"I Didn't Want My Pet to Quarantine!" Everything You Need To Know To Move Pets Abroad

0:00English speakers are still a novelty here. And of course, I had two cats who basically destroyed their carriers on days one and three. There was a lot of discussion to make sure that we were aligned and that we were doing it for for similar reasons. What are the? Visa paths. Are you running towards something or are you running away from something?

0:24And then what? I can't believe we're finally here. This is Americans abroad. OK, so this week on Americans abroad we are talking about moving with your pets. As you can see if you were on YouTube. I have one of my pets here AKA the murder baby or La Asesina as she is known here in New Mexico. But there are a lot of questions that people have about moving your pets, and Stephanie and I've are two people who essentially planned our whole move around our pets.

1:02Yeah, initially we were not only planning our move around our pets, but we were planning our move timeline or everything hinged on the pets. I was so scared about moving our dogs abroad that I was like, well, you know, I guess we have to wait until, you know, they're no longer on this earthly plane because it was just a point of such anxiety for me of, of getting them abroad. And, you know, fortunately I found a, a solution that that worked well for us.

1:34But yeah, everything hinged on bringing them overseas. Yeah, so tell me about your animals first of all. OK, so we have two French Bulldogs. We have Maude who is 8 and we have Simon who will be 7 in September. Maude is back leg paralyzed. She has IVDD. And so that was just another, another thing on top of just, you know, we're bringing our dog. We're bringing a dog who has, you know, severe medical needs. Since they're French Bulldogs, they're a little snub nose breed.

2:11So that was also another consideration. Simon is dog reactive, He's not dog aggressive, he's just dog lets you know his opinion. And so that was another thing. So it, it just felt, you know, it just felt like one thing after the other. I'm like, and I've got to consider this and I've got to consider this. But yeah, it was that we have our 2 French Bulldogs, the the love of our lives. They are my biological children and you cannot tell me any different.

2:39But you know, there's challenges that go into it and just a lot of unknowns in bringing any pet abroad. But I think especially with the things that we have stacked against us. So you wanted to move to Portugal, which of course I always knew since we met as part of your journey. So what were your options for how to get your babies to Portugal?

3:04Yeah. So options were bringing them on by by boat, by cruise ship. And and Emily talk, we'll talk a little bit about that. But on the Queen Mary that was so far booked out. And then knowing that my one of my dogs is dog reactive and that it's a seven day journey and I'm not with them 24/7. I can't just I'm just going to live in my little stateroom for seven days and, you know, just have my husband bring me sandwiches.

3:33Like that wasn't an option to do that with the to keep the dog safe. So that quickly became the option that what really wasn't a viable option. We most airlines won't let allow them to fly in cargo and Simon is just a little too big to fit under the seat. So that wasn't an option. So really the only viable option, the option that we chose was by booking a shared chartered flight from New York into Lisbon.

4:06And you know, when you talked about planning your move around your pets, like we not only planned around them, but planned everything in our timeline around getting from Texas to New York and from New York with this charter and the limited number of flights that they had. So we were limited in our options, but I think that also helped to just zero in on, OK, this is really what's in front of us and not get like analysis paralysis on how we're going to bring them over.

4:33What percentage of your move abroad budget do you think you spent on your charter flight? OK, 50%, half of half of it what you know, and it's more we got to be on the flight too. But yeah, if we look at just the flight. But then if we add in the six day road trip from San Antonio, TX to New Jersey and the hotel stays and the gas and the dining out and then the other five days that we allowed ourselves just to like, you know, stay and wait and just get our bearings about us, you know, that was 1111 days of of travel.

5:16So if we add that in, we're probably closer to maybe 6065%. But we came over very lean. You know, we didn't ship furniture. We shipped 6 boxes and brought, you know, a couple carry on suitcases. You know, there wasn't a lot of upfront cost. You know that the process for the visa was relatively affordable. But yeah, easily 50% just on the airline tickets to get my husband and I with these two crazy animals from New York to Lisbon.

5:48Yeah, I'm not surprised. So I, Brett and I drove to Mexico with our animals. And a big reason why we chose Mexico, listen, we love it here, but a big advantage was the fact that we could drive. So we have a big meatball of a dog. He is, you know, a quarter pit, 1/4 Staffy, 1/4 English Bulldog, 1/4 American Bulldog, 2% Chihuahua and he's just not going any easy way.

