Pets

[Ducky1971]

We are on our way to Okinawa in June, have been there before but the pet laws have changed since we left. We have read all the new laws...anyone brought their pet over. They have told us the AMC flight will only be flying 6 pets on our flight(high risk to bring ours then not have a space available)...please share your experience , it may be helpful to us. Also, housing waits if you have a pet, off base housing additional expences due to pets, etc. Just let me know anything you feel might be helpful. Thanks so much!

[DoctorP]

I believe that when you make your port call you need to let them know you have a pet. Once you do that they make arrangements for your pet to be on the flight with you.

[amberinna]

This is what happened to me when I was coming here. It was to hot to fly my pugs so I had to leave them. So I guess during the summer its too hot to fly some animals. I would ask the airlines where you leave. Also when you leave if the have no room on board the plane for pets it could cost you a $1000. to fly them to the states out of Naha. I hope this helped you.

[navwifecom]

Ok, first make sure you are up for the additional fees, I think AMC is now 170.00 per kennel, one animal per Kennel. Plus the limit of animals they will carry, and the fact that if it is over 80 F outside, they can keep your animals in Seattle. You have lost your pet slot and have to find a way home for fido.
I brought my animals over on a United/ANA code share flight out of San Francisco on a Boeing 777 because they have a dedicated hold that is specifically for animal transport, same pressure and temp as the cabin. Thereby bypassing the summer temp rules in the states. The charges are based on the weight of the 'cargo' and the type of animal. For example, one cat, 6kg, plus the small kennel was 200.00 to Osaka, and then another 100.00 for Osaka to Okinawa.
If you can't meet the VERY STRICT new rules about Quarantine, you should contact the Kennels on Kadena AFB NOW to get spaces to finish your 180 days. If you can get housing on base relatively quickly, you can finish your Quarantine in housing, but if you are off base housing- you have to have your animal in a quarantine facility like Karing Kennels. There is very limited space, so book early and cancel if you don't need the spaces.
It is hard to find places off base that will take pets. On base, you can have pets every where except the towers. I live off base, and don't know of any additional charges related to housing, my owner is cool about the animals, while the Housing Company has a fit when ever they see the animals in the house.
To avoid further costs, MAKE SURE you have followed the quarantine rules to the letter. Customs in Japan is not an area where they seem to stretch the rules. I know you said you know the new rules, but in my experience, the vet and the USDA vet had differing opinions of the rules, and my pets got to stay an addition 180 days in the states and I had to pay for all new tests.
Good luck in your relocation!:thumbup1:

[swindland]

WOW pets are pretty expensive to bring along. Some of the tickets costs as much as an adult price. If I was paying about a grand for my pets they better be sitting next to me instead of the hot cargo area. That's just my opinion but the airlines won't allow it due to regulations and some people being allergic to animals.

[IndyGal]

navwifecom:

If you are going to post information for someone you should have your facts straight. I read your post and thought holy crap did things really change that much with prices on the AMC flight? I knew some changes took place with bringing your pet over. Your post came across negative and then through some research; it wasn't even accurate.

My family and I have lived in Okinawa since 1998. We PCS'd briefly (8 months) and came back until present. We brought a dog over with us, flew her back to the states and then again back here. It was not near the headache that many make it out to be. Providing you have the right info and plan ahead there are no problems.

I researched myself since it has been almost six years since flying AMC with our pet and found the cost to be the same. Kadena AMC accepts pets up to 100 lbs (pet and kennel together) Pets 70lbs or less require one space with the cost of $90. Pets weighing 71 lbs to 100 lbs require two spaces. They also have in cabin travel for small pets that can fit under the seat.

Japan allows an in home quarantine whether you live on or off base providing you have met all the criteria. Your pet must be in your house or on a leash when you take it outside.

As far as housing....We have lived both on base and off and it has never been an issue. When we lived off base we simply told the housing agency we needed something that accepted pets...no problem. On base we have not had any issues either. I do know if towers are the only units they can offer you at the time; you then have to look off base for a place.

I am including two links that have more detailed info. One is for AMC rules. The other is all the requirements of Japan for bringing your pet over.

http://www.kadena.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7274

http://www.usarj.army.mil/organization/vet/a_trans.aspx

[Ducky1971]

This is the part that is confusing me...my husband says TMO takes care of this an this part of port call....any one know???
Advance Notification: The pet owner must have approval from the Government of Japan to bring the pet into the country. The request for permission is made as soon as the pet's transportation arrangements have been scheduled. The advance notification form must be approved by the Government of Japan and returned to you for use when your pet boards the flight to Japan . The airline may not allow your pet to board the plane without this form. Furthermore, Japan may not allow your pet to enter the country without this form. The advance notification form is found on the Japan District Veterinary Command (JDVC) website I also cannot seem to access this....anyone have any info?(http://www.usarj.army.mil/organization/vet/r_doc.htm). The form must be submitted to the port of entry (not the final destination) either by fax or regular mail. Addresses and fax numbers for Government of Japan ports of entry may be found at their website
(http://www.maff-aqs.go.jp/english/soshiki/telephonelist.htm). NOTE: As of the date of printing, if the animal is arriving through an AMC terminal at Kadena Air Base or Yokota Air Base, advance notification is not needed.

