Hi,
I got a quote from International Pet Transport LAX to transport our St. Bernard / black lab mix from LA to Wellington, and complete the necessary paperwork, inspections, etc, etc along the way. Not cheap! $3141 USD. That does not even include transport from our location to LA, which we'd have to handle. They quoted me a flight fare of $1840, LAX-AKL-WLG. Now, I could find a cheaper fare for a PERSON for that same flight! Should it cost that much for a dog?! Now, Dorothy is about 95 pounds, she is not small, but still...

Second question: Because of her size (about 30" tall standing), and airline requirements that a travel crate must be sufficient size for a dog to stand, sit, turn around naturally, the recommended crate size is, according to IPT LAX, bigger than the luggage door on the flight from Auckland to Welly. I.e. the crate wouldn't fit on the plane, i.e. the Shado-Lans quarantine person may have to actually drive from near Welly all the way to Auckland to pick her up. And of course her crate would be sealed during this whole journey and it would be some many hours until the poor thing would arrive back at Shado-Lans and get out and "do her duty". Now I think I can negotiate to get her into the next smaller size crate - which is "marginal" for her height. In the meantime, has anyone had a similar experience and could shed light on the subject?

Oh and one more...has anyone moved a pet from the US to NZ without using an agency like IPT LAX, was it worth the effort, and how much did you save?

Thanks!