decided would be best to rehome the rabbit nearer the time, the dog however, the process seems rather confusing and overwhelming
There is always the option of hiring a third-party pet transport agency to take care of a lot of this for you. I did it all on my own but there are people here on the forum who have experience with third parties and can offer recommendations.
For the dog, it's not really that bad to do it yourself. It's just a lot to do in a short period of time. The link above gives you all the details, but the short version is like this -
More than 21 days before arrival:
- Get the dog microchipped (if not already)
- Get a rabies vaccine
Within 5 days of arrival (this is 5 days instead of 10 because of the tapeworm treatment):
- Have vet complete veterinary certificate, which includes microchip and rabies information -
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pet-travel-certificate-for-movement-of-dogs-cats-and-ferrets-from-third-countries- Get tapeworm treatment and have vet record in certificate
- Send certificate to USDA to be endorsed, including overnight return shipping label
You will also need to complete a Transfer of Residence (ToR) document to declare that you're importing a pet:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-transfer-of-residence-tor-relief-tor01 This replaces the old C5 form which you might see mentioned on this forum.
That takes care of the paperwork side of things. Beyond that you also need to:
- Contact your airline to book travel for the dog
- Contact the animal reception centre at the airport you are arriving at
- Ensure you have a crate/kennel that meets the airline's requirements - you'll probably need to buy a new one; this also requires metal nuts to fasten and zip ties to seal the doors and top
- Have food and shredded paper bedding for the crate
- The dog must arrive within 5 days of your arrival, or you'll need to make alternate arrangements to have someone pick them up
It's a lot to deal with but if you made it through the visa process, it's not as bad! You can do it