Euro Puppy Boston Airport Customs Question - Page 1

Hello highly respected members!
I hopefully will be picking up my 2.5 month old puppy arriving from Europe on Air Lufthansa at Boston Airport. I'm getting worried as I've never done this before and am wondering about the procedure. A friend will bring the pup over. Will my friend be able/responsible to clear at customs or does he deposit the pup and then I would have to do the clearance procedure? Is the customs in the same building? is it difficult to get to the customs offices?
I'm Canadian and will be traveling from Toronto to Boston because I will be returning with the pup to Canada I will have to give a Canadian address for the rabies quarantine papers. I don't even know if because of my immediately retunrning to Canada by car I would still be obliged to sign the quarantine paers and if other restrictions would be placed on the puppy. I'm very worried about them not releasing the puppy. Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for any advice!!!
Bugs

This seems like quite the ordeal for such a young pup. All these different people to meet, then the flight, then a lenghty road trip with a different person after that... about 10 hours just for you to get home? Without wait time at the border... Personally, I would not do that.
Why don't you have the pup shipped directly into Toronto via cargo? It will only be a couple of hundred dollars more vs taking it as excess baggage, but the pup will travel on a direct flight. With the cost of gas these days the direct shipping option to Toronto will probably not be any more expensive than driving all that way. But it will be much easier on the pup. Plus you will be able to do customs clearance yourself in Toronto and take your pup home right away. The in-home quarantine could be because a 10 week old pup will not be vaccinated against rabies yet. 
Ask your friend to take the pup to the airport for you the day he or she leaves Germany and drop it off at GK Air (www.petshipping.com) for you. The flight to Boston leaves an hour after the flight to Toronto (if they have an am flight) so lots of time for the drop off, they will need about an hour including extra driving time back to the passenger terminal. IMO that would be the most sensible way to go here.

Thank you for answering my plea! Unfortunately my friends from europe insist on having the family rep who works with Lufthansa with the pup during its travels. The reason given for not flying to Toronto is that our friend who works for Lufthansa doesn't have a passport to enter Canada.
Thusly, arrangements for Boston are supposed to have been made.

Or, are you suggesting that I arrange for the pup to be flown from Boston to Toronto? If so, how much more time would the puppy have to be locked in the cage for that? 

Do you know if my being a Canadian resident and my receiving the pup in Boston would be a problem?

As for care for the puppy, don't worry, I will give it all the care and chance to rest as needed before and during our trip home.

Jude

"doesn't have passport to enter Canada", what passport does he use to enter US or isn't he getting off the plane?

My dog came over from Germany a year ago. He flew into Logan Airport (Boston) via Lufthansa. They took him through customs at the airport, although some times you could be required to take the dog through customs. When you go to the Airport you have to fill out paperwork at the Luthansia "CARGO TERMINAL"  not the passenger terminal. In any event they will guide you through the process.

I have no idea what the so called "quarantine papers" are that you mentioned. If you are talking about getting the dog into Canada via car than I suggest calling Canadian Customs.

I've taken my Shepherds into Canada before and they never required any paperwork, but I would touch base with Canadian Customs.

From what I was told a person in Germany cannot just ship a dog to the USA. It is done by a shipping company that picks the dog up brings it to the Airport  etc. etc. The dog was accompanied by paperwork from Germany that also included his shot records.

Also the flight was around 13 hrs. so I wouldn't want to have a dog switch airlines and take a connecting flight, too long, too much stress IMO.

You can call the Lufthansa Cargo Terminal in Boston anytime and they will help you with any questions.

Good Luck!

DH

The dog is CARGO, its going to fly in the Cargo hold and IMO it's going to be processed by the Cargo Terminal even though it arrives at the passenger terminal. The fact that someone is also supposedly on that flight doesn't alter the way cargo is processed.

What is your connection with Sandra at petshipping.com? Seems like you're really pushing them.

If the pup arrives in the U.S. and you take possession of him without him having had his rabies shot at least 30 days before he arrives, then you will have to sign U.S. Customs papers stating that you will quarantine him until he has had his rabies shot and then for 30 days afterward.  "Quarantine," however, does not mean that the dog will be boarded in some facility somewhere - rather, it means that you agree to keep him at home away from anyone other than family members.  Since you'll be taking him into Canada immediately, it's really no big deal.   Make sure that he enters the U.S. as a "pet" so that no customs tax is due. 

"When you go to the Airport you have to fill out paperwork at the Luthansia "CARGO TERMINAL"  not the passenger terminal."

This is true, but in Boston the U.S. Customs office for cargo is NOT at the airport, but is across Boston Harbor in South Boston.  So you will have to pick up the pup's paperwork at the cargo terminal at the airport, drive over to Customs to get it stamped, and then drive back to the cargo terminal to show them the Customs stamp before they will release the pup to you.   

One question: in whose name is the pup traveling?  I'm thinking you may run into a possible problem if the pup is traveling as your friend's excess baggage in his or her name and you try to process the paperwork at Customs yourself.  You should still call the Boston U.S. Customs office to see if there are any special issues relating to a non-U.S. citizen taking possession. 

Ninja, D.H. is likely pushing GK because they are extremely competent at doing this.  My Orbis was shipped by GK, and the transaction was as smooth as silk. 

Also, MAKE SURE that the pup arrives on Flight 422 ( a non-stop that lands in Boston at 1:05 p.m.).  This flight arrives every day, but there is also a second daily non-stop flight that lands either at 6:35 p.m. or 6:55 p.m.  that  may cause you two serious headaches: Boston rush-hour traffic, and the Customs office is only open until 5:00 p.m.