Pet Resources

Few issues have resonated as much with AFSA members as the constant headaches related to the moving of pets from post to post. From our unprecedented campaign to persuade United Airlines to change their regulations in favor of the Foreign Service, we have kept a close eye on the issue of Foreign Service companion animals. We are pleased to offer this collection of resources on the issue. This page is updated frequently.

Basic Government-Provided Information

• Traveling with Pets - 2015 Guidance from OBC
• Booking Pets on United Code shares
• APHIS Country-by-Country Guide to Pet Travel Regulations
• FAQ on Travel Issues for Short-Nosed Dogs
• State Department's Pet Info and Travel Page
• OBC's Pet Import Restrictions and Quarantine Information
• EU Pet Passports
• Pet Entry Requirements for Russia (APHIS)
• April 3, 2012: Updated FAM Regulations - New Options for Using Non-Contract Carriers
• April 13: Updated FCS Regulations on Pet Travel (Includes Helpful FAQ Section)
• Policy on the Use of Discount Government Fares When Justified by the Shipment of Pets (May 11, 2012)
• EU Veterinary Certificate

AFSA Materials

• Details of the Delta Pet Travel Waiver (January 29, 2016)
• Letter to Delta CEO Richard Anderson (December 2, 2015)
• Letter to United Senior VP Hershel Kamen (May 15, 2012)
• Traveling with Our Pets by Maureen Johnson (from the May 2012 issue of AFSA News)
• Thank-You Letter from AFSA to Ambassador Locke, April 2, 2012
• Letter from Ambassador Gary Locke to United Airlines, March 27, 2012
• AFSA Letter to United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek Regarding New Pet Travel Policies, March 2, 2012
• AFSA Letter to Under Secretary Kennedy Regarding New Pet Travel Policies at United Airlines, Feb. 24, 2012
• It's Flying Cats and Dogs by Debra Blome (from the May 2015 issue of AFSA News)
• Looking Out for Our Foreign Service Pets by Donna Ayerst (from the June 2011 issue of AFSA News)

Pet Evacuation Preparedness

• Proposed Pet Evacuation Policy
• Pet Evacuation Preparedness at the Post Level
• AFSA Memorandum on Pet Evacuation Policy with Recommendations (written, with input from the Humane Society and other pet welfare groups, following the 2011 Cairo evacuation which resulted in 160 pets being left behind in the care of the remaining Embassy staff and one veterinarian)

Airline-Provided Information

• United's List of Military and State Department pet exceptions
• Pet Relief Areas at Washington Dulles International Airport
• United's (Incomplete) List of Allowed In-Cabin Pet Destinations (current as of March 29, 2012)
• Airline Codeshares
• Letter from United to AFSA (May 1, 2012) (see AFSA's May 15 response under "AFSA materials" above)
• Letter from United to AFSA (May 25, 2012) [fee chart]
• PetSafe Exceptions for Military and Foreign Service Personnel
• REVISED PetSafe Exceptions for Military and Foreign Service Personnel

From Members

• Changes to American Airlines' Pet Shipping Policy (October 28, 2015)
• Recommended Vet in Northern Virginia: Dr. Marisa Gerth of Critterfixers
• Recommended Vet/Pet Boarder in Vienna, Austria
• Pet Evacuation Checklist (January 22, 2013)
• FS member's blog post on losing a pet due to restrictive pet shipping policies
• Video created by an FS community member to protest the United policy (note that re-posting does not suggest suggest 100% agreement with all sentiments expressed)

From Other Groups

• HSUS Employee Request for Dog in the Workplace: Part 1
• HSUS Employee Request for Dog in the Workplace: Part 2
• HSUS "Dogs in the Workplace" Staff Orientation
• Foreign Service Pets Yahoo Group
• "Fabulous Foreign Service Pets" on Facebook
• Humane Society Congressional Scorecard (ratings for all members of the 113th Congress)
• Article from AAFSW's Global Link newsletter regarding the United issue
• "Pet-Friendly Travel Guide" from TripBuzz
• Pets and Electronic Cigarettes (Vaping)

Information from Pet Shippers

• Club Pet
• Action Pet Express
• PBS Pet Travel

Media Coverage

• April 5, 2012: "Diplomats Demand Pet Parity" from Government Executive
• April 18, 2012: "Foreign Service Officers Feel Dogged by Airline" from The Washington Post
• April 19, 2012: "United Pet Fares Still Breed Discontent" from The Houston Chronicle (Note that IPATA President Sally Smith's statement is incorrect; pets shipped as accompanied baggage are not required to be shipped as cargo when entering or re-entering the U.S.)

Approximate Details of United's Military Waiver

• United Airlines decides to waive the program for pets traveling on the PCS orders of status of forces agreement personnel.
• Under the waiver, a pet and its kennel weighing 99.9 pounds or less will be checked as excess baggage.
• The United Airlines PetSafe Program and exemption policy will not affect pet transportation via the Air Mobility Command's Patriot Express, a U.S. government-contract flight, which provides support to U.S. military members and their families
• The policy for heavier pets remains the same as before. Pets and carriers which weigh 100 pounds or more will still have to be booked as cargo, and those rates will remain the same.

This page was last updated on 6/16/16.