Transport to/from Europe - Page 1

Ok, So I am taking a job in Italy for a time.  I need to come home every 3-4 months to take care of business, and my boyfriend would like to be able to come over a couple of times....This job will last at least 4 months to a year, possibly longer.

So I was thinking of a way to subsidise mine/his tickets....and this is what I came up with.

Want a dog shipped/taken over for breeding?  Want a dog brought back? 

Pay either 75% of what it would cost you to ship dog(excluding health certs and crate and transport to get said dog) OR 1/2 of airline ticket, plus crate/shipping/transport to get dog whichever is least expensive. 

So, if it would cost you $500. plus whatever the airline would charge to put the dog on the plane as baggage, plus crate/paperwork/train ticket to town to get the dog.  Or, if my 1/2 my airline ticket plus the baggage charge for the dog, plus crate/paperwork/train ticket to location to get dog. Whichever is the least expensive. 

Also, would take "airline" miles in exchange---so if you had points and wanted to pay for the flight that way, you would.  You would simply then be responable for any additional expenses(IE, baggage fees, crate, etc.)

If you wanted two dogs brought back, or a litter of pups, we could negotiate that a bit. 

I will be in south Italy, so Rome/Naples/Milan are all easy airports, and you wouldn't have to pay the train ticket to those locations, since I would already be going there.  Otherwise, I would have to take the train to say, Belgium or Germany to get the dog(Have the owner/breeder/trainer meet me at airport for shipping)

A small pup can fly in-cabin, and a well trained adult dog can go along as my ESA(I have the legal right to that priveledge.)

I would be flying into either New York or Miami(Straight to MIA will be my likely choice, and you are responsible for either meeting me there, or sending the dog further on the way.

I am open to suggestions, if this doesn't sound like a fair arrangement.  I think most would agree that shipping a dog accompanied, rather than unaccompanied is better?  Thoughts?

So, here is the thought to change that:

$400.00 for the first dog, plus all expenses to actually put my hands on that dog and get it to US.  SO:  Transport to dogs' location(train), Baggage/airline fees, shipping crate, and health certs, and any other out of pocket expenses if the dog is not located in Italy and breeder/owner in EU can't meet me at airport there.

If you are shipping 2 dogs, then the cost of the second dog is $300.00, plus all the out of pocket expenses, ETC. 

I am not sure I would be willing to carry more than 2 as baggage, unless it was puppies. 

If I would need to "house" the dog overnight, and take it back to airport the next day, the fee would be an additional $100.00, plus, health certificate if needed(would probably recommend---I can get health certs for around $50.00 I think, will have to check)


Nice thing about this:  They are traveling with a human, rather than alone.  I can make the flights direct into MIA or JFK/Newark. You would be responsible for getting the dog to you from that point forward.  I could possibly get the dog on to say, Indianpolis, or Daytona Florida.  And, I probably have some people who would hand-fly the dog to you, for the cost of the ticket, hotel/hostel, and a couple of meals(college students, who would like to travel.)  I have no desire to particularly bring the dogs further, because I will only be "in town" for a week to 14 days, before I leave back out, and have bunches of things to do in the meantime.

                  a well trained adult dog can go along as my ESA(I have the legal right to that priveledge.)


        Just having a medical condition that allows you a service dog does NOT make it right for you to ship any dog that way. He has to be trained for your needs and be your dog helping you. So NO you do not have that right.

Actually, you didn't read it correctly:

I SAID ESA, not service dog.  Further, any dog who can retrieve dropped objects and is tall enough to act as a brace dog, and is properly trained can work as a service dog for me.  I cannot pick up dropped objects, and need a dog to act as a counter balance.  If I am using my wheelchair, I can generally train pretty much any well trained dog to pull my wheelchair in a matter of hours.  Doesn't take much.

BUT, again, don't misread, and make sure facts are correct.  ESA is not a service dog, and has different standards for flying.  I can actually fly with two dogs, should I choose to.  My service dog, and an ESA.  I won't, but I could.

And, no, it doesn't have to be "My" dog helping me.  I have rented wheelchairs when in other countries.  As long as a dog is trained to mitigate my disability, it doesn't matter if it belongs to me or not, if I am using it, and it mitigates my disaiblity, then it is a service dog.

For that matter, I currently have 5 service dogs.  4 bitches and 1 male.  All are trained to mitigate my disability.  They also mitigate a friend's disability and when she is down her from Missouri, she uses one of them.  "Rents" the dog, so to speak.  There is absolutely nothing illegal, immoral or unethical about hthat.


So, yeah, I kinda do have the right.  Read up on ESA's and airline travel.

An Emotional Support Animal is a dog or other common domestic animal that provides theraputic support to a disabled or elderly owner through companionship, non-judgmental positive regard, affection, and a focus in life. If a doctor determines that a patient with a disabling mental illness would benefit from the companionship of an emotional support animal, the doctor write letters supporting a request by the patient to keep the ESA in "no pets" housing or to travel with the ESA in the cabin of an aircraft.

ESAs are not task trained like service dogs are. In fact little training at all is required so long as the animal is reasonably well behaved by pet standards. This means the animal is fully toilet trained and has no bad habits that would disturb neighbors such is frequent or lengthy episodes of barking. The animal should not pose a danger to other tenants or to workmen. But there is no requirement for fancy heeling or mitigating tasks since emotional support animals are not generally taken anywhere pets would not ordinarily go without permission (the exception being to fly in the cabin of an aircraft, even if the airline does not ordinarily accept pets).

For more information about the differences between emotional support animals and psychiatric service animals, read the related article at: http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/node/76

Another factor to remember:  I am very limited in how much I can carry.  I am limited to "carrying" less than 2-3lbs.  A backpack on a dog, carrying the items in my purse, my laptop(necesary for work), etc, is also a qualifying task.
 

