Exporting a dog from Tobago.

[Anna M]

Hello All,
I am currently trying to rehome a dog from the animal shelter in Tobago.
As I imagined, there has been many problems along the way and the latest being do i need an export licence to fly a dog from Tobago to the UK? Nobody seems to know for sure so I thought i would ask all you Tobago experts
I have been ringing and emailing the ministry of trade and industry in Tobago but have been unable to get an answer. Their website suggests you do NOT need an export licence but i want to find out for sure before i pay a fortune for the flight, get the dog to the airport and then it isn't allowed to board the plane.
I have all the other paperwork, health certificate, import licence, etc.
Please can anyone help?
Thanks.

[CaroleW]

You could read this thread for an insight and maybe send Sandra an e-mail to enquire - Good luck in your quest

http://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopi ... ight=carib

[Sandra Daniel]

Hi Anna

Looking through my paperwork relating to Caribs trip to England , I'm not sure if we needed an export licence. We got our import licence from RGM Brokers in Robinson street and I do remember some paperwork had to be sent from Trinidad to Tobago but can't remember if that was an export licence.

We ended up with so much paperwork in the end my head was spinning ! Mrs Phillips arranged the last of the paperwork for us as we had to go home. Silly question but have you spoken to her ?

I really hope it all works out for you. It is very frustrating but keep going and hopefully you'll get there in the end.

Sorry I can't be much help.

Sandra

[Jo B]

Anna

I don't know where you are in Kent, but if you know the Lord Whiskey Animal Rescue Centre near Canterbury, I believe they helped import dogs from Tobago a couple of years ago. Margaret Todd is the proprietor, and may be helpful. Google Lord Whiskey.

Good luck.

Jo x

[Anna M]

Hi Carolew, Sandra and JO,
Thanks for your help and suggestions.
Finally found out that an export licence is NOT required.
My dog, Amber, is due to fly to England next Thursday.
She is flying BA via Trinidad and Barbados.
Very exciting! We have been working on this since February.
Sandra, i now realise how stressful and frustrating the process is!!
Hope we can give Amber a good life which will make it all worthwhile.
Love to Carib.
Best wishes,
Anna

[CaroleW]

Awww, so glad you got it sorted - now you just have to wait the six months while she's in quarantine

[Sandra Daniel]

Hi Anna

Glad Amber is now all set to come to England. Which quarantine kennels is she going to?

Next set of questions for us dog lovers :

How old is she?

What colour?

What made you choose her out of all the dogs in the rescue centre?

Now Tobago is a rabies free country did you get tests done there six months ago and Amber won't need quarantine in England?

Sorry for all the questions but it's so interesting hearing someone else's dog story !

Take care

Sandra

[Anna M]

Hi Sandra,
Yes, it was very difficult choosing just 1 dog from all the many desperate for homes. Amber is 2 and a half years old, tan in colour with darker brown markings on her head and long legs.She has a lovely nature.
The original dog I chose at the shelter sadly died on our last day in Tobago She had cancer. It was heartbreaking going to say goodbye and finding her dead.
Amber will have to go in to quarantine for 6 months at Horsham. In theory i could have used the pet passport scheme and so avoided the costly quarantine proccess but i decided it would be more straigtforward not to. It was hard enough just getting her booked on a flight let known microchipped, blood tested, vaccinated etc as well.
Best wishes,
Anna

[Sandra Daniel]

Hi Anna

Thanks for your reply.
Sorry about your first dog, that must have been very sad for you.
Amber sounds lovely, I hope she gets on ok in quarantine. Will you be able to visit her ? Horsham is only about twenty minutes from us I didn't realise there was a quarantine kennels there. Not that it really matters as Carib was in Lingfield, which is about twenty minutes away as well.
Anyway, if Ambers needs any visitors and you can't make it let me know and I can always pop in and say hello to her.
Keep us posted and perhaps Steve will let you pop a picture of her onto this thread.

