Trying to find the best way to move my dog from the US to UK

I have two main problems. Finances and fear of him being flagged. I also have no idea how customs works and I feel COMPLETELY intimidated by everything.
I hear going by sea is cheaper but I can't figure any of that out. It seems like there's a lot of hidden costs that would really hurt. Plus booking space on short notice seems to be an issue but I can  make calls to find out about that x
I saw someone say they only paid $200 per pet. HOW? I'm facing flight costs of $1475. That doesn't include off the plane transport. My dog is a snub nosed breed (boxer/cattle dog) so I'm apparently limited in what airline I can use. How can I do this cheaper? How likely would I be to get away with taking him on a train from Heathrow to Lowestoft?
Would a smaller airport in England be a better option instead of Heathrow?
Can I wait at the airport to get him myself or do I have to pay someone to transport him from the airport to my husband's house? How long does that take if I can wait for him so I can have my transport planned in advance safely?
How does customs work? My dog is SUPER friendly but I don't know how he would respond to the flight. I worry about nerves causing aggression and I would with any dog x Do they get them out of the crate or do I?
How do you pay the customs costs and how much is it? I've been getting different answers on this that make me nervous.
On being flagged. My dog's mix makes him look a certain way that may get him labelled a dangerous type. He's not. He's fairly small though (35-40 chubby lbs) and I'm told that will exclude him from being flagged as a dangerous type on it's own.
If he passes American customs, will he pass England's? If he gets flagged, how likely would it be that he get exempted?
And are there any organisations that assist with transport costs for pets so owners don't have to lose them? Or any that help with exemption costs should it come to that?
Thank you in advance xx I hope I was coherent xx

I have two main problems. Finances and fear of him being flagged. I also have no idea how customs works and I feel COMPLETELY intimidated by everything.
I hear going by sea is cheaper but I can't figure any of that out. It seems like there's a lot of hidden costs that would really hurt. Plus booking space on short notice seems to be an issue but I can  make calls to find out about that x
I saw someone say they only paid $200 per pet. HOW? I'm facing flight costs of $1475. That doesn't include off the plane transport. My dog is a snub nosed breed (boxer/cattle dog) so I'm apparently limited in what airline I can use. How can I do this cheaper? How likely would I be to get away with taking him on a train from Heathrow to Lowestoft?
Would a smaller airport in England be a better option instead of Heathrow?
Can I wait at the airport to get him myself or do I have to pay someone to transport him from the airport to my husband's house? How long does that take if I can wait for him so I can have my transport planned in advance safely?
How does customs work? My dog is SUPER friendly but I don't know how he would respond to the flight. I worry about nerves causing aggression and I would with any dog x Do they get them out of the crate or do I?
How do you pay the customs costs and how much is it? I've been getting different answers on this that make me nervous.
On being flagged. My dog's mix makes him look a certain way that may get him labelled a dangerous type. He's not. He's fairly small though (35-40 chubby lbs) and I'm told that will exclude him from being flagged as a dangerous type on it's own.
If he passes American customs, will he pass England's? If he gets flagged, how likely would it be that he get exempted?
And are there any organisations that assist with transport costs for pets so owners don't have to lose them? Or any that help with exemption costs should it come to that?
Thank you in advance xx I hope I was coherent xx

Hi TTU, I'm going to have a go at answering some of your questions but with the disclaimer that it was 3 years ago that I brought my cats over so some things *may* have changed.

Travel by sea, seems to be ideal but from what I understand, the kennels book up more than a year in advance and there is a waiting list for cancellations. This may not be suitable for your situation but you could always give them a call.  https://ask.cunard.com/help/fleet/kennel_info

To get the approx $200 price tag, you would have to fly via continental Europe and travel the rest of the way by land/sea. The reason is that animals flying into the UK must travel as manifest cargo whereas they can travel as excess baggage into Europe. It's essentially the same for the dog, it's just the paperwork and price that're different.

When flying into the UK you can only enter via a handful of airports, those with animal reception centers. As far as I know there is no difference, I've heard good things about all of them. You would just wait until the animal was cleared and then you could take him on from there. No need to pay for him to be delivered.

I'm sorry I can't help with the dangerous breed questions. Were they not able to help you on the doggy forums?

So few airlines accept animals direct from the public.  And since your dog is a snub-nose, I would HIGHLY recommend you use a Pet Shipper.  They'll answer all of your questions and ensure you will have no issues bringing your dog into the country.  All those fears will leave.

They will be costly.  Not much more than doing it on your own.  I used Air Animal out of Tampa and I would highly recommend them.

As far as cunard, I will look at all possibilities x
This is all helpful, thank you so much x got some ideas to hunt down x
Doggy forum? I thought this was it ha where do I find it? Xx

Doggy forum? I thought this was it ha where do I find it? Xx

You were worried that your pup might be considered a dangerous breed because of his looks. In another thread I posted links to a couple of forums that looked like they may be able to advise you. I just wondered if you had asked there and if they had been able to help you?

I did a quick search and came up with a couple of animal/dog forums where you could perhaps reach out for some clarification on the UK standards as they apply to your dog.


http://www.ddawatch.co.uk/

http://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/advice-on-uk-law-pitbull-types.391130/ 

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=88884.msg1153544#msg1153544

OH! I thought you meant in here specifically xx I don't have that good of a memory LOL
I've talked to DDA Watch and they sent me some links. I'm still waiting to hear back from three people, I reached out again today. Other links were dead.
I just went to that second link from you and I don't recognise it. It must have gotten lost in all the chaos but I'll definitely get in there now xx thank you xx

OH! I thought you meant in here specifically xx I don't have that good of a memory LOL
I've talked to DDA Watch and they sent me some links. I'm still waiting to hear back from three people, I reached out again today. Other links were dead.
I just went to that second link from you and I don't recognise it. It must have gotten lost in all the chaos but I'll definitely get in there now xx thank you xx

Loads of luck with this. I so hope it all works out for you.

Thank you xx me too xx