Transatlantic Cargo/freighter with dog

I am trying to find cargo transatlantic travel from the UK to the East Coast of the USA - One passenger and her well behaved dog.

My dog is elderly and too nervous to travel by air, (plus, I do not wanted her treated as baggage) also, she has great separation issues, so we need to travel together. She is NOT a lover of kennels/cage. (We came over from the USA to theUK, via the Queen Mary II and she did not cope with the overnight kennels and visiting hours.)

Anyone know of cargo line that will take us onboard as passengers please? Can travel to Europe if need be, to embark, but obviously, would prefer UK Embarkation.

Freighter travel is a specialized niche and you might find some help in the Freighter/non-traditional cruising section:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=485

You can always try but I think you are out of options. In order to provide transatlantic kennels on QM2 Cunard needs to maintain veterinary requirements with the customs authorities in the US, UK, and Germany. If you have already transported your dog on QM2 then you well know the paperwork it takes just to clear your animal for travel. I seriously doubt a freight ship that is already dealing with the customs requirements for the goods they carry will want to handle the reams of paperwork needed to transport one animal. The only reason they carry passengers at all is that doing so gets them priority docking in busy ports.

Freighter travel is not a more casual form of cruising. Freight ships don't have elevators - a serious consideration for anybody with mobility issues. Nor do they have entertainment. Meals reflect the ethnic dietary preferences of the crew. Crews are friendly but they have jobs to do and providing conversation for lonely passengers isn't one of them.

If your dog cannot handle travel and/or separation, then you may have to limit yourself to pet-friendly land vacations. I hope you can find something that will work for you.

What you need is a pet relocation service to assist you. Here are some which can help:

http://www.petmovers.com/services/

https://www.preciouspetstransport.com

I would choose flying the dog (in the cabin of the aircraft) over a long time on a ship - some dogs do get motion sickness. I would want to make the trip as quick and easy for my dog as possible.

The OP would not be able to fly direct from the UK with her dog in the cabin as this is not permitted here.

As BlueRiband says, there is a lot of good info (some of it mine) on the freighter board. I used to work on cargo ships that carried passengers, many, many years ago.

As he says, freighter travel is more like a long train or airplane trip than a cruise. Passengers are definitely a far distant second in consideration to the cargo containers they carry, so your amenities will be spartan, and I would suspect that no line wants the headache of dealing with importing a dog to various countries, even if you are not leaving the ship there.

Another major concern is that no ship would be set up to handle a pet, unlike even the "basic" cruise ship which will provide a toilet area and personnel to clean it. You will be very restricted in the areas you are allowed to walk around the ship, for insurance reasons, and typically the passengers are restricted to the outside decks only on the accommodation block, not the main deck at all, so exercise for your dog would be at a premium.

Your best bet is to google "freighter travel", and you will find companies like Maris, who specialize in booking these ships, and they will be able to tell you if any lines allow pets.

WOW! This is really a tough situation. We would normally suggest using the Queen Mary 2....as the best of all options. Taking a dog on a plane is generally not permitted from the UK. The few freighter companies with which we are familiar do not allow any pets (not sure why). This might be a problem without a good solution. Speaking of using the Kennel on the "Queen" we wonder (just thinking outloud) if the OP's Vet can prescribe an anti-anxiety medication.

Hank

The OP would not be able to fly direct from the UK with her dog in the cabin as this is not permitted here.

Actually, I was speaking of an option such as taking a private or charter aircraft from the UK to the US. It is expensive, but allowed. This is how valuable show dogs are transported and also how wealthy people move their own dogs around for various reasons. Here's an example:

https://www.privatefly.com/us/private-flights/flying-with-pets

As you can see, the UK DOES allow this.

The only way I think it would work would be private aircraft, as previously mentioned. It is possible, but not cheap.

Sadly, I've known people who have left elderly pets behind with other family rather than deal with either unacceptable or unaffordable options.

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Yeah, a private Charter would work :). And it should only cost $75 - $100,000!. You have to really love your dog (or be very wealthy) to pay that tab :).

Hank

Yeah, a private Charter would work :). And it should only cost $75 - $100,000!. You have to really love your dog (or be very wealthy) to pay that tab :).

 

Hank

Or get a private or charter repositioning flight or share the cost with others who are moving their dogs. There are ways to get this to work. It will still be expensive, but not as bad as you think which all goes back to my initial advice: hire a pet relocation service.

The OP would not be able to fly direct from the UK with her dog in the cabin as this is not permitted here.

Not totally correct as I know that the Portuguese airline TAP allows dogs and cats in the cabin. One friend brought her dog from the UK to Portugal with TAP and another her two cats from the US to Portugal. Depending on size, it may be possible for the OP to carry her dog on TAP.

I do not have an answer. I just want to applaud the OP for such a unique question. I hope you find what you’re looking for.

Hey,

we have the exact same issue now, only departing from Germany. Could you please share how you ended up bringing your dog to Canada?

You have resurrected a 5 year old thread.  The first post is the OP’s only post, so I doubt they are still active on these boards.

According to a reply by @chengkp75on a similar thread, cargo lines have not resumed carrying passengers since the pandemic.  EM

2 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

According to a reply by @chengkp75on a similar thread, cargo lines have not resumed carrying passengers since the pandemic.  EM

Nor do any of them allow pets to be transported.

Queen Mary II offers kennel service....Pricey much, but it can be done.