6:26You know, he's he's big, he's a little bit snub nosed. And so and then we also had three kitties, including this one who likes to be right in my way. And so it just made the most sense for us to throw everybody in the car. One nice thing about moving to Mexico is that you can drive AUS plated car as long as you're a tourist or a temporary resident and you can keep your US driver's license. So it was to our advantage to, you know, pay off the car. You have to have permission to

7:05bring your car into Mexico. And I wasn't going to be able to get the letter in time that gave us permission. So we just paid off the car. It wasn't a lot and and drove everybody in. It had the bonus of now we have a car here, which is nice and then we also could pack it with our stuff. So we got, you know, a roof carrier and put the instant pod and you know, our T-shirts and shorts and swimsuits and whatever else in it.

7:32And so that was nice, but it was a zoo to bring and three cats because we drove, we, it took 8 days and one day of looking for the cat because we crossed the border into Mexico. We stayed in Saltillo in the north the first night and we lost Ziggy. And Ziggy is like our sweetest, meekest cat. And I was absolutely convinced that he got out because what we did, there are two ways that people usually do this. One is they rent Airbnb's, which is what we did, which just like Emily will say later is nice

8:14because you can check that you have animals and you don't have to, you know, clear it like you do with the hotel or pay extra. And So what we did is we found Airbnbs that had enclosed garages so we could just drive the whole car in all our stuff is inside, spend the night, whatever. But these are obviously all city.

8:33I've never driven across Mexico before. Everything is new. The other thing people do is they stay in the love motels and I'm the love motels are really common in Mexico and it's not they're not scandalous at all here. It's. Not what you think it is. No, well, it is, but it it but like so because families, multi generations live in one house, it's not uncommon to go to the love motel.

9:03And so, but at the love motel everything goes, which includes you can bring your pets and because they're kind of discreet, there's a place to park your car inside. But I was like, I only had three weeks to sell everything I own and get my whole life together, and I did not feel like I could understand all the insurance and outs of the love motel industry in order to know how to find them Cultural.

9:27Adaptation. How do you like? Can I book it online? All these things so. It's an airbnb.com. Exactly. Airbnb. I knew I knew Airbnb, so that's how we did it. But so on that first day in Saltillo, I thought Ziggy had gotten out. He's so skittish. We thought he'd be gone forever, you know? And so right next to the Airbnb was a sort of a junkyard, and it was fenced in.

9:58And so I was just convinced that Ziggy was in the junkyard. And so Brett and I sat out there all day with, like, his litter box and food and water and a car came along and they were like, you know, what did y'all do? And we're, like, our cat. And it turned out it was the owner, a little old couple who owned the junkyard. They opened it up.

10:19They scoured it with us. We didn't find them. So they took us to make posters. And then they were trying to get us on the news. Yeah. To talk about the lost cat. It was first, like, truly look experience. They were so sweet. And so we were in the in the apartment taking a break. And, you know, I mean, I pretty much told Brett, if Ziggy is gone, you're moving home without you.

10:49I was so mad. And he just said, what if he's behind that microwave? And so there was a microwave, and it had like a roll top cover. And I was like, oh, yeah, right. Because, I mean, we had torn the house apart, as you can imagine. And this had been over, over a day at this point. They had been gone.

11:06And so I reached my hand all the way back up there to where the roll top was in this little furry nose, touched my finger. And I was like, you've got to be kidding. And he had been up there the whole time just chilling. Absolutely unaware that we were looking for him. So we got to tell everyone in Saltillo that we had tell the cat that he was in the house. I also learned from them that tuxedo cats are called got those smoking like smoking jets.

11:42Like a smoking jet. Yes, yes. And they don't call them that everywhere. So I think it was just in the in the north because it's picked up from yeah, from the US Anyway, so to this one who's rotten, she tore a hole in her carrier and was out for pretty much the whole Dr. Boxy TT to her carrier the first day.

12:04She's old. And so basically we had two loose cats for 8 days and the dog. And then Ziggy, of course, aside from disappearing, was a good boy and stayed in his carrier. But so we went probably the cheapest way that you can. None the less it still had a cost right? Like we it was $500 to import the car, 8 days of Airbnbs and associated food, 2700 miles worth of gas and the tolls. And the tolls add up to 500 or more dollars, especially depending on the exchange rate.

