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We will be moving to Quepos in the future, and I was looking for any ideas on getting our two large dogs there without stuffing them into the baggage section of a plane. I’m not sure who would freak out more, me or them, but either way I wont do it.
We live in Key West now, driving is a possibility as well as by sea.
I’m hoping that someone out there may have some experience or thoughts on the subject. Thanks.
MarkThere are some airlines that won’t let you fly your dogs in cargo when the temperatures are above a certain degree, and I believe only Continental has an temperature-controlled cargo section for animals. I also believe that you have to arrive before 4 p.m. in San Jose as that is when the animal inspector leaves and if you get there after that your dogs may have to spend the night in the airport. We looked into taking a freighter so we wouldn’t have to crate our small dog in cargo, but no freighter company would take animals. From Florida it’s a short flight to Costa Rica. Your dogs would probably be fine in the hold and you could just take a tranq for your nerves. We solved our problem with our 20 pound dog and had him declared a companion animal so he gets to fly in the passenger compartment with us and doesn’t have to be crated even.
Mark,
My name is Angela and my husband’s name is Keith. We live in Fort Lauderdale and also will be moving to CR in the next few months. We have a large Weimeraner and also are worried about transporting him. Please let me know how you make out if you would. OH, and what made you decide on Quepos?Thanks!
We flew March 15 with Martin Air and they charged us for a Mini Dachshund (8lbs) 75.00 one way (150.00 r.t.) He was in a spec. A/C compartment below and upon arrival just fine. Continental allows to small dogs in cabin per flight and must fit in small cage under seat. We got a State certificate thrum our vet. Dog must have all shots and paper must be shown to CR custom who will keep a copy.
We flew with Martin Air from MIA and they charged us 150.00 r.t. for an 8lbs mini Dachshund. He was in a spec. a/c compartment below and upon arrival in SJO just fine. Martin Air is a dutch charter Airline belonging to KLM, fare was 387.00 total. Arrival time was 10.20 pm and we showed our Fl. State Certificate which we got thrum our Vet. indicating all shots, to custom. He kept a copy and we “zipped” right thru! Staid first night in dog friendly “Adventure Inn” about 10 miles towards SJO right of the Highway. No extra charge for dog and this 35 room Inn refunded us the 9.00 taxi fare. Inn is clean and there is an empty lot across street for dog to run.
Some airlines have stopped flying live animals, so it’s important to check well in advance. The general rule is that if it’s forecast to be 85 degrees F or hotter anywhere along the proposed route, the animal cannot fly. My understanding is that the airlines do their own weather forecasting six days out, so that’s your window of opportunity.
When we looked into this, we got excellent information from the Costa Rican Embassy website in the U.S. You must have the animal vaccinated *at least* 30 days in advance of the flight (incubation periods) and there must be an International Health Certificate completed by your U.S. vet and approved by the “Veterinary Service”.
The Veterinary Service is the USDA’s chief veterinarian in each state capitol. So if you’re flying from Florida, your International Health Certificate (which only your vet can get) must be sent to Tallahassee for endorsement before you fly.
The airlines are supposed to adhere to standards for the crate the animal flies in, too, although we know of large dogs who have not flown in crates as large as prescribed.
You can fly a crated animal as an additional piece of luggage if the combination of animal and crate does not exceed 100 pounds. The airline baggage manage we consulted said they’d weigh the package, and if it were 101 pounds they wouldn’t take it. Anything larger goes as air freight.
Air freight must be at the freight terminal at least four hours prior to scheduled takeoff. That helps to explain the 85 degree rule.
Given all of the above, and the prospect of trying to get our Labrador through C.R. Customs, we opted for a professional pet transportation service. Nobody said “cheap”, but his trip from Detroit to San Jose with an overnight stay in Houston and a veterinarian’s escort through Customs came off without a hitch. Peace of mind’s worth something.
David, can you please tell me what pet transportation service you used?
cindy@ccobb.net. Thanks!This is mark again, thanks for all of the responses so far. However, to be clear, what we’re looking for is an alternative to flying our dogs in the baggage section of a plane. They are big dogs, each about 95 lbs, so taking them in the cabin, as far as I know, is impossible.
If anybody is familiar with other transport methods, possibly by land or sea then I’m all ears. Or perhaps there are ways to get onto some sort of philantropic rich dog lover’s private plane. I figure that there’s going to be something out there that works.
We are probably looking at moving in a year or so, so this is plenty of time to make this happen.
As far as why we picked Quepos, it’s got everything we need and love , including REALLY high real estate prices!!! LOL.
Yes, the prices have gone up, but coming from Key West, the prices seem pretty tame. We are purchasing two acres at the end of a road, and the property borders Manuel Antonio Natl Park. Development will be very little around us, so we will be able to live in the middle of a costal resort town which offers everything we will need, including tourists to be able to continue making a living from, and still be able to have a secluded jungle way of life. We own a Day Spa here in Key West, and will be eventually running a small retreat spa on our land. We also have several friends who are buying in the area, so we will have that too.
Has anybody driven to CR from the States, if so what are the safety issues? Has anybody heard of hiring a “guide” to drive with?
Thanks…Cindy, we used Animals Away which, among other things, handles all the pet transport for the Big Three automakers. There are alternatives. They and their competitors are members of the International Pet Transport Association which you can probably find with a Google search.
Animals Away was cheaper than the other one from whom we got a price quotation and their service was excellent. You can contact Susan Denzer at animaisaway1@aol.com
Mark, we looked into chartering a flight when we were thinking of bringing our four cats, one of whom has a very bad heart and probably couldn’t tolerate the flight even in an air conditioned, pressurized luggage compartment. One firm offered to meet us in Charlotte, NC and fly us directly to San Jose for just $45,000. Yup, that’s the right number of zeros. I found another outfit that would fly a smaller plane for substantially less — $25,000. A third was “cheaper” still but offered a six-seater prop plane that would be some 23 hours in transit and require two or three fuel stops. We weren’t sure the six-seater would carry all of us.
A problem for charter flight operators (and thus for you) is that this is strictly a one-way flight for them. They fly back to the U.S. empty. So basically you’re paying for round trip. And it’s very expensive for them to land in San Jose.
We also looked into buying our Labrador and our cats their own seats (First Class, if necessary) in the cabin, but the airlines would have none of it.
I have 7 dogs, all large. I also have 2 pet goats. I really would like to move down. Can’t you just drive down in from Mexico via the pan american hwy?
If I could i would consider transporting animals once I knew all the laws.
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