[mikersoft]

We acquired our cat in 1993 when we lived on Okinawa (picked her up from the DOD animal shelter). A week after we PCS'd in 1995, we had a friend ship her from Naha to Detroit because we stopped off in Hawaii for some R&R. I think it was about $350 as "live cargo" via Northwest Airlines.

When we picked her up from the airport, she looked terrible. She was covered in her own filth and totally traumatized. I felt pretty bad for her. Of course, we immediately gave her a bath, which only didn't help her mental state ;) To top it off, we only stayed in MI for a couple weeks, then drove to VA - she hated the car trip. I think it took her months to finally adjust.

That was the only time we've had to do that. It sure seems like a crappy way to transport a pet. Maybe we did it wrong. :confused:

Anyway, she's still with us (15 years old this year). If we end up going back to Japan, we'd probably leave her behind. I don't think I could do the same thing to her at this age. Hopefully we'd be able to find someone to take her.

-Mike

[navwifecom]

IndyGal,
I see your that google foo is strong.
Like all thing internet, there is bound to be a web page that is the exact opposite of another.
This Marine Corps page states the 170.00 price. tag.http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Living%20on%20Okinawa/PCSPet%20Page.html
While the AMC brochure states the following -
http://www.spacea.net/pebrochure-new.pdf
I was quoted 170.00 from AMC when I attempted to bring my animals over in 2005, hence my original price quote. Perhaps they failed to clarify my number of pets or kennels versus the price,(misinformation out of someone at AMC- I"m Shocked) but I was quoted 170.00. Granted, I can see where my information can be perceived as alarming, but when these changes all came about in 2005, all these web pages of information were not available. Heck, the Kadena Vet clinic, the MAFF Animal Quarantine Service and AMC all had different ideas on the rules back then. So this is not an attempt to "scare' anyone, just a honest response to a question. As you can see, actual mileage may vary. :)

I have to disagree about the home 180 quarantine though-
This page from the Japanese Animal Quarantine service has the FAQ's about home quarantine. Home "waiting period" quarantine is only offered to military SOFA personnel, if they live on base. http://www.maff-aqs.go.jp/english/ryoko/newquarantine-eng/systemqa/dogcata.htm#kensa2
Also shown on the Yokota web site,
http://www.yokota.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7082

If your pet had completed the 180 day home waiting period quarantine in the states, and is given the go ahead from the animal quarantine officers here, you then receive a 12 hour to 14 day home quarantine that can occur on base as well as off. As of November 2004, there are 2 different quarantine periods. The shorter one, as you pointed out, is no big deal. It is the 180 day home "waiting period" quarantine that tends to shock those who get orders 3 months out.
Ducky1971 seems to be familiar with the new rules, I just was attempting to warn her/him that the 180 day rule is what seems to foul up PCS plans.

As for off base housing that accepts pets, again my experience in 2005 is that housing companies that allow pets are few and far between. Perhaps the difference in our experiences is the difference in our time line, or the age and location of the homes we were considering.

So lets agree to disagree over our personal experiences. I stand by my experiences, and want to try and attempt to keep people informed of the potential pitfalls and expenses they might encounter. If disaster struck my pet move at 174 days of the waiting period quarantine, I can guarantee it will, or already has, happened to someone else.
I think it is better to be knowledgeable and prepared for any contingency, than to trying to find reliable help in an emergency.
I hope this cools your jets IndyGal. Peace.

[IndyGal]

I see your that google foo is strong.
Ah, no google, ha, ha. Kadena services has a web page that is actually in my favorites. I use it to make Okuma reservations, vet appointments, and kennel reservations. The info is located right on the page. :rolleyes:

Like all thing internet, there is bound to be a web page that is the exact opposite of another.

Okay, so both of your pages you posted links for state about the same thing give or take a couple of dollars. Not sure what point you are making here. You must have had a large dog which would require the price of two spaces. My point was you were putting that price out as if it were the minimum price for all pets.

As far as the quarantine issue.... It seems that most will get hit with the maximum 180 days if they are missing any of the requirements. I am sorry you had a bad experience and I was not disputing that. I posted my links in regards to that only for information purposes.

