Moving Overseas with a Dog: Presley’s Journey from North Carolina to Italy

When my fairytale started, we decided up front not to move my dog, Presley, overseas – for a number of reasons – none which seem significant in the scheme of things now. One of the reasons includes the fact that I had been on many flights where a dog cried the whole time. It was traumatic and seemed torturous to do that to an animal. I was also naïve about how dog-friendly Italy is and ignorant of the fact that I needed my little man in my life. Before Stephen came along, it was just me and Presley, for 2.5 years through relationships and breakups, schoolwork, late nights, and my teaching career.

Photo by Brittany Butterworth Photography

Photo by Brittany Butterworth Photography

Stephen has a cat – Kitty – and with my hatred of cats, it wasn’t fair for me to bring my dog and ask him not to bring the cat. And I wasn’t about to budge and let a cat into my home. 5 months into our life abroad, I missed the little guy so much I just couldn’t stand it any longer. Whatever deal we had to make, I was prepared to make it!

And just like that, Presley was coming to live with us in Italy. He is, in every way except legally, my emotional support dog. I knew the process of moving overseas with a dog wouldn’t be easy – but that’s the understatement of the year…

First Plan Gone Awry

In February, I went home to attend a best friend’s wedding and to surprise my parents. My goal for this trip was to bring Presley back to Italy with me. I had messaged his vet, told her my plan and set up an appointment for when I would be in town.

The rules of moving overseas with a dog (to Italy in particular) were clear: 15-code microchip, rabies shot within the last year, and a bilingual health certificate. Easy peasy. When I told my parents face-to-face that Presley would be returning with me, I could see the sorrow in their eyes. If you’ve ever met the little guy, you can attest to his spunky character, love of life, and foolishness. He’s 3 years old yet acts like a 6-month puppy experiencing life for the first time. I knew they would miss him tremendously – just as I had for the last several months.

We set up the vet appointments and had his health certificate filled out, his microchip inserted, and had the doctor perform an overall wellness check to make sure he was good to fly. His vet called up to New York while we were there to make sure she did everything correctly. She walked back into the room with her head hanging low and I just knew it was about to be bad news.

Per Italy’s strict rules (you can visit the .gov site by clicking here), dogs must receive their rabies shot after the microchip is inserted, otherwise, it isn’t valid. Even though Presley was up-to-date with his rabies vaccination, he would now have to get a new shot the next day. The problem with this is he had to wait 21 days until after receiving the shot before he could be allowed to enter the country of Italy. Don’t make the same mistake I did if you’re going to move your pet overseas!

I burst into tears, completely defeated at not being able to take my little man home with me. I had already booked our flight back home within a week and there I was no way I could stay in the states for 21 days to wait it out.

Our veterinarian at Northwest Animal Hospital was incredibly sympathetic and could tell how much this disappointed me. I know she wanted to help, but there was only so much to be done. I came in the next day to bring little P for his rabies vaccine and then he would have to wait the alloted time.

Planning #2 Stage

I left the states on February 27^th and Presley could travel as of March 16^th. I started doing ALL the research I could. How was I going to get him sent over to Italy mid-March without me accompanying him??

First, I considered a pet shipper. I contacted Happy Tails Travel and got a quote from them for $2,925 which would have included the following: air travel consultation, airfare, ticket purchase fee, mailed VIP pet packet, vet packet (including the health certificates, applications, etc.) and a customs clearance agent. I was flabbergasted at how expensive it was to get him shipped privately with a pet shipping company, but I know that some people have to do that due to certain circumstances.

Then, I considered putting him below the plane in the cargo section unaccompanied. Basically, my parents would take him to the airport and hand him over to the airline staff, where he would be taken care of until I picked him up in Italy.

I called the American Airlines phone number too many times to count, and each time with a different outcome. The first guy was incredibly helpful, looked up flights, told me it would be $300 from Raleigh to Venice with a military discount of 50%. But, I could not book until 10 days before Presley was able to fly. So, I called back a few days later and the lady on the phone proceeded to tell me that that wasn’t possible because they don’t fly into Venice. Irritated, I hung up and called back each day with different outcomes. “You’ll need to pick him up in Germany.” “He can only fly to Rome .” “He can fly to Milan, but the vet isn’t there on Sunday.” “We don’t fly unaccompanied dogs.”

