Moving from US to UK with a dog during COVID

My partner and I are planning on moving to Edinburgh this summer for a graduate program. We have a small (6 kg) dog we are planning on moving with. Right now there is an embargo on bringing dogs through manifest cargo into the UK due to COVID, so if it is not lifted by summer we will have to find an alternate route. Even without the embargo, hiring an IPATA certified pet travel service looks like it will cost between $3,000-$5,000 USD...so very unaffordable. We are looking at flying into Amsterdam, spending a couple days there, then either flying on traveling by ferry into the UK. Does anyone have any guidance or suggestions? I looked through old blog posts but it looks like none are COVID specific. All help would be greatly appreciated! I feel like I've spent years of my life on calls to various agencies and companies with no clear answers. 

My partner and I are planning on moving to Edinburgh this summer for a graduate program. We have a small (6 kg) dog we are planning on moving with. Right now there is an embargo on bringing dogs through manifest cargo into the UK due to COVID, so if it is not lifted by summer we will have to find an alternate route. Even without the embargo, hiring an IPATA certified pet travel service looks like it will cost between $3,000-$5,000 USD...so very unaffordable. We are looking at flying into Amsterdam, spending a couple days there, then either flying on traveling by ferry into the UK. Does anyone have any guidance or suggestions? I looked through old blog posts but it looks like none are COVID specific. All help would be greatly appreciated! I feel like I've spent years of my life on calls to various agencies and companies with no clear answers.

Welcome to the forum. 

Historically people have entered the UK via mainland Europe with their pets either because they are adverse to them travelling in the hold or to save some money on the cost of the trip, although factoring in getting to the final destination, it's not cheap whichever way you look at it.

Unfortunately though, due to Covid and Brexit, there is really no way at all of knowing what your options are going to be at that time.