- Is the Pet shipper a member of IPATA? Most Airlines will only allow IPATA members to ship pets out of Australia.
- Where will my pet be staying overnight, and in what conditions?
Pet Carriers International are one of the few pet shippers in Sydney that have their own on-site private boarding facilities.
All pets stay in their own private suite – photos are available on our Facebook page and owners are welcome to visit the facility prior to travel.
At Pet Carriers International, we welcome pet families to come and inspect our transit lounge facilities to ensure peace of mind. - Make sure that your pet is not staying overnight at a vet clinic, boarding kennels, or even in the shippers vans.
This can breach IATA regulations on pre-boarding quarantine requirements.
If it is possible and practical, ask to visit the shipper's transit lounge facility, so you can see for yourself. - How much one on one time will be devoted to your pet?
The sales volume-based shippers are less likely to even give you dog a walk in a park or on grass, they might just be kept in a kennel all day. - What is the crate size being quoted? Are you comparing apples and oranges by being quoted in a smaller crate?
Some Pet Shippers may quote using a smaller crate than is required by IATA regulations.
This is unsafe for your pet and also may incur extra fees closer to the travel date if the airlines deem the crate is too small.
Transporting your pet in a crate smaller than is required is highly risking your pet’s safety and risking your pet’s transport being rejected by an airline or a transit station at some point in the process. - Which airline(s), flight(s), transit point(s) and route(s) is/are being used? There are combinations of these that are significantly higher risk than others.
- Are veterinary requirements included in your quote(s). Some treatments can be arranged by the owner which can be more cost effective.
- There are additional special requirements for all brachycephalic breeds.
Is your shipper experienced with Brachycephalic breeds? - How long has the shipper been in business? What is their reputation? Do not rely on Google reviews alone.
- What is their record of safety of pets in their care?
- What are the inclusions in the quote?
- What are the exclusions in the quote? These should be explicitly stated.
- How experienced are the pet shipper in exporting or importing pets into and out of Australia? Websites can be copied and provide false and/or misleading information.
- Be aware of scammers – visit scamwatch.org – puppy scams are becoming more common.
- Do not respond to Pet Shippers using Gmail or the like generic domain addresses, and do try to cross reference their domain name.
- Be careful and do your research.