Spring 2008 Issue > Connecting Pets, Worldwide
Connecting Pets, Worldwide
Marie Neave with a customs broker
at the airport, preparing the
Couling pets for their journey
Being known as a high quality full service relocation provider, Crown Spain has been demonstrating how to take care of the “entire family” of expatriates that get transferred–pets, and specifically cats and dogs. In fact, in 2007, Crown Spain relocated 19 animals to countries such as the UK, Australia, Singapore, Canada, UAE, Qatar, the Philippines and Ireland. They expect to relocate even more in 2008 and have already received numerous bookings to Australia, the USA and Canada.
Pet Experts
To manage these precious transports, Crown Spain relies on specialized expertise, which begins with an experienced and caring team. At Crown Spain, with headquarters in Madrid, most of the animals that are being transported spend some time at the home of Crown’s “pet expert” Marie Neave before their departure. “It is important for the dogs to build up trust in the person before the journey,” she explains.
Neave also manages a small dog hotel where the dogs stay in the days leading up to their journey. But, as Neave explained, “even long-term stays can be arranged, if required by the customer.” The dog hotel recently hosted a dog for four months, while the immigration documents were being finalized. The dog was being transported to Australia, which is regulated by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), intended to minimize the risk of exotic pests and diseases entering Australia. Crown has specialists that coordinate immigration documents for different kinds of pets traveling to all the major global destinations.
Airline Regulations
The majority of pets are relocated by air. Normally pets fly in the cargo department. The cargo departments are temperature-controlled to the same temperature as the main cabin. If the animal is small enough (usually less than 15 pounds, depending on the airline), the pet can travel in the passenger compartment. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) issues rules and guidelines to ensure safe transport of animals, such as:
- IATA-approved pet carriers
- ventilation systems
- preparations before dispatch
- feeding and watering
- general care & loading
Mrs. Couling with some of her pets
in Govan, Canada
The Couling’s Family of Eight
A very memorable story from Crown Madrid is about a large shipment for the Couling family, Mrs. Kim Couling and her “children.” Mrs. Couling spoke about her eight children and said that all eight of them needed a personal relocation service. After some discussion, it was revealed that her eight “children” were in fact, three dogs and five cats! The Couling family children go by the names of Bruff, Bonnie and Coco Chanel (the dogs), and Cash, Daisy, Gerty, Junior and Tango (the cats).
It required a high level of energy and first-class management skills to coordinate the transport of eight animals. Beginning in Spain, the animals were transported from Malaga to Madrid, where they enjoyed a five day stay at Neave’s dog hotel. From there, 
Crown organized the trip to Paris which included a one night stay. This was followed by the trip to Toronto where the animals spent another night. The team at Crown Toronto coordinated the customs clearance and the onward flight to the final destination in Regina, Canada, where the pets spent another night. Finally, the owners were able to collect their precious pets and take them to their new home.
The equipment and administrative tasks consisted of six air boxes, countless documents and hours of customs clearance. But it was all worth it when the Couling family were reunited in their new home in snowy Govan, Canada.
This is how Mrs. Kim Couling expressed her experience with Crown’s pet services, “I thought it was about time that I let you know what excellent service I received from Crown and Marie Neave especially. Apart from being competent, articulate, punctual, helpful and willing to go to whatever lengths to help, she is also very nice. Never was there a time when a question went unanswered or a phone call unreturned. She is friendly, always happy and puts you completely at ease in what can be very stressful circumstances. I would not hesitate in recommending Crown on Marie’s attributes alone and feel that any employer is lucky to have her.”
PET TIPS!
Crown provides expert advice and support in relieving anxiety for the traveling pets. A crucial piece of advice is not to tranquilize pets during their transport. It has negative side effects on respiration and on their blood pressure, especially at high altitudes.