Pet Travel to the Dominican Republic
Travelling with your pet to the Dominican Republic is relatively easy!
Quarantine:
No quarantine period is required for healthy cats & dogs entering the Dominican Republic.
Paperwork/Passport required:
Pettravel.com is a an excellent resource for world wide travel and provides a step by step process on all requirements for pet travel to the Dominican Republic. It is easy to follow and very informative. It will discuss paperwork/passport, vaccinations, forms for downloading and also has a pet travel on-line store e.g. you can purchase travel kits for labelling kennels properly. I highly recommend this website for pet travel.
Booking a Flight:
There are several airlines that are pet friendly from Canada to the Dominican Republic (WestJet, Air Canada & Air Transit). Each has its own policies and depending if travelling cargo or check-in you should review to determine what is best for your situation.
WestJet did an amazing job with our three german shepherd dogs and were extremely helpful at both Toronto and Puerto Plata Airports. Leaving Toronto they ensured all crates were labelled correctly and the dogs were secure for their trip.
See WestJet for further information regarding airfare and travel restrictions. Most airlines will travel to the Caribbean during the cooler months from October to May. Check to see you have the correct type of kennel/crate for travelling with your pet.
Tip: If travelling with dogs – before arriving and after leaving the airport stop at a green space to let the dogs have a bathroom break and a quick walk about. We also did not feed the dogs any food before the flight only a drink of water.
Immigration:
At the Puerto Plata airport we picked up our dogs (travelled by cargo) in the cargo drop-off which is in the same area as luggage carousel (just off to the right – same place as golf bags, etc). Take your pet to the Immigration department inside the airport to present paperwork/passport. There is a small fee for processing the paperwork. Once paperwork is reviewed you are all set and can be on your way.
Adopting Dominican Dogs
We see many Canadians at the Puerto Plata airport who have adopted a cute Dominican dog. These dogs are so sweet and thanks to a wonderful non-profit organization here in Sosua called Friends of the Animal Association in Sosua for making this happen!
They will help you step by step to ensure all paperwork is complete and you are ready to take your new pet home. Please see their website for complete details.
http://www.aaasosua.com/adopt-dog-canada.html
Most grocery stores have pet sections complete with dog & cat food (e.g. Purina, Eukanuba) in all the different types such as puppy or senior dog, cat litter, toys, shampoo, leashes & collars, dog and cat beds, etc. I have not found Dura Chew’s Nylabones yet so I still bring those when I visit Canada. If anyone knows where I can buy them here in the DR please let me know!
Our pets are important to us and as pet owners we do not want to always leave our pets behind when vacationing. You will find a large community of animal lovers in the North Coast and it is very common to see residents or vacationers walking with their dogs on the beach enjoying another wonderful day in paradise.