12:42So keep in mind that that at the end of the day, bringing your pet might be the most expensive thing that you do. We advocate for it. We're absolutely fans of it. We want to help you do it, but just be aware. Honestly, Jen, it sounds like travelling with cats far more stressful than any stress that I had about my two dogs.

13:07I can put them in a harness, I can clip them in their little chair in the thing. Yeah, good on you for managing those cats. That's a good point. I mean, Squiggy was, you know, just absolutely effortless and everybody loves him in Mexico. He's the most passenger Princess completely. And even with the cats, like roaming around and he's just like world's longest road trip.

13:31Like he's excited for eight straight days, but. It's what we do to bring our loved ones with us. Of course. In today's. Episode we're going to be talking about moving with pets and we are joined by Emily Benner, our Expatsi expert on moving yours abroad. Emily, thanks so much for joining us. Happy to be here. So Emily, you're based in Paris, correct?

14:05Yes, I have been here for 2 1/2 years now and the year before that I did a exploratory travel around Europe here with my dog. Yeah, the the goal of that was to try to figure out where we wanted to settle and end up. I knew I wanted to be in Europe, but I just didn't know which country specifically and which city. So yeah, I've been all over with a dog. First off, you have to tell us the name of your dog and then tell us a little bit about what made you decide on Paris. His name's Braxton.

14:40He's a Wiener dog, and he's sleeping on the couch. Or I would have him come in camera. Yeah. And I chose Paris. I mean, more of a personal level. I was dating somebody who lived here, so that was kind of the main draw. And my visa was through France as well, So it made a bit of sense to be here.

14:59And then we broke up, and I was kind of having friends here already and settling a bit. And I was a bit tired of doing, like, a full year of travel. So I was ready to just, like, not be living out of a suitcase anymore. So I stayed. And now met someone else. We're getting married this year. And yeah, so definitely settled wishes. Thank you.

15:25And you mentioned that your visa was through France. What visa did you utilize to get to France? I have the long stay tourist visa, which I can renew every year here and eventually can lead to citizenship. Yeah, so that's worked for me. It's a bit of a Gray area in terms of working. So that's kind of the reason for the marriage is so that I can get switched to a family visa and have a bit more working rights and all of that.

15:56That's nice. Do you did you do it on passive income or remote work? Passive income. A bit of both, yeah. I was, when I did my year of travel, I was working remotely from the US and so I was working over here doing that. And that was kind of the main reason that I decided to take the move was that my company that I was working for was fine with people working anywhere.

16:21And so, yeah, I was like, let me just try it out, see what it's like to work East Coast New York hours in France and, and how that works and bring my dog. But then the company did layoffs, so I decided to take some time off and just, yeah, I've mostly been doing savings and freelance work right now and a bunch of random little things. I do art.

16:44I wrote a children's book. So just a bunch of things I like to do for fun. Yeah. I love it. Do you think Braxton knows how world traveled he is? I, I don't know that he realizes it, but I've definitely noticed that since we had done the year of moving, basically I moved to a different city every three weeks to a month and I noticed that he got really comfortable, just like being at home. As soon as we walked into a new Airbnb, it was like, oh, OK, this is my home now.

17:15And he kind of does that still to this day. If we go to a friend's house, he'll just hop up on the bed or hop up on the couch and he's like, this is my home and I live here now. So in that sense, I think he's definitely gotten comfortable with it, but I don't know how much dogs recognize that sort of deep thinking.

17:33Well, I think about it. You know, Squiggy has been to three countries only, but you know, my mom only ever went to two countries. So Squiggy is more traveled than my mom. OK. So next question, have you taken him to Germany? I have taken him to Germany, yes. OK, so the motherland, right? Return to the land of his people. Yes, exactly.

17:57We should probably go to more places in Germany. We went to a couple couple places, Munich and Stuttgart, because I had some friends that were living there. But yeah, there's there's a ton of Wiener dogs in Paris, though. We have a huge Wiener dog March every November or like sausage dog walk that brings thousands of Wiener dogs in.

18:19So that's always really fun to do. Emily no, I did not expect that at all. Is it like down the shelves, Elysee or where? No, it's along the sun. It's like a mile walk. You go down and you turn around and go back again and yeah, it's really fun. Everybody dresses their animals up and you get a little tote bag and a poster every year.

