Roxy’s move from Washington, DC to Canberra, Australia

Planning Stages

We had 8 months to plan our relocation to Australia and for me, the biggest worry was importing our dog, Roxy who suffers from separation anxiety. After viewing the import requirements online, I knew that we had to get some help as the process is extremely complicated with a strict timeline and many requirements that need to be satisfied. I spent over a month researching pet moving companies and was quite overwhelmed until I got a lovely phone call from the company owner of Pet Express who not only told me about his own personal experience of moving his pets but was able to answer all my questions and dramatically reduced my anxiety about the whole process. I was then put in touch with Simone who has amazing expertise in moving pets to Australia.

The Staff at Pet Express

Simone managed the six-month process from start to finish and held my hand every step of the way. We were provided with clear instructions as to what we needed from our USDA vet along with information regarding approved laboratories for the blood tests. Simone checked each document to make sure it was compliant and kept in regular contact with me. At no time did my emails go unanswered. My vet was incredibly impressed with the organization and how easy it was for her to follow the necessary steps. Her assistant was also directly in contact with Pet Express who quickly answered all her questions regarding the reporting. Simone also took care of all the flight and quarantine bookings.

I was very worried about how my dog would handle the move itself and Simone was always extremely kind and empathetic when dealing with my concerns. She had some great suggestions and also organized additional paperwork for us to be able to have an anti-anxiety medication administered to Roxy during her time away from us. After dropping Roxy off to the handlers at the airport, we received regular updates with photos and were immediately contacted by the Pet Express handlers in LA where she spent 2 nights to have the final vet checks. They were also wonderful and Roxy did not look in the least bit anxious. The Pet Express facility was amazing and Roxy had her own little air-conditioned room with a bed where she could see out. She was taken for regular walks and was fussed over by the lovely handlers there.

The Long Flight

The flight from LA to Melbourne was the most concerning for me as this is over 15 hours which is a long time for a dog to spend in a crate. Unfortunately, this flight was delayed for 11 hours and at this point, I thanked my lucky stars for Pet Express as they had found out this information in advance and simply kept her at their facility overnight until the plane was scheduled to depart. If it weren’t for them, Roxy would have spent those 11 hours trapped in her crate in the loading dock and we would have had to arrange for a random pet handler to come and walk her (the airline personnel cannot take the dogs out of their crates). Simone then contacted Quarantine to confirm that this would not affect Roxy’s release date.

Quarantine

The 10 days in Quarantine were very difficult as no news is good news and I was so used to the lovely photo and email updates from Pet Express. Simone was, however, able to speak to her contact there and get a bit of news as to Roxy’s condition. Roxy was then released as planned having passed all her tests and was then flown by Pet Express to Canberra. She arrived in great condition without having lost any weight and was of course extremely happy to see us.

Home at last!

I highly recommend Pet Express and especially Simone if you need to import your pet to Australia. Because of them, the whole process ran smoothly, and both Roxy and I were a lot less anxious. It is clear that the whole team love animals and works really hard to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. Thank you, Simone and Pet Express for bringing our wonderful dog Roxy home!