As for off base housing that accepts pets, again my experience in 2005 is that housing companies that allow pets are few and far between. Perhaps the difference in our experiences is the difference in our time line, or the age and location of the homes we were considering.

As with anyplace you go; finding a rental that accepts pets is always going to be more of a challenge than if you don't.

So lets agree to disagree over our personal experiences. I stand by my experiences, and want to try and attempt to keep people informed of the potential pitfalls and expenses they might encounter. If disaster struck my pet move at 174 days of the waiting period quarantine, I can guarantee it will, or already has, happened to someone else.

I have not tried to say your experiences didn't happen. I did dispute your prices though. Again I am sorry for your bad experience. I only put my own experience and recent links for information as well. There are pitfalls to many things here besides pets. The government is always looking for ways and reasons to nickel and dime people.

I hope this cools your jets

Ha, ha. No need. Just stating my own opinion. Nothing personal.

[X_Caliber_9mm]

I just moved to Japan early Jan. 08 and brought 2 55-60 lb lab mix dogs with me. Here is what I have for you.

First off, the .mil sites were unavailable to me....at least the ones where there were references to forms. However, I got most of my forms from my base vet. I do believe I still have copies of all of my stuff on my computer and would gladly e-mail them to you if you like, just e-mail me at lee_stanford@hotmail.com.
Here are the forms I needed:
- Health Certificate (if done by a military vet, does not need raised USDA seal. Must be done within 10 days of ARRIVAL to Japan)
- FAVN test results (need this to prove rabies level & to get health cert.)
- Temperature statement (need at airport to say dogs can be exposed to temps below 30 deg or something like that, may need for hot temps too)
- Rabies certificates (signed by vet w/ licence #, we needed USDA raised seals on ours)
- all vet records from the States (you can turn them in on arrival and will greatly INCREASE your in-process time at the AMC terminal)

- ***If you are flying commercial into Japan then you need the gov't advance notification form which has to be sent off to Japan with all the FAVN test results, rabies, etc. well in advance so it has time to come back with approval. If you are flying AMC then you DO NOT NEED ONE, period! (we got conflicting answers on this and this is the final result, tried and tested)

Ok, so here's the process we went through.

- Get dog an approved microchip, get rabies shot same day (only needs to be a one year - don't pay extra for a 3 yr...required once a year here regardless)
- 30 days later get second rabies shot, get FAVN test blood drawn and sent off to an approved lab same day.
- When you get the FAVN test results back, GET THE ORIGINAL - (put the microchip # on it and keep it with your rabies certs.) If rabies certs done at military vet you don't need raised seals, if not then it has to go through the USDA to get the seals and they will require you to do a health cert to get those seals. We did ours 1 month out and then did another health cert with a military vet 6 days before leaving.
- (BOOKING YOUR PET ON A FLIGHT)
- When we went to TMO and got our "ticket numbers" put on our orders - IE got our seats and confirmed spots on the plane, we were able to reserve our dogs spots on the AMC flight. There are limited spots for pets and they are on a first come, first serve reservation status.
- When it came to prices: AMC charged us $103 for each pet from the Seattle Terminal but we went over weight on one (<70 lbs for combined pet/crate is the cutoff), overage fee was double so $206 for the one pet and $103 for the other.
- The orders said to show up 2 hrs prior...I highly suggest showing up 3 1/2 - 4 hrs prior to handle any "bumps" with the check in process (not all AMC personnel speak good english and don't understand "reservation")
- There is a stop over in Yakota, Japan (AB), you'll have time to get your dog out and let them use the bathroom before getting back on the plane for Kadena.

- Have sponsor make reservations at Karring Kennels well before you get here, sometimes they get pretty booked up. Ours had reservations for 1 month since we didn't know how long it would take to get a home on/off base.

- Other than that your quarantine is your biggest concern. Starting early in the States is key. It's a 180 day period from the DAY YOU GET THE BLOOD DRAWN FOR THE FAVN TEST!!!! If you are like us then you will still have time left when you get here. If you end up living on base then it's no big deal, they can be home quarantined. If you live off base then the quarantine must expire before you can take them home (however I've seen people get consent early from the vet).

Hope this helps some, feel free to e-mail me if you have more questions.

Lee

[carms328]

Well I just found out this morning that there's no room for our 2 cats on the AMC flight to Kadena. I have taken care of all the vet appointments (except for the final processing one 10 days out) and am "fairly" confident we have the paperwork ready to go. So I guess we'll be taking the pets on a commercial flight and I'm wondering if anyone has any information on this... costs, which airline is better, etc. I'm sure it's going to cost us a ton, but nothing else we can do aside from leaving them behind in the states.