18:39So we've been three years now. It's a good time. Emily, Amazing. So what was it like to try to move your pet from the US? In the beginning, I think it was a bit overwhelming because I didn't really know what to do and I didn't really know where to like find like valuable and actual real resources. Like there's a lot of people that create content and sometimes things are accurate, sometimes they're not. So yeah, it was a bit of like a lot of research and figuring out what I needed to do.

19:15And it, it can vary depending on where you're going and finding a vet that you can work with, because not every single vet can give you the paperwork to move abroad. So yeah, I would say a lot of research, a lot of trial and error. Like the first time I came over, we decided to just do three months.

19:32It was before I had a visa, and it was to try out working here, try out bringing my dog and see how that worked. And doing that, I learned a bunch of stuff. I didn't know what a pet passport was beforehand. And then I came to Europe and I was like, oh, there's this thing that exists. And then I didn't realize that you can use that to come back and forth to the US.

19:52You don't have to redo the paperwork every time. So a lot of doing, learning, getting better and then simplifying and kind of making it more efficient as we went. So what is a pet passport? You mentioned that is that Is there a little picture? There doesn't have, I don't know if a video is going to be on the podcast or not, but if the video is, I have it here. So you can kind of see, but it looks they have them for each country.

20:18But in general they're you can use it across all of Europe and it's also valid in the UK. And then also when I go back to the US, which I can kind of add a little, add a little caveat to that because the US is not super familiar with it. But yeah, it has. You don't have to put their photo, but there was a space for it.

20:37So I put his photo in there. Absolutely. You're going to put a picture 1000%. Yeah, it's better than my passport. But it just has like his microchip information and then it basically holds all of their vaccine stuff and any sort of like that stuff that's necessary for people to know. So it's really like anytime we bring him to the vet, they ask for his passport and that's where they record when he gets his rabies shots or anything like that.

21:09I so, yeah, there's not places to get passport stamps, which I always want to ask for, but I'm too nervous that they're going to be like, get out of here. So no passport stamps, but that's all right. So when you first brought your dog from the US, did you have to do the US DS, the USDA certification? Talk to us a little bit about that process and your experience.

21:35Yes. So the first time you definitely have to do that. I also have, I have two different papers. They're basically like a stack of paperwork that you get that I don't know if this will be shown on, but it's kind of like a 3D printed thing that you can feel with your fingers to make it valid. And the process for that is you have to find an accredited vet.

22:00So not all veterinarians are accredited in the US and that basically means that they go, I think through extra training and they're certified to evaluate a pet and fill out the paperwork and submit it on your behalf in order to allow your pet to travel outside of the US. So you have to go do that that exam within 10 days of your arrival to your country that you're going to be traveling to or moving to.

22:26So that can be a bit stressful because you know, you might have a flight 10 days away and you have to go to the vet and get this exam done with your pet and then they have to submit paperwork and the paperwork has to be approved and then shipped back to you. And I think that can be one of the most stressful parts of it all.

22:40I've done it twice before. I knew about the pet passport being able to work for that and it's come back fine. So usually it's it's quite good and they usually do like an overnight ship back of the paperwork. So that's usually good. And then that's what you'll need when you go to the airport to fly over the flight attendants.

23:00When you check your bag, you'll have to check your pet in there and they will be the ones that are going to check the paperwork. I've never had anybody check it once I came to Europe when I land. So a lot of people I see in Facebook groups kind of nervous about like what happens when I land in this country, like what do they need? What are they going to do?

23:20And I'm like, I've never had them do anything. Like you just go through, they check your passport as a human and you just kind of go on through and everything's pretty fine. But still good to have the paperwork. And I think you can take this paperwork to the vet in whichever country you land in, and that can help with your pet passport.

23:39But you usually have to get your pet revaccinated for rabies if you want the passport to be valid. You mentioned that the first step is finding a a vet who's certified to do that paperwork. What resources are out there to find a vet short of just, you know, going through the phone book? I had agent myself saying phone book, going through Google and just Googling vets that vets near me and making, you know, phone call after phone callers.

24:03Is there like a list or a website that lists who's certified? Yeah, I can send it to you after I don't have it memorized. There is a website that you can search based on where you live to find them. I would probably recommend just starting with your current, but because maybe they're accredited and you don't know and they also would likely recommend somebody for you to go to in the area as well. But yeah, there is a website that you can search. And we'll include that link down in the show notes for everybody. So you talked about flying, that's how you you went to Europe.

