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Aw Pam...so needed to hear that. You really hit the spot! 
Carrie
"The opportunities to reach into the lives of others in an inspiring way arise in countless ways every single day..." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
http://www.hellophoenix.com/art
Edited by - carolann r on 08/11/2006 11:23:55
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Glad to help. Also, EVERYBODY should check out aspca.org and click on the 10 most poisonous plants link. I was shocked to learn that my beautiful and tropical yard is a virtual landmine of poisonous plants! I printed the seven page list of non-toxic plants and that baby will be dog eared, I'm sure, by the time I am pau planting in my new yard! Now that I know, I will make it a point to keep my furr babies away from the sagopalm, azalea/rhododendrons plants in the front yard and aloe vera (can 'ya believe it!) in the back of my current yard. Hope this helps even one pet, obviously I have a lot to learn! pj
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Pam pets seem to have a lot more sense than say people when it comes to what they eat, well most of what they eat. We have azalea, rhododendron and aloe vera here no one has died yet! We also have periwinkle or vinca which is also poisonous if eaten !!!LOL
mella l
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
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Great News. Debbie at the Quarantine Station contacted me and told me to go ahead and mail the AQS Form 278 in separately and to her attention. She said just put a note in it that I sent the other information in and forgot to add this form. I'll send it return receipt. She was very nice about it. Although, I have to say that when I got someone on the phone yesterday she was not very nice and short with me about following the checklist to the letter. Well, I did send a cover letter with the notarized 278 and am taking copies of all of my documentation on the flight with us.
Carrie
"The opportunities to reach into the lives of others in an inspiring way arise in countless ways every single day..." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
http://www.hellophoenix.com/art
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Hello All~
This is my first post, but have been power reading the forum recently, and learning so much. We are in Oregon and planning on heading over there sometime next year. My main concern of course is my dog. I have researched all the requirements, and am fairly confident that I can do all of that to hopefully avoid any hold ups. However, if there are any really obvious hints from those who have brought their pets over, it would be much appreicated. Any airline more preferred over others, that type of thing. Currently I am crate training my dog, so she will be at least comfortable with that whole thing, but still this is such a nerve wracking thing, ug. She's 50 lbs, so won't be able to travel in the cabin. I usually hate when people ask such general questions, but like I say, I've got the basics, just would be comforting to hear some experiences I guess. Thanks so much.
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My advise is easy. Follow the instructions. Talk to several of the Airlines to find their procedures so you will know what to expect. Give your buddy a pat on the head, and then one for your self. It will go fine.
Bill
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Aloha Jin,
PJ, aka Pam Jonsey has shipped two dogs recently from Texas! Unfortunately her access to the forum currently is off the air due to moving. She will check in at the internet cafe and hopefully will share her experience.
Carrie and Tony are in the process and have recently done all the paper work required, Fed X'd it to the Honolulu AG Department ahead of time, called to confirm it was received and all in order. They have an open house this weekend, but I'm sure when that is over knowing Carrie she would be happy to answer any questions also.
One glitch I've notices is that the health certificate the Ag Department requires, is also required by the airlines. However the time frames are different. I think but haven't confirmed recently that the Ad Dept is 10 days and the airlines are 7 days.
We are stuck on the mainland due to our domestic Bengal cats being delisted after being allowed for over 10 years. So we are working on other issues right now.
That being said I have read over and over, it is harder on the staff than on the pets. I do hope this is true! I can have a scotch to smooth the edges while flying over.
Oh different airlines have different requirements as you can guess. We can't fly out of Sacramento, June thru September due to the heat. Have heard favorable comments about United in particular, Continental, and Hawaiian Air.
Deep breath and go for it!
Aloha, Mella
mella l
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
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JinShing,
Yes, getting all of your procedures and papers in order and on time is nerve wracking, as is flying over. But I have to say that when all was said and done, we made it, our cats and bird were in good shape, and everyone along the way was very helpful and considerate.
We flew from San Francisco to Honolulu (you have to enter via HNL for the quarantine check in), to Hilo with Hawaiian Airlines in early March. This was early enough in the year when high temperatures were not an issue. We were more concerned about the possibly delicate mental state of our bird (a Rose-breasted Cockatoo) than our cats, but we didn't have a larger animal like a 50 lb. dog.
Regarding the paperwork and procedures, we read and re-read the quarantine procedures carefully, making sure that we and the vets did our parts correctly. Not all vets are familar with the procedures for Hawaii quarantine, so you have to double check what they do, like providing all of the bits of info that the Hawaii Ag dept. wants. Even if they say they've done it before, be pro-active and check everything yourself. Some people may have done the trip without all of this rechecking, but it sure made us feel better, especially after catching some overlooked things.
We kept our travel plans, the rabies testing, and paperwork timelines charted out on a calendar to make sure that the sequences were correct. We kept each of our animal's paperwork in their own mini-binder (plastic cover with more rigid plastic slip-on spine) to carry with us, with duplicates or originals (depending on what the HI Ag dept. wants) in plastic sleeves taped to the carriers. This is in addition to the paperwork that you have to send ahead. Try to send all of your paperwork at the same time; someone noted that an ag dept. worker suggested this so their dept. doesn't have to be counted on to put the different forms from different mailings together.
As you may have already heard from your vet, don't give your dog tranquilizers for the flight.
Some people have suggested writing your pet's name in large letters on the carrier, so that any staff will likely talk to your friend using its name. It sounds like a good idea.
It may be more important to provide water for your animal than food because I don't know if they get hungry during the anxiousness of travel. Other people may have good suggestions for what to do. You don't want to put food or water in the carrier that will easily spill or become a projectile in case of turbulence. And you shouldn't count on the crew or luggage people having the time or interest in providing food or water.
When flying, if you partake of alcohol, have a drink, get relaxed, but don't overdo it. You want to be able to follow through with the rest of the check through procedure.
After getting to HNL, you will have an opportunity to give your animal sustenance and to change out their carrier liner if soiled.
You should think about giving yourself enough time between your arrival and your connecting flight to pick up your animal at the quarantine station and to bring it to baggage check-in. Some people have breezed through in minutes. It took us around a half hour. It has taken others longer. I think it's better to be prepared for a longer clearance time than to put yourself in the position of possibly missing your connecting flight.
We were so pleasantly surprised at how great and considerate all staff were, from ticketing, to luggage, to TSO, to quarantine dept. I hope your travel goes as smoothly as ours did.
My apologies if this response got a bit far afield from the thread.
Les
Edited by - Les C on 08/27/2006 11:52:30
Edited by - Les C on 08/27/2006 12:06:58
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Wow. Lots of great info on this thread. We are preparing to bring over two small/med dogs and an african grey parrot. Paper work is in order and I am now trying to prepare a small cat carrier for the bird and aqcuire carriers for the dogs.
Les, what did you line the bottom of your birds carrier with? Did you add a perch?
I read somewhere that you need to bring a cart (?) or something to transport the animals in carriers from the check-in facility to the inter-island airlines, as there are no porters or carts available there. Is this really neccesary? I am searching around town for carriers with wheels, but it looks like it is something I may need to order online. How far is it from the quarantine station to say, Hawaiian Airlines?
Thanks in advance for any more info.
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I brought over a dog and a cat in May.
I second Les' comment about plotting out the requirements and timeline. This really helped, especially in all the moving/packing/leaving craziness.
msmoto, the cart you need is the airline luggage cart. Without this it would be really hard to get you, the animals and all your luggage to the interisland terminal. You can find one when you land at the terminal. The key thing is to get one before you set off for the quarantine office since there are no carts there.
Robin
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