Our Dog's Panama Journey Part 1 - Departure Prep
As I've learned, there are thousands of pets and other animals that fly cargo in every airline every day to every part of the world safely. But, when it is OUR dogs, an extra bit of caution calmed my fears a little.
Originally, COPA was booked for transporting the dogs on a non-stop from LAX to PTY about 8 months prior to the departure date. I booked us on the same flights. However, each time I called or emailed the airlines about their Mascota program, I was not able to get confirmation on the booking or guarantees that the dogs would not be bumped. In fact, the cargo manifest states that dogs can be bumped at any time for any reason and is dependent on the final load needs for the human travelers.
This was one area where I didn't want to roll the dice. Cancelled the reservations. CAUTION, even though I purchased tickets that were refundable, COPA retained a booking fee of $125 per ticket for us humans. The cargo had not yet been paid, so no loss there.
I rebooked on United with the PetSafe program and have been very happy with their emails on both the human and cargo reservation confirmations. The PetSafe desk has been very responsive and the website provides all the regulatory detail necessary to select the correct crates and carriers. Our flight has a layover, which I would have rather avoided. But, United offers a comfort stop program for this layover location that includes services for walking, feeding and cleaning the kennels. The dogs are signed up at the cost of $125 for the three of them. The first dog is $75 and the other two are $25 each. Well worth it!
We had selected our dog's veterinarian, Dr. Kamran Nassi, in part because he was a USDA certified vet and our senior dogs have had excellent care with him while we were in Los Angeles. This certification is important if there are international travel plans in your future as an established relationship with your USDA certified vet is very helpful in getting ready.
The Day of the Dogs
Today was the day to get all the certifications and authentications done. We had already made an appointment at the Panama Consulate in Long Beach and with our vet. The APHIS office does not make appointments and accepts walk-ins for their certifications on weekdays between 7:30a-11A. So the timing of the day was important.
Of course, today was the first day of rain in Los Angeles for over one year and we expected gnarly traffic so we were up early and at the vet's office before he opened. The dogs had been fed and walked before getting into the car. This was to be an all day car ride that they had not experienced in some time.
Dr. Nassi's team was organized and prepared much of the necessary paperwork ahead of time. Our visit was quick and we were back in the car within 30 minutes and off to the APHIS office near the airport in El Segundo.
Bryant stayed with the dogs and I went into the APHIS office at approximately 10A to face a room full of people, a few who had been there since the office opened awaiting the return of their paperwork. The crowd was friendly and directed me to take a number. I was 37 and the current number being served was 36. I was hopeful. Almost immediately, I was called to submit the paperwork with a credit card for the required $38 fee and was then told to wait. And I waited and waited....
Perfect opportunity to chat up other dog loving global travelers. Before I was called to retrieve my certified documents, about 2.5 hours later, I had made new friends. One couple was traveling to Bahrain so the wife (the first women Saudi to become a doctor) could fight with her brother over their inheritance, denied her because she had become a doctor and married an infidel. The other young woman was spending volunteer time teaching spiritual thinking in Ecuador on her third or fourth trip there. Who needs books when such fascinating people are sitting right next to you??!!
Then we were off to the consulate in Long Beach to meet with Raquel and her team for the authentication of the certified documents. It was nice to see them again and talk Panama history while the authentication process was completed, $30 to stamp the health certificate and acquire signatures to authenticate the rabies certificates. Away we went to United Cargo back at LAX.
Pictures of the dogs standing inside their kennels proved to be a useful thing. The PetSafe agent reviewed the documentation and the pictures and deemed all was in order and within regulation. We should have no problem boarding the dogs at the appointed flight time. It was 3P and we were done! At least for today...
Book the Airline First
This takes a bit of coordination because you can't book pets online as you can human travel. And, not every flight will accommodate animals in cargo as some planes do not have the required controlled environment. Talk to an airline agent because it is best to fly on the same flight as your pet just in case something goes awry.Originally, COPA was booked for transporting the dogs on a non-stop from LAX to PTY about 8 months prior to the departure date. I booked us on the same flights. However, each time I called or emailed the airlines about their Mascota program, I was not able to get confirmation on the booking or guarantees that the dogs would not be bumped. In fact, the cargo manifest states that dogs can be bumped at any time for any reason and is dependent on the final load needs for the human travelers.
