A man called Air Animal on Oct. 1 the day after Hurricane Ian tore through southwest Florida. He said he used Google to find help for his mother and her pet. Could we help his mother and her Yorkie board a flight to his home in Maryland the following day?

Karin lost her Ft. Myers home, her new car and everything to Hurricane Ian’s storm surge. She and her six-year-old Yorkie, Peppi, survived. They were found by local law enforcement wandering the streets seeking assistance after the storm. Getting Peppi on the airplane with Karin would take some doing. Peppi’s health records were destroyed when the veterinary practice washed away.

Melissa Salazar, one of Air Animal’s dedicated pet move managers, accepted the challenge. “When I got the call, I just knew we had to help her and Peppi,” she said. 

Melissa scheduled Peppi for a Saturday morning pet health certificate appointment at Air Animal’s Tampa office. Peppi received a new rabies vaccination and interstate health certificate along with a soft-sided travel carrier. All of Air Animal’s services were provided free of charge.

Karin and Peppi boarded their flight on time reuniting her with her son.

Ft. Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian

Our Tampa and Orlando offices are closed so our dedicated staff shelter safely during the hurricane. We expect to reopen on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 providing the storm surge recedes and utilities are operating.

Meanwhile, if you are relocating with your pet, please use our online request form (https://www.airanimal.com/proposal.cfm) to tell us more about your move. We will work through requests in order when our offices re-open.

If you are searching for pet travel options in North, Central and South America or the Caribbean, this article is for you. 

1. You are responsible for booking your own and your pet’s travel with your chosen airline for holiday, leisure travel and vacations. 
2. Before you purchase a non-refundable airline ticket or cruise, carefully research the destination entry requirements for your pet. Pet entry is controlled by the destination country regulations and customs officials. 
3. Pet parents who wish to use Air Animal's international pet health certificate service for pet immigration documents should request the service at least 21 days before departure using our online request form to allow for processing and scheduling a veterinary exam for the pet.
4. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has suspended dog import and travel from countries with a high risk of rabies. That includes many countries in South America. The process to return to the U.S. from any of these countries with a pet is difficult and extensive. Our blog about the CDC Dog Import Suspension has links you should read thoroughly before traveling with your pet.
5. Required pet travel health documents vary between airlines and from one destination to another. For example, Hawaii’s protocol requires a rabies antibody test before entry and no quarantine.
6. Before purchasing a non-refundable passenger ticket for leisure travel, use our list below. Find the airline with the pet travel and acceptance policy that allows you to take your pet as “cabin baggage” in the passenger compartment. Every passenger airline defines the number of pets eligible to fly as cabin baggage, their weight and size, and the permitted breeds and species. You’ll also find that airline passenger cabin policies differ—especially when it comes to the number of pets allowed in the passenger compartment.
7. This pet travel scenario includes families in the USA who take their pets with them to visit relatives overseas for special life events, weddings, graduations and religious holidays. The common requirements for international pet leisure travel are:

• An implanted microchip for pet verification
• A rabies vaccination at least 30 days old but not more than one year old
• An international health certificate issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and validated by the USDA within 10 days of flight. Canada, the Bahamas and Mexico do not require USDA endorsement for entry 
• Please note: Pets must have a microchip implanted before rabies vaccination when destinations require rabies vaccination documents. If your pet is not microchipped, the veterinarian can insert an International Standards Organization-compatible microchip appropriate for your destination and re-vaccinate the pet.

If you are relocating for job opportunities, career advancement, military PCS or returning to your home county, Air Animal is at your service. Thanks for your time and be safe out there!

(Aug. 17-18, 2022)--A major Frontier Communications cable was cut yesterday knocking out service to Air Animal and the entire Tampa Westshore area along with sections of Clearwater and St. Petersburg. Frontier expects the break to be repaired sometime on Aug. 18. We are sorry for any inconvenience this unexpected event may cause. Thank you for your understanding.

We will update this post when we have phone service.

• For clients with a move in progress, please consult your documents and contact your pet move manager using the cell phone or email listed.
• For clients with a future pet move, please contact your pet move manager by email.
• To contact Air Animal about a proposed pet move, please use https://airanimal.com/proposal.cfm.

First time moving across the United States or overseas with a pet? Air Animal Pet Movers offers resources to help move furry, scaly or feathered best friends to their new homes. Moving a pet is filled with rules, government regulations, strict timelines and paperwork. Trying a do-it-yourself pet move can increase stress and delay a pet’s relocation.

24/7 online information

This is an extensive website with a YouTube video catalogue. Pet parents can quickly find the most up-to-date information for their pet moves. The resource pages include the most frequent move destinations. Pet relocation rules and regulations change frequently and with little notice. That’s why the website and catalogue are updated frequently.

Never moved a pet before? 

• Pet Moving Basics 
• FAQ 
• Service levels 
• Banned breeds & weather embargoes

Moving across the U.S., Canada, Hawaii or the Caribbean with a pet smaller than 20 pounds that will fit in a soft-side pet carrier under an airplane seat? 

This resource page provides airline phone numbers and information. 

Moving across the U.S., Canada, Hawaii or the Caribbean with a pet larger than 20 pounds? 

This page includes average bundled pricing and planning timelines for the most popular destinations. 