I wanted to bang my head against the wall each time I hung up the phone. Then, one lady told me I had to call the sales department – that the “live animals” department was not the correct line. I laughed and said, “ok, transfer me.” The woman in sales was so confused and furious after I had told her how I had been run around in circles over the phone. Like damnit people, I was alone in Italy and all I wanted was my dog. I think I used that exact line once (oops). She contacted someone who emailed me and I was able to make an official request.

Their response was $525 for a 48-hour flight and the international expedited fee. Everything would’ve been fine and dandy, but the thought of leaving him alone for 2 days just tore my heart into pieces. I couldn’t do that. I had a flight back home for April 19^th to attend my brother’s wedding. I could hardly stand the thought of living another month without my companion, but I needed to think about his welfare and the reality of the situation.

Preparing for Little P

Over the next month, I prepped for bringing a dog into our home. I made sure to have all the essentials…since it’s not like I could fit everything from my parent’s house into my suitcase and bring it back! I started my search online where I always order his dog food – Royal Canine for Dachshunds – only the finest for my boy. I’m glad I ordered from there because I haven’t been able to find it anywhere in Italy.

Here are what I consider to be the essentials. This is also a great list if you’re bringing a new puppy dog into your home!

• Food
• Food & water bowls – I like the grip bottom
• Toys – Presley likes squeaky spiked balls (check them out here)
• Toothbrush & toothpaste – avoid those teeth cleaning vet fees
• Dental chews
• Poop bags & holder
• Short leash
• Retractable leash
• Harness
• Collar
• Dog tag w/ owners info on it

10 days before my return flight to Italy, my mom took Presley back to the vet to have his bilingual health certificate filled out. Immediately after, she overnighted the signed forms to the USDA office in New York for the official stamp of approval. It arrived back the very next day – approved! The ultimate decision was that Presley would be flying back to Italy with me, in the cabin area. This way we could be together the entire time and hopefully, he wouldn’t be as traumatized.

Day of Travel

My mom found a great soft crate for him that met the requirements for in-cabin pet travel. Plenty of room for him to turn around in, stand up, breathe easily, etc. The day of travel I packed a small t-shirt of mine in with him, so he could have a familiar smell to keep him company. I packed a small bag of food and fed him ice chips throughout the plane rides. He did so surprisingly well on both flights. He never whined, cried, or even barked once. I took him out of the crate and walked him around at the Newark Airport for some exercise. We walked as far as we could to wear him out and it apparently worked because he slept most of the overseas flight from Newark to Venice.

Before flying I researched the pet relief areas and I took him there a few times – the one in Newark was located right near our gate, but he never used it. You can find more info here or visit the airport’s official site for up-to-date info. I never used any sleeping meds or anything with Presley and I recommend not using any. I requested all aisle seats to be able to take him to the bathroom if he started whining.

When we arrived in Venice, Italy the next morning, I had my “Presley” folder all prepared to show and not a single person even acknowledged the fact that I had brought a dog into the country. It’s like it was the norm there.

Finally in Italy

Stephen and I welcomed Presley with open arms into our home, gave him the full tour and let him sniff everything. We have a completely fenced in yard, so we only had to make a few minor adjustments, like to our front gate so he couldn’t crawl under, but other than that, it was perfect for a dog.

Once we were settled in, I immediately contacted the military veterinarian to register Presley. All I had to do was email them the records and fill out a registration form. We went to the local ULSS office with his application and a rabies certificate, paid 12,50 €, and got him a pet passport in order for him to travel between countries. After that, the only extra thing I did was schedule an appointment for him to get the lepto vaccine. Fyi, Leptospirosis is caused by a bacteria spread through soil, water, and the urine of infected animals, and if not caught early it can be deadly.

Since Presley has arrived in Italy, he has been to over 10 countries, traveled with us on a 14-day road trip, gone on numerous hikes, participated in a photoshoot in Verona, and spent the night in different campgrounds and hotels all over Europe. Our life is truly so much better with him and he keeps us entertained nightly. Through all the setbacks and speed bumps, it was worth every penny to have him move overseas to Italy and join our family.

Photo by Pawdacious Portraits

Photo by Pawdacious Portraits

Photo by Pawdacious Portraits

Photo by Pawdacious Portraits

I hope you enjoyed reading about the journey to get little P over to Italy from North Carolina, USA. Do you travel with your dog? If so, have you traveled internationally with him/her? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear similar stories and about the process if yours was easier!