24:38You flew with your dog? Yes. And did he fly in cargo or did he fit under the seat? He was just small enough to come with me, so that was more reassuring for me. I know there's a lot of stress around having to put your animal in cargo, but yeah, so he was, he was able to come with me in the cabin and go in a carrier under the seat in front of me, yes.

25:08I I heard that in the UK they have to fly in cargo right? Like that, pets can only come into the country in cargo. Yes. That's a weird. So yeah, I don't know exactly why that rule exists. I think it's to kind of control a bit more the import of animals and I think they have a bit more control if they're all in cargo than they do if it's in the cabin.

25:33That's kind of what I've like heard people say. But yes, it is true that if you want to fly into the UK with a pet has to be in cargo, cannot be in cabin. But there's ways to work around that. A lot of people will fly into Paris and then you can rent a car service that will take you specifically with your pet over.

25:52You can take, they have like ferries that you can get on a car and go across. You can take the train If your pet is able to be a service animal. I mean, that obviously makes things a lot easier, but you can take the Eurostar with a service animal and that also there's. My animal right there. It looks like he's enjoying his time. Yes, he he does not fit under the seat, I assure you. So what about taking them on the boat? You know, people talk about going on the Queen Mary. Have you ever looked into that?

26:25Do you know about that? I have looked into it yes, and there was a girl I believe on TikTok and I don't know if she shared it on Instagram as well, but she vlogged her entire experience on it, which I thought was really helpful. So I can also try to find that and share that because I think it's, it's nice to see like first hand in a way like what the experience is actually like. But yes, the Queen Mary is the only ship that goes across. And I think they only leave out

26:51of maybe one or two ports of the US and then only come into one or two ports in Europe. So it's a bit specific in that they also I think only have 24 kennels on board and they book up really quick. So you usually have to plan that like one to two years in advance just because it's booked up already. And I think it takes about a week to go across. The pet will stay in the kennel the whole time, but you're allowed to have visiting hours with them during certain times. And I think they get like

27:21branded bowls and like all this fun little gifts and stuff like that. So definitely a good alternative. So for the folks that maybe are looking to move a little bit sooner than one to two years out and, you know, have pets like Squeaky, who definitely wouldn't fit under a chair, even though I think he would try his hardest to, what other options are there for transporting pets from the US, let's say into Europe? Mainly flying so in cargo, which is basically underneath the plane where the luggage goes, but the airlines when they fly pets in the cargo will have

28:00specific areas that are temperature controlled and usually have staff there that are trained with animals. So that's good. And they're, they're very regulated in the sense that like if you're flying on a super hot day in July, for example, and the temperatures are too hot for the pet, they won't, they won't allow it to go that time.

28:19Same with cold weather. So they'd they kind of manage things in that way. And so there's that and then there's also, I mean, private charter planes like that you could rent by yourself or you. I've seen people who will kind of get a group together of a bunch of people in a similar area who want to fly across with a bunch of big dogs and they'll all kind of chip in and get a private jet together and fly that way. So yeah, I think there's definitely a lot more planning that goes in if your pet is

28:50bigger, but it's doable and people do it all the time. And I know it can be a bit scary, but I think that they don't want to get sued. That's that's kind of what I always think to myself is like they are going to try to protect themselves from anything bad happening. So that should give some reassurance I think as well.

29:09That's a good point. I was thinking about that with the boat because I thought it was sad to have to not be able to have my pet in the cabin if I were to go on the boat. And then it occurred to me that a pet doesn't know not like run off the deck necessarily or it or to stabilize themselves in, in turbulent weather. And then you get a pet overboard and that's a just disaster. And I thought, yeah, OK, I guess it is because, you know, one of our part, our Netherlands partner has an idea of getting their own big boat and becoming

29:47sort of a party boat for just pet owners to transport their animals across the Atlantic. But certainly, you do not want pets thinking that they can swim. So Speaking of Squiggy, he has some Pitbull in him and some countries have breed restrictions. What do you know about that? How prevalent is it? How do they handle it? I would say it definitely depends on the country that you're going to.

30:16I think pit bulls and dogs like Dobermans and things like that, they just get a bad Rep, unfortunately. So, yeah, there's another website that I can send to you which is actually really helpful for just seeing what you need as far as vaccines and any sort of quarantine and things like that. You basically type in a Dropbox like what country you're coming from and what country you're going to and it will give you a list of all the things you need. And they also usually list the breed restrictions for the country.

