Monday, September 16, 2013

Shipping your pet to Germany, pt. 2- The cost.

Phew-what a 2 weeks this has been! Before we got too far out and I forget everything that's happened, I wanted to update on the costs and realities of getting your pet to Germany.

So. We bought 2 crates (PetMate SkyKennel). We got the cat the small size, and JB the Giant Size. It cost us $240 for both crates. $200 of that was JB's. Yes...it's Expensive. Yes, I would've preferred it to be cheaper. But... we really lucked out later.

You have to get health certificates. It's only good for 10 days, so wait as much as you can! You can get it at your post vet. If you don't have an on-post vet, you'll have to get it from a USDA certified Vet, and hope they have room! We were able to be seen on post, where the screening for health certificates is free, so long as you have a copy of orders. SO- Vet Exam: $0


Since JB had such a large crate, we had to have it disassembled untill we got to the airport. Well, as luck would have it at BWI, pets have to be in crates to go in the terminal. So C and I got to assemble that giant thing in the vestibule between outside and inside. Luckily, at this rate we're like a NASCAR crew with that thing. Once assembled, we got her inside.

Ready for the next bonus? If you are a family with kids or pets, you get to cut the line! I was so thankful for that-we had 4 checked bags, 2 crates, and 4 carry-ons, so we needed the cut.

At check in, the agents gave the animals a quick once over, weighed them in crates (as well as our bags), and then we paid. It was about $350. WHAT?! so much cheaper than I was expecting. Then we had to wait... we checked in right around 7:30 PM, our flight left at Midnight. We couldn't drop the pets off till 10:00 PM. So, we had 2.5 hrs to kill without going through security. We ate, took the pets to the pet relief area a couple times, and talked with family and friends.

Finally, 10 rolled around and we dropped the girls off back at the check in desk. I won't lie-I cried a little. (Story of my life! ha...I'm a cryer). I told JB and Adi that nothing bad could happen to them because if it did I'd lose my sh!t and that's a bad first impression. ;)

It was a quick walk through security, then onto the plane! We got little slips once seated that let us know that our babies had been successfully loaded onto the plane.

That's not where the pet story ends- See, in Germany the pets are examined once more to make sure that they're healthy and not bringing in any crazy illnesses. That cost 55 EUR.That was the end of our costs! Our sponsor picked us up, thankfully in a minivan, so We were able to keep them in their crates till we got to the hotel.

So, when all is said and done, it cost $590 to get them to Germany. Once in Germany, it cost us about 55 EUR for the exams, then probably another $80 in supplies we had shipped ahead of time (Thanks Amazon!).

All totaled- $670. (about $750, once you convert the Euro!) It was extra time. It was money we didn't necessarily want to spend. But these are our babies, so there was no way that we weren't going to find a way to make this work!

Random notes- Our agents didn't care if there was food/water in the crates, or if all attaching hardware was metal. We didn't have to have anything crazy, just the normal paperwork for them and we paid for them as "excess bags".

Please, if you have any questions (or know someone who does) about bring pets over to Germany-especially giants-send them my way! We've met so many families missing their big babies and I'd love to help however I can.

Xo,
Jess

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