Flying with an Emotional Support Animal

In order to fly with an Emotional Support Animal in the cabin of the aircraft with you, you will need a special letter from a licensed  health professional.

These requirements for the letter are excerpted from http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules/20030509.pdf

The letter:
* must not more than one year old
* must be on the professional's letterhead
* must be from a  health professional

and must state all of the following:

1. That the passenger has a mental health-related DISABILITY(In my case, PTSD, with insueing panic attacks). Note it is not just a mental illness diagnosis, but a mental illness which SUBSTANTIALLY LIMITS ONE OR MORE MAJOR LIFE ACTIVITIES. Airlines are not permitted to require the documentation to specify the type of mental health disability, e.g., panic attacks.

2. That the presence of the animal is NECESSARY to the passenger's health or treatment.(For myself, the presense of a service/esa dog will often times "prevent" me from going into a full blown panic attack, because I will automatically be more concerned iwth the wellbeing of the dog, than myself, and I will force myself to stay present, and fight off the panic attack)

3. That the individual writing the letter is a licensed mental health professional and that the passenger is under his or her care. The individual writing the letter should clearly indicate what type of mental health care professional they are (psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker, et cetera).

Just wow make money off the airlines getting PAID to take dogs and claiming them as non paid for assistance dog. Nope sorry It's wrong to do IMO.

Also, keep in mind, I would not do with anything less than a Sch II.  Why?  Because I hate "unruly" dogs on a plane.  It sucks to have a large dog, in a hollow metal tube at 33000 ft, that is not obedience training.  But, a dog with a SchII level of obedience, or a CDX level of obedience, could in all likelyhood mitigate my disability completely.  Why?  I simply can't bend down and pick up dropped objects, so if the retrieve has been trained correctly(IE, not just a dumbell), then the dog can work for me.  Again, whether the dog is mine or not....

Why is it wrong to make money off assistance dogs?  Most of the time, when I train one, I don't make money, so....But, since I am doing some assistance dog training over there and not getting paid for it, why is it "wrong" to make money bringing dogs back in cargo, or if the dog is exceptionally well trained, why can't it come in cabin with me?  I am not charging any more for the in cabin than I am for the in cargo.  And, I am allowed to have a dog in cabin.  Why does it matter if it's my dog, or another dog?  I don't get that.  Who cares?  I am disabled, I have the legal right.  Correct?  So, would it be wrong if I were getting paid to transport a power wheelchair over?  I have been asked to do that for someone., so I suppose that is wrong in your mind?

See, here is where your emotions are playing in.  Service dogs and ESA's are not "pets" they are pieces of adaptive technology. THis is where people get into trouble with the laws surrounding service dogs.  They need to leave "emotions" and "feelings" out of it and stick to the facts.

Fact:  If someone is disabled and a service dog is trained to mitigate their disability, it doesn't matter if they own it or not.

Let me put it this way:  If I were bringing a dog back that were a trained service dog, to a person here to use as their service dog, why should I not be compensated for my time?:

And, again, it will take an exceptional dog to convince me to leave my dog home/or in italy and bring it in cabin. 

Again, let emotions go, and think of it "logically". 

And, if it is a puppy that fits in under a seat, is it illegal in your mind, for my boyfriend to transport it back?  Simply as a pet, paying a pet fee----by the way, were in any statement did you ever see me say that the pet travel fees were not going to be paid?  Etc?  You didn't.  you made assumptions....

Don't.

I have a service dog that I require daily. I find what you are doing in this so wrong, on so many levels. I abhore abuse of our rights to these dogs. I would never hire someone with unethical practices for business either.

This from your blog and you have issues to the degree and the issues with the piolet which I do not normally hear service dogs owners having and you want people to hire you to take their dogs on the plane in the cabin?:::::The trip over, on Alitalia, wasn't bad at all. Altho there were some glitches, all and all, things went smoothly, and Mom and I had 2 window seats to ourselves toward the back of the plane.

On long trips especially, Mom gets upset if there are too many people behind her(she gets panic attacks and it's scary for both her and me!). She intentionally books seats to the back of the plane for this reason. Also, because bulkhead is really really uncomfortable for me!

I was taught to crawl under the seats in front of mom, and if no one is sitting next to us, then I have lots of room to stretch out. If someone is sitting, I back up so that my butt is under the seat in front of me, and my head is between mom's feet. This way, I don't bother anyone else!

But the trip home was horrible.

The guy called the pilot was rude and mean. He tried to make mom Muzzle me the whole trip, even tho it meant I wouldn't be able to help her if I needed too.

He then said she had to sit in bulkhead. She knew it would be harmful for me and her. She tried to protest and the pilot called the police who said if they took us off the plane they would murder me instantly because I am a rottweiler.

The pilot then got on the intercom and said 'we will be late into miami because of the fat lady with the rottweiler who refuses to move."

Mom tried to educate him, but some woman on the flight called him a name I can't repeat. I think I agree with that woman.

Mom was scared. She had 3 panic attacks and a seizure coming back. There was nothing I could do for her.

She won't let me post much, because she has filed some complaints about it.

Since that time, mom has had several seizures and my back is hurt and I can't work well. I still go with her, because I am the dog who can tell when she is going to have a seizure, but I am not allowed to help her with her wheelchair, or brace work or carry anything for her anymore.

She says I might have to "retire" and stay at home because I have a 'pinched nerve' because i was forced to sit in a very very small space(even tho some think bulkhead is bigger, isn't really)

I want to keep working for mom, but sometimes I hurt alot, and it makes me sad that this mean man is the reason I can't help her as much anymore.


   link to blog:  http://www.largodoesrome.blogspot.com