30:50There is also breed restrictions around airlines. So when you're looking at what airline you want to fly, you can also look there. For example, like stub nose breeds like pugs and French Bulldogs often aren't allowed to fly. So that makes it a bit more difficult as well. So I it's not like a one answer for all I think. I think also I've heard of people like having their vet kind of make the paperwork a bit more like, OK, it's mostly a lab and like let's not put the pit bull part of it in there. And that can sometimes help get things through as well. Right.

31:24That makes sense. So Speaking of that, you mentioned quarantine. Are there any countries in Europe that still quarantine animals when you bring them over? Yeah, Iceland definitely does. I think it's about two weeks. It's the reason I haven't gone to Iceland yet, because I don't want to quarantine Braxton and I like to bring him with me. I am pretty sure that's the only country in Europe, but I'd have to just double check on that.

31:53But definitely know that Iceland is, I mean, outside of Europe, like Australia and New Zealand, I know that they definitely do pretty significant quarantines as well. And I haven't looked into too much of Asia yet, but I think Japan does if they do, yeah. I think Japan, it's islands, you know, they, they just have such precious ecosystems.

32:16And that's probably when you're talking about UK coming in, in cargo. It probably has to do with that too. But Emily, I think that you may have said a whole new sentence. I don't want to quarantine Braxton. I think that was the first time that sentence has ever been uttered. Very nice. Yeah, toxins are very attached to their humans that like he's like a Velcro dog.

32:39So I would feel and I'm also a Velcro human to him. So we are just all the time together. So what has vet care been like throughout Europe and your experience? I would say in general very similar to the US aside from like maybe language differences. Most countries in Europe will speak English. Most people do, unless you're in like a very tiny town that might be a bit more difficult. But more or less I've every vet appointment I've had, I've been able to do everything in English, which has been good. Yeah, I would say the prices are

33:18generally the same as they are in the US. They're not like drastically cheaper or more expensive in my experience. Yeah, I've just kind of like whenever I'm in a new city, if I need to go to the vet, I just usually Google search vets near me and like go based off ratings or places that sometimes I can make an appointment online and I don't have to call because I hate calling people.

33:44So yeah, and it's worked just fine. And, and also what's nice about the pet passport is you can go all over. Like when I got this, I got it in Nice, France. And then I realized that I needed him to get re vaccinated for rabies in order for it to work for traveling back and forth with the US.

34:03And I was in Belgium when that when I found that out. So I brought him to a vet in Belgium and they put the vaccine in there and then it's fine. So, and now he's got stuff in here from Paris. So you can kind of use it all over. And then when we travel to the UK, he they look at this as well and that works there.

34:20So I want to come back to the pet passport because it does seem like it makes just the ongoing experience that much easier. What is the process for getting a pet passport? Who do you ask and what documentation do they need to generate that for you? When I got this for him, I just brought him to a vet for a general exam and asked about it and they just kind of like filled out his micro. They scanned his microchip to get the number for that, to verify it.

34:46They fill it out and they put like a lamination on that page so it can't be changed. I want to say it was maybe like €10. Like it was pretty cheap to get it. And yeah, I don't know that there was anything like that much more to it. I brought his paperwork, the paperwork that you'll get the USDA paperwork for when you first come over.

35:13Is there valid paperwork for the first, I want to say three to four months that they're in Europe. So you would ideally, if you're going to stay, want to get a pet passport situated before those papers expire. Not that I really feel like people are walking around trying to check your dog's paperwork. I have never really had that experience at all. But just to be safe, I would recommend doing that. And I had mentioned this earlier, but I didn't actually talk about it with the pet passport. You can now use this as long as

35:40the rabies vaccine is in here and the rabies vaccine is done in Europe. Technically, you can use that to travel back and forth between the US and Europe. And the only thing that I would just keep in mind is when you're going from the US back to Europe again, when you go to check your bags and check your dog in, they will ask for the paperwork.

36:02I have mostly been fine with the pet passport. I did have one time where they didn't understand what the pet passport was. They were only looking for the specific printed like embossed paper that they're used to seeing. And it took a very long time for them to like have to call up corporate and get managers on the phone and research and then finally confirm that like, yes, this is something valid and I am able to travel with it.

