Experts give advice on how to avoid problems with pets on vacation

For three weeks now, the Siberian Panteleimon has been living in the capital of Thailand with a girl who caressed him right at the airport. He flew to Tai Panteleimon from Novosibirsk on vacation, rested, but did not get on the return flight – and so he became a relocant. It should be clarified that Panteleimon is a Chihuahua dog.

Who and why first drags pets with them to the ends of the world, and then suddenly leaves them to their own devices?

– Paperwork for an animal is both money and trouble, – says veterinarian Zoya Savelyeva. – Zoo-hotels are not cheap pleasure, many try to put them in good hands via the Internet, but if it didn’t work out, and the departure time approaches, then they either leave it or drag it with them. The desire to take pets with them for those who are leaving for a long time is understandable.

But how to understand those who cannot even spend a week of vacation without their beloved dog, draw up all the documents, torment the unfortunate woman with many hours of flight, and then suddenly leave her in a foreign country?! This is exactly what happened to Panteleimon: on March 23, his owners flew home to Novosibirsk, and the dog was not allowed on the return flight. And now, for three weeks now, Panteleimon, with the help of his new mistress, has been writing letters home to Novosibirsk (the airport employee who took him gave the dog to a Russian girl living in Bangkok). As they explained to us at the airport, the reason why Panteleimon was not allowed on the return flight was the mistake of his mistress when importing the animal:

– She had to pass the veterinary control with the dog and pay import duties upon arrival in Bangkok. And since the owner did not do this, the dog was not allowed on the return flight. She could go through all these procedures on departure, but then she would not have time for her return flight.

That is why it was easier to leave Panteleimon to the Bangkok ground stewardess, giving her all the remaining Thai cash – 10 thousand baht – to support him. At parting, it was said that the dog would be sent to the owners in Russia, but the procedure for returning the dog to his homeland, along with paperwork and purchasing a ticket, turned out to be so expensive that it was constantly postponed. While some people in Runet joke that “Panteleimosha was lucky to move from Novosib to warmer climes,” others are outraged by the heartlessness of his owners. At the same time, a dispute arose if the owners leave for a short period of up to two weeks, which is worse for the animal – a many-hour flight or being left without owners in a zoo hotel. Some argue that pet hotels can now be controlled even remotely:

– My cat is now in the hotel, – says the Russian woman, who is resting in warm regions. – I look at her through the webcam at any time. Walks twice a day for an hour, scratch it and play. Everything is better than sitting at home for one week with feeding from a neighbor, and even more so dragging with you across the ocean. Even children are sent to kindergarten. And only spending can stop it. A good zoo-hotel from 500 rubles per night for cats and from 1000 rubles for dogs.

The problem turned out to be so painful that in the same Tai, as it turned out, psychologists of a specialized “zoo-profile” are already providing services with might and main.

“I work online with those who have planned to move for a long time or permanently,” says a zoopsychologist from Thai Phuket. – I help to decide whether to take a pet with me or leave it at home. If the second, then how to survive the separation yourself and help other family members. To whom is it better to entrust the animal, how to check the new owner in a short time, whether he will be cruel to your pet. Doesn’t he take it only for the sake of money, if the leaving owners have undertaken to pay the one who takes their animal. And if we decide to take them with us, then I warn you that you must first study the rules not only for the export of animals from the Russian Federation, but also the rules for importing them to where you are on your way.

Specifically, in Thailand, at the airport of arrival, it is necessary to go through veterinary control with the brought animal, obtain a certificate and pay import duty in local currency. Many Russian animal lovers simply do not know this, and therefore do not do it. And it “comes around” only on departure, when the animal is not allowed on board. The owners have to either stay on their own to go through all the procedures with the animal, and this is a lost return ticket, and sometimes an expired visa – or leave the animal.

“This happens all the time with the owners of small animals that fly in the cabin,” says veterinarian Zoya Savelyeva. – If you take a pet from your luggage, there are always veterinarians with forms for veterinary control and payment. And if the animal was “in hand luggage”, got off the plane and went, no one will remind. From the point of view of animal health, they, like people, do not benefit from long flights and a sharp change in climate. But if people go for it for the sake of a week by the sea, then for the four-legged it is by no means as important and life-giving. Therefore, it is worth tormenting them with flights only if the owners leave for a long time. And for the sake of a week’s rest – selfishness.

To export an animal from the Russian Federation abroad, you need: a veterinary passport with information about vaccinations and treatment against parasites; a certificate from the veterinary clinic confirming the health of the animal and the absence of infectious diseases; documents for the ownership of an animal or a power of attorney if it is not yours; a certificate for the carriage of an animal issued by an airline or other carrier; certificate that the animal is not an object of cultural heritage; in the case of rare breeds, a permit is required to export the animal from the country. At the same time, it is important to clarify the requirements of both the carrier and the customs services of the country of destination, import rules may differ from export ones. So, for example, in Thailand, permission from local authorities is required to import an animal into the Kingdom, and it is issued based on the results of a veterinary examination and is paid in local currency.