Moving your pet from the U.S. overseas?

This page includes average bundled pricing and planning timelines for the most popular destinations. 

Gather your pet’s health information for any move

• Microchip manufacturer and number
• Rabies vaccination records including two most recent vaccinations
• Pet age and weight
• Pet breed or crossbreed

We believe in Pet Moving Made Easy®. It’s our focus, our passion and our promise.

Carter, a Weimaraner, relocated from Los Angeles, CA to Auckland, New Zealand with Air Animal Pet Movers.

Rotarian,Thrill-Seeker Completes Fourth Solo Cross-Country Bicycle Trek to End Polio. More than 10,000 miles to End Polio Now sponsored by Air Animal Pet Movers

 

Nick Hall heading to the water for the traditional tire dip in San Diego

Nick Hall, a 74-year-old Rotarian, retired psychoneuroimmunologist and motivational speaker, finished his fourth cross-country bicycle trip dipping his bicycle tire in the Pacific at Oceanside, CA yesterday. The Seattle to San Diego route along the Pacific Coast Highway and US 101 "boxed in the U.S." along the West Coast. Hall rode solo without a support van and was sponsored by Air Animal Pet Movers.

 

Hall’s rides have all raised funds for Rotary International’s efforts to end polio in the world. He’s been a self-described thrill seeker since childhood. In the 1960s, Hall wrestled alligators as a summer job in Black Hills, SD before pedaling his bicycle to Massachusetts for the fall semester.

 

Nick’s 2015 Pedal Power to End Polio Now excursion began in San Diego and ended in St. Augustine, FL. In 2018 Hall rode from Temple Terrace, FL to the Rotary International Convention in Toronto, Canada. The Seattle to Tampa ride in 2020 challenged Hall with mountain ranges and COVID shutdowns. Can you imagine pedaling all day in summer heat and finding restaurants, gas stations and parks closed? Together, the trips raised $50,400 to end polio.

 

"My goal this year is to get as many $10K donations as possible from individuals and Rotary clubs marking the fact that this trip will put me over the 10,000 mile mark since that first ride in 2015," Hall said.

 

Air Animal Pet Movers, owned by fellow Rotarian Walter M. Woolf, VMD, is the ride's major sponsor. “Nick’s tenacity and physical capabilities amaze and entertain at the same time as he’s helping Rotary reach our goal of a polio-free world. The world beat smallpox. We can win against polio by working together—especially with the worldwide COVID endemic,” Woolf said.

 

The lead $10,000 donation came from Thomas Dempsey and Alexis Dempsey Doyle. “Dr. Nick Hall inspires us all to push to our greatest and furthest extent! His commitment to ending polio now inspires our donation,” said Alexis. All donations to the ride through the 501(C)3 Rotary District 6890 Foundation will be sent to the Rotary International Foundation Polio Plus campaign.

 

The global pandemic shut down polio vaccination programs allowing wild polio virus to spread. From a low of 22 cases two countries in 2017 to 140 cases in 2020. Hall believes ending polio is within reach for all humankind. He vividly remembers polio epidemics of his youth when public pools were closed to prevent spreading the virus.

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Resources

 

·         Why ending polio around the world now safeguards health for everyone. It’s even critical for people in the United States where polio was eradicated years ago—until this year. Read “What the Polio Case in New York Tells Us About the End of Polio” by Arthur Allen, Kaiser Health News, July 29, 2022.

·         Nick Hall’s adventure cycling golden rules: be safe, have fun, do what you love, and support what’s important.

·         Review Nick's ride:

a.    Facebook: PedalPowerToEndPolio

b.    Instagram: PedalPowerEndPolioNow

c.    Twitter: @PedalPwrFL

·         DONATE to help Rotary International bring an end to polio. Every donation will be matched by the Gates Foundation. We’re this close.

OR

 https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=WYTCU6YEJVWRQ

An historic and deadly heat wave is scorching much of the U.S., Canada and Europe, according to The Washington Post. On July 20, 2022 passenger airlines in North America, Europe and the Middle East have all stopped booking pets to fly air cargo.

"It's simply too hot in the Northern Hemisphere for pets to safely fly air cargo until the temperatures are below 85 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) at origin, midpoint and destination airports," said Dr. Walter Woolf, Air Animal's founding veterinarian and CEO. "Air carriers want your pets to travel safely and securely. While humans working on an airport tarmac sweat, dogs and cats do not so they can't cool themselves easily in this beastly heat blanketing the Northern Hemisphere this summer."

Each carrier halting pet air cargo travel sets their own date to renew pet transport. Please go to the airline website to learn more about the date they expect to resume taking pets. At this time, we know the following carriers have temporarily stopped pet transport. 

• Air Canada
• Lufthansa
• SwissAir
• Air France/KLM

Air Animal will update this list as information becomes available.

These embargos DO NOT affect small pets traveling in soft-side carriers inside the passenger cabin as cabin baggage when permitted by the airline and the destination country. 

Please check our Resources pages for your destination country to learn more. We also have more information about temperature embargoes and banned breeds at airanimal.com/pet-moving-banned-breeds-weather-embargo.cfm.

Europe's Deadly Heat Wave The Washington Post

To allow our team to enjoy the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend with their families, Air Animal will be closed beginning Friday, May 27 and reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.  Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.