36:25And So what I've done now, because I kind of was a bit tainted by that experience and afraid that like that would happen every time is I usually call the airline desk at the airport before I'm going to fly like a couple days before. And I just verify with that and like, hey, like I have a pet coming with the pet passport. Just want to know that you guys know what this is so that I'm not having to like panic last minute with them trying to figure out what it is.

36:50But it only happened one time and we've sorted it out. So it was. Fine, it's always, it's nice. Exactly. So Emily, last question, do you rent in Paris and if so, or do you have you bought a Paris apartment and if you rent, if you rent, is it difficult to find a place that takes pets and what's the process?

37:16Is there a deposit or anything like that? I don't know the specific laws, but I am pretty sure that there is no rule saying that you cannot have a pet. I have never had an issue. I've had three apartments here that I've rented. I think the first one I mentioned that I had a dog because I was used to the US where you kind of have to like very explicitly write that on your application for the apartment and then it can be not accepted because of that. But they were like, oh, that's fine. Like not a problem.

37:53And after that I just was like, OK, this is just how it is here. Like hats are much more a part of life, I think and accepted in ways that they're often not in the US. So I personally have not had an issue with it. I, I have seen people posting on Facebook groups where they're having more of struggle with it. I don't know if that's because of the breed type or maybe they have a really big dog and that might make it a bit more difficult.

38:19Or maybe they're like sub less subletting from somebody and it's not through an official lease or something like that. So I wouldn't say that it's like a one one way fits all situation. It might vary and it also might vary depending on the country that you end up in. But I have mostly been fine. And when we did our year of travel, I mostly stayed in Airbnb's.

38:39And there's a filter that you can put like pet friendly. So that's been super helpful. Yeah. I probably in Paris you have to mark if you don't have a pet. Yeah. And I think also, like one of the positive things I've noticed since moving to Europe is how pet friendly they are. Like every time I go out to eat, he comes to the restaurant inside, outside, Like he's just welcome everywhere. It's just not a big deal.

39:10He goes into the pharmacy with me. Like basically anything I do, he does with me, except for the grocery store. And there are places like Italy that are very dog friendly. Like they even have grocery carts with a little section that you can put your dog into. Italy is like very progressive. I think on the dog front.

39:29They also just launched that that you can fly with a big dog in cabin with you. So I think hopefully there's a lot more like pro dog changes coming with travel because I think as the generations are kind of shifting out, I feel like there's a lot of the younger generation that is like not wanting to have kids and their pets are their kids.

39:50And they're like really pushing for more accessibility to have their animals with them and not just have to have kids with them. So fingers crossed. Oh, well, Emily, we could have a whole different discussion on that as well. Thank you so much for being here today and demystifying a lot of moving abroad with your pet. This is a huge issue that faces people and of course nobody wants to leave their babies behind, so I really appreciate you taking the time. Yeah, of course.

40:20And I recommend it. I mean, I recommend to everyone if you want to leave the US to do it and if you want to bring your pet, it's very doable, so. Amazing. Thanks, Emily. Do you know what time it is? Are you going to sing it to us, pretty please? I I want it. How did Romper Room used to do it? Did you?

40:48Are you? Are you? I am a hold up the mirror and I see Susan and Jimmy and Sal. Yeah, I'm a romper room kid. I can't believe that I they never said Jennifer. That was a huge miss in the 70s. To have not ever said I see Jennifer, you could have cleared half the audience. Of the female children in in.

41:13One go in, one go. What a miss. Oh well. So yes, we have the questions from the listeners, the listeners, but again, they're not really listeners because they asked the questions before they heard the episode. So they're just futureless questioners. The end. Listening from questioners. OK so the question we have this week is about the emotional aspects of bringing a pet but it's not your emotions. They asked about their pets emotions, which I thought was really sweet.

41:55So they said what can I do to prepare my pet to move abroad in terms of flying and getting used to a new place and everything else. And I thought, you know, you probably have an interesting perspective on that because I watched you get your animals ready for the move. Yeah, and and you had a chance to to meet them when we were still state stateside and, you know, precious Angel babies there. And I'll put your.

42:21Love them, love them. So we, we did a few things to prepare our, our pets for moving abroad. And you know, everyone's going to know their animal and, and how adaptable they are and what their, you know, their trigger points are or what are the things that they need to work on. So, you know, I talked at the top of the show. Our journey was a six day road trip from San Antonio, TX to New York, an additional 5 days in a hotel and then flying a six hour shared tiny little charter with complete strangers and their animals with a dog reactive dog.