This was one area where I didn't want to roll the dice. Cancelled the reservations. CAUTION, even though I purchased tickets that were refundable, COPA retained a booking fee of $125 per ticket for us humans. The cargo had not yet been paid, so no loss there.
I rebooked on United with the PetSafe program and have been very happy with their emails on both the human and cargo reservation confirmations. The PetSafe desk has been very responsive and the website provides all the regulatory detail necessary to select the correct crates and carriers. Our flight has a layover, which I would have rather avoided. But, United offers a comfort stop program for this layover location that includes services for walking, feeding and cleaning the kennels. The dogs are signed up at the cost of $125 for the three of them. The first dog is $75 and the other two are $25 each. Well worth it!
Work with a Pet Relocation Service
Much of the preparation and documentation can be done on your own. However, I didn't want to leave anything to chance and decided to engage a pet relocation service. I wasn't so concerned about getting the dogs ready locally but I wanted certainty of what we would experience once in Panama. Panama Pet Relocation has helped with outlining the required documents, the inclusive information, the authentication steps and timelines. That roadmap made it much easier to prepare with confidence that all was correct. They will receive the dogs inbound, walk them through customs and transport us together to our destination.Required Docs for Pet Travel
The key documents for travel to Panama are:- International Health Certificate - completed within 10 days of travel
- Rabies Vaccination - with the 3 year vaccinations, airlines and most countries accept vaccination certificates that show the vaccination was done within that timeframe. Some websites still have the old information that states a requirement of a vaccine done no older than 6 months or less than several weeks. Better to check with your chosen airline.
- Other vaccinations - Panama also requires an updated DHPP and Leptospirosis as of this post.
- Home Quarantine form - that is filled out and emailed or faxed 3 days prior to travel. Our pet relocation service did this for us.
We had selected our dog's veterinarian, Dr. Kamran Nassi, in part because he was a USDA certified vet and our senior dogs have had excellent care with him while we were in Los Angeles. This certification is important if there are international travel plans in your future as an established relationship with your USDA certified vet is very helpful in getting ready.
The Day of the Dogs
Today was the day to get all the certifications and authentications done. We had already made an appointment at the Panama Consulate in Long Beach and with our vet. The APHIS office does not make appointments and accepts walk-ins for their certifications on weekdays between 7:30a-11A. So the timing of the day was important.
Of course, today was the first day of rain in Los Angeles for over one year and we expected gnarly traffic so we were up early and at the vet's office before he opened. The dogs had been fed and walked before getting into the car. This was to be an all day car ride that they had not experienced in some time.Dr. Nassi's team was organized and prepared much of the necessary paperwork ahead of time. Our visit was quick and we were back in the car within 30 minutes and off to the APHIS office near the airport in El Segundo.
Bryant stayed with the dogs and I went into the APHIS office at approximately 10A to face a room full of people, a few who had been there since the office opened awaiting the return of their paperwork. The crowd was friendly and directed me to take a number. I was 37 and the current number being served was 36. I was hopeful. Almost immediately, I was called to submit the paperwork with a credit card for the required $38 fee and was then told to wait. And I waited and waited....
Perfect opportunity to chat up other dog loving global travelers. Before I was called to retrieve my certified documents, about 2.5 hours later, I had made new friends. One couple was traveling to Bahrain so the wife (the first women Saudi to become a doctor) could fight with her brother over their inheritance, denied her because she had become a doctor and married an infidel. The other young woman was spending volunteer time teaching spiritual thinking in Ecuador on her third or fourth trip there. Who needs books when such fascinating people are sitting right next to you??!!Then we were off to the consulate in Long Beach to meet with Raquel and her team for the authentication of the certified documents. It was nice to see them again and talk Panama history while the authentication process was completed, $30 to stamp the health certificate and acquire signatures to authenticate the rabies certificates. Away we went to United Cargo back at LAX.
Pictures of the dogs standing inside their kennels proved to be a useful thing. The PetSafe agent reviewed the documentation and the pictures and deemed all was in order and within regulation. We should have no problem boarding the dogs at the appointed flight time. It was 3P and we were done! At least for today...
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