Take care

Sandra

[Anna M]

Hi Sandra,
I went to visit Amber today. She seems fine apart from a skin wound on her stomach. May have happened on the flight if she got knocked about a bit or perhaps self inflicted if she was stressed/bored. She said she would love an extra visitor if you fancy it?? She is such an affectionate dog...no amount of attention/visitors will be enough for her!!
How did Carib get on in quarantine?
You can email me if you do decide to visit and you want directions to St Andrews farm kennels.
Best wishes,
Anna.

[Peter T.]

Hi Anna, I believe Amber is a dog my wife and I encountered in Buccoo in February 2006. She was then about a year old and had been abandoned in the village. She was being fed and cared for by a British couple who were staying at the same B&B as us. Amber was an extremely affectionate dog the craved human contact. We made sure that she had plenty to eat at least. After we left our British friends took her to a shelter as the were leaving as well. We all contributed to the shelter for her care. The last we heard was that she had been adopted by someone from Englishman's Bay. I am so happy that she has been adopted by someone who obviously cares for her.

[Anna M]

Hi Peter,
Interesting to hear your story.
Amber has a habit of putting her paws up on your waist asking for attention. I don't know if your dog did that?
There are many Tobago dogs that look like her....last year i nearly adopted a male dog from Black Rock that could have been her twin brother.
Best wishes,
Anna.

[Peter T.]

Hi Anna, Yes Amber would put her paws up. She was named
Amber by the British couple that we met. By the time we were to leave it was becoming obvious that she was pregnant. She had her puppies in the shelter and our British friends,who returned to Tobago a few weeks later, advised that all of her puppies were adopted in the Buccoo area. After she had her puppies they paid to have her spayed. I will poat some pictures when I figure out how.

[Anna M]

Hi Peter,
Wow that's amazing!! you can email the photos to me direct if you like. I have asked Steve to post a photo of her here.Amber has indeed been spayed. Amber was the name she had at the shelter.I definately think it is the same dog now.
Anna.


[Editor: Photo Attached]

[Sarah Deere-jones]

Really interested to hear your story with Amber, she is a lovely looking girl, well done for all the trouble you've gone to for her! We noticed the stray dogs at Store Bay, finishing off the left overs from the food shops there, they seemed to be doing pretty well on all the food cartons and tourists feeding them!
We' ve been thinking of buying a retirement home in Tobago and staying there for the winters. If we did, I would want to bring my dogs with me, using the pet passport scheme. At the moment its not possible for foreigners to buy property there anyway, but your difficulties are making me think twice about this plan! Does anyone have any experience of taking dogs in and out of Tobago on a pet passport?

Sarah Deere-Jones

[Linda P]

Hi, how much does it cost to fly a dog back from Tobago?
and how come both of the adopted dogs on this forum have links to our family? we have a dog adopted in England, called Carib, and a daughter named Amber!!!!

Linda

[Anna M]

It cost me about £1000 to fly Amber to the UK. It is so expensive because only BA world cargo are flying dogs out of Tobago at the moment. You also have to buy a flight kennel which costs £110. But the sweet natures of the Tobago pot hounds makes it all worthwhile.....
Amber is doing well...she had an operation last week to remove a stitch from her stomach which was left in her when she was spayed last year.
It had caused a wound that would not heal. Already she has done a fifth of her time in quarantine.

[Anna M]

Hi All you dog lovers,
Just to let you know that Amber finished her "time" in quarantine last week and she is doing fine!!
In fact she is a model dog. She was house trained from day 1-amazing as she has never lived in a house before. She has not done any chewing, barking, weeing or other unruly doggy behaviour.She sleeps quietly in her dog bed in the kitchen at night. She still has her lovely affectionate and playful nature.
In quarantine, she did go a bit mad with lots of barking annd jumping up the walls which had her nick named Ariel Amber. She settled down so nicely as soon as she got home.She fell into a routine within a few days.If anybody else is considering rehoming a Tobago dog, please do email me for advice.

[Anna M]

Here is Amber, relaxing at home. Maybe dreaming of Tobago?

[Sandra Daniel]

Hi Anna

I feel so mean not going to see Amber in quarantine as I fully intended to , I can't believe how quickly that six months has gone.

I'm really glad that she is home in time for Christmas , she looks very chilled lounging on your sofa !

Anyway apologies again for not visiting. Happy Christmas to you & Amber.

Take care

Sandra