42:58So the first thing that I, I knew that I wanted to do was to go, OK, well, what are the things that could potentially go wrong? Simon also didn't really like riding in the car. So leading up to the weeks before we left, I'd be like, come on buddy, we're getting in the car. We're going to go grab a coffee.

43:15Come on in, buddy, we're going to get in the car. We're going to go pick up curbside groceries from the grocery store. So any opportunity to allow him to get used to the things that he didn't really enjoy, I took took that opportunity. Same thing with like being around other dogs. Now, I didn't like organize like play dates or anything because I think that would have been too much. But like taking him to places like on a, you know, on a Saturday to the farmers market where there was going to be a lot of activity.

43:41But I could, you know, maneuver him away. And we did the same thing when we were on the road trip too, was, you know, just putting him in situations that just kind of tested so that he knew that he was going to be OK. Maude literally doesn't care. She'll be in any situation. She's a trooper. She's a trooper.

43:59She just wants to be part of the story. She's our little bouncy, a little bouncy baby. She's happy. She's happy to to to know you. So is really getting him used to the things that were like, OK, this is going to create friction. This is going to be a stressor. The car ride and being around other animals. I've known some folks who never created their dogs. And so they're either bringing them on the plane in the little carrier back if they fit underneath or bringing them in cargo.

44:27So for those folks, getting them used to just being in a crate, having the crate that you're going to put them in cargo in or the the little carrier that you're going to bring on the plane and having that for six weeks before you go, making it an enjoyable environment, changing these like negatives into a like a, a positive opportunity.

44:46So that way you're not adding the stress of something new to the stress of something big and new of being in a plane or you know, where, where however you're transporting them over. The third thing that I will always advocate for, and specifically dogs, I don't know cats and, and what that looks like, but talk to your vet about if there's anything pharmaceutical wise that may help ease their anxiety.

45:17You know, my, my vet knew that again, that Simon's dog reactive, that Maude isn't negatively reactive, but she just gets very, very hyper. So they're like, you know what we're going to send you with gabapentin. And just like anything else, try it out before you go. Make sure that you know they handle it appropriately, that you know what their reaction is going to be.

45:39And before I ask my, that, I honestly felt like a lot of shame about like, I don't want to, I don't want to drive up my dog. I don't want to ask my, I don't want because I'm, I'm the, the dog mom who can't control her dogs or I'm the dog mom who, you know, has failed her dog.

45:54And so just recognizing that advocating for what you and your pet need or what's going to make the experience easier for them and subsequently for you, there is no shame in it. My, my vet was like, yeah, what time can you be here? We'll have it ready at the front desk. It'll be ready in 10 minutes. Like they thought nothing of it.

46:12It was an easy process. So I think also just having stuff like that on hand or calming chews or some of the pheromone spray, some of those things that can help get your animal over a stressful situation or just like an extra tool in your toolkit, not only helped them calm down, but I think made me calmer knowing that I had something that I could reach for if and when I needed it.

46:36And I think they just feed off of that that energy as well. So it's it's really just getting them used to whatever that new situation, a little bit of testing things out before the big day gets here. And honestly, at the end of the day, knowing that it's going to be OK. I think that's great. You know, honestly, I think it's just as much getting you used to the situation as it is them because we project so much about what how we think they're going to feel. I thought that the cats, honest to God, I thought the cats would, would meow from the

47:09second we left the driveway in Birmingham to the second that we pulled in in Merida. Because that's, you know, they meow. And if you take them on a short ride and I had just absolutely prepared myself for that. I had my headphones and of course I don't want them to feel discomfort and all that stuff. And they just did not care.

47:31They did not seem to care at all about any of it. They did meow. Like I said, they, you know, they ran the roost of the car, roll the roost, all that stuff. But I think it is, it is as much for you, you know, I think you did a really good job preparing and managing that and it's just as much for you as it is for them.

47:52And I will say you could also apply this advice to family members and having having challenges taking. Them for a coffee in the morning and a little bit of pharmaceuticals will go a long way. Amazing. Americans Abroad is an Expatsi production. Please like, share, subscribe and leave a review. Are you thinking about moving abroad? Start with our quiz at expatsy.com. That's EXPA tsi.com.