Dr. Cherif Seye (right near the
Statue) – 77.639.2393/33.820.5667
·
Lufthansa Cargo – 77.450.2977
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