Bringing Pets Along To India

[Faye1232212]

During my trip I plan on bringing my dog with me. I have a large Rottweiler and am wondering if people are friendly to dogs in Delhi? No, I cannot leave him at home so that's not even an option at this juncture. What fees should I expect with the airline ? Are there hotels that accommodate large dogs? How do people feel about dogs? Are there any religious customs about dogs? Thank you!!

 

[kokosflocken]

There is some pretty strict regulations about bringing animals into the country. You'd better look it up well in advance, or you might have to deal with quarantine or be denied. There was quite a series of formalities to go through to take my pet out of the country, and a big looming problem was coming back with it. I haven't done that yet, so I couldn't say, but your main obstacles would lie with the bureaucracy. Check with your airline too, as each one has its own rules.
You would also need to inform your landing place before you land, and book your pet with the airline well in advance.

Assuming that your pet gets into the country, it's not too difficult to find hotels that accommodate pets. Don't expect special facilities for them, but you'll be able to find somewhere that allows it. I haven't been with my pet to Delhi, but other cities in India were fine with it. There are no religious customs as such, but obviously don't take the dog into a religious place

 

[pwarbi]

While it's probably not the advice you want to hear, I'd also be inclined to think very carefully and look into other options instead of bringing your pet with you. Most countries are quite strict when it comes to allowing animals into a country and you may even find that it's not even worth the effort, especially if you don't plan on staying in the country for long.

 

[travelguide]

India is quite strict on bringing pet animals from other countries. The rules and regulations here do not allow pets to enter with their owners on leisure trips. This includes service animals for disabled owners too. But it is allowable in the case of transfer of residence to India from another country. Even if a resident of India imports a pet animal (may be in the case of a new breed from another country) then a proper license to import is mandatory. So, it is better to avoid pets during leisure trips to India.

 

[Gabydi]

Oh I totally understand how you feel about leaving your beloved pup. I take mine almost everywhere I go. He's literally the love of my life and I hate leaving him, but I would think it twice before taking him to India. I'm not sure he will have a good time over there. The flight is tremendously long, the weather is different, where will you leave him when you're sight-seeing and he's not allowed to go with you? I don't know...you made me think about leaving my precious baby.

Here, I share with you the picture of my pup.

 

[amelia88]

Totally understand you about the animal love (I have a dog and a cat myself!) but I would be worried about taking them traveling mainly because some countries have incredibly strict rules about bringing animals - even to the point that there are months and months of quarantines with the animals just being in cages at a quarantine facility until they are deemed healthy and not a risk to that countries animals.

Maybe some of the people living in India on the forum could give you an idea of what to expect but I would definitely research it heavily.

 

[amelia88]

Oh I totally understand how you feel about leaving your beloved pup. I take mine almost everywhere I go. He's literally the love of my life and I hate leaving him, but I would think it twice before taking him to India. I'm not sure he will have a good time over there. The flight is tremendously long, the weather is different, where will you leave him when you're sight-seeing and he's not allowed to go with you? I don't know...you made me think about leaving my precious baby.

Here, I share with you the picture of my pup.
View attachment 590

Gabydi your pup is too cute!! He is a handsome fellow - he looks like he could be in TV commercials or something, he's just that photogenic! I can understand why you would love him so much!

 

[pwarbi]

While people might not want to leave their animals behind when going on holiday, I think taking them with you can be a little selfish. You also have to think of the actual animal aswell and the trauma that your going to be putting them through also.

A lot of animals won't like the experience of flying one bit, and not forgetting they'll be caged up for a number of hours also without you there to look after them.

Is it really worth putting a pet through all that just for the sake of you not wanting to leave them for a week or two?

 

[btalivny]

Although pets are great, they cause many issues in customs. The problem which arises with pets is that their is a chance which they transmit a disease which although harmless to humans in the short term, can cause future issues. A prime example of non-natural pets causing problems is the rabbits introduced in Australia by a rancher. It led to the death of many species since they could not compete with the new species of rabbit. This is one of the many reasons the rules and regulations for animals is so strict in many countries, not just India.

 

[travelguide]

Oh, then that might be the reason why Government is reluctant towards pet transfer. Thanks for updating my knowledge.

The rules are very strict nowadays. Pet transfer is only allowed in the case of a person shifting residence to India after minimum two years of continuous stay in a foreign country. In that case two pets per passenger are allowed. you need to produce valid health certificates from the country of origin and then they will be checked by a quarantine officer in India. Now I understand why they are so strict on this.

 

[pwarbi]

If a person is going to live in another country or even have an extended stay, 6 or 12 months for example then I can see why it would be something to think about but if a person is just going on holiday for a couple of weeks then surely it wouldn't be worth all the hassle it would cause?

 

[moondebi]

You will be allowed to bring your pet to India, only if you are changing your residency. For a leisure trip, pets are not allowed to travel with their owners.

The ban was imposed to stop the animal trafficking, where offenders do this malpractice in the pretext of a tourist. The ban is another way of stopping the cruelty against animals as they cannot express their pain and discomfort, while on board.

So, as a visitor to India, you won’t be given a permit to accompany your pet during the travel.

 

[nemanjanp]

Bringing your pet to any country outside your own is just not worth it. It takes so much time and money to do, its ridiculous. The thing is, these strict rules are actually understandable when you think about how harmful would it possibly be if anyone could simply bring their pets with them. As someone without a pet I approve these rules, but I also completely sympathize with pet owners who did nothing wrong and keep their pets healthy and clean.

 

[pwarbi]

I'm also a pet owner and I also understand why there are these strict rules in place. Not only that I don't think travelling long distances is good for the animal either so while taking a pet with you to live in a different country is one thing, making it endure two long journeys in the space of a couple of weeks just for an holiday is another.

 

[cheryllei9h]

It might be better to get someone to babysit your dog while you are away. I understand wanting to take him with you though. Animals are like family. But you have to be careful and do what's best for your pet. And that is an adorable dog Gabydi!

 

[Kiryu]

It sounds like getting your pet into India (or most other countries, really) is gonna be a real handful. I would honestly recommend leaving it with someone who can take of it instead. Do not leave it alone, obviously, but only bring it as a last resort!

 

[sillyllucy]

I would not bring a pet to India. You don't know how long it takes to get permission to get the dog into the country. Also, it is not safe because you have to get your dog vaccinated before you go. Did you hear about Johnny Depp and his wife taking dogs to Australia? It is a huge mess.

 

[SirJoe]

I wouldn't recommend taking your pet. I don't doubt that you will miss him but there are very good animal hotels were you leave him. The amount of money that you will spend on the ticket and customs will more then compensate the cost of the hotel provided your stay in India isn't very long.

 

[knitmehere]

I'm pretty sure that your questions have already been answered, but I find myself wondering why you'd want to take such a trip with a pet anyway. I'm not trying to be rude, just that sort of travel is really rough on animals, as well as being in new places for extended amounts of time. It would be like the stress of relocating.. and times that by two because they will have to readjust when you come back home.

 

[djordjem87]

I do not know about India. You should try some official site or to call their info service. I had my golden retriever on a plane when i went to Malta. It was an awful experience even for the stuff on the airport. He had to be in a cage in a luggage area. He was so afraid we had to sedate him and when we arrived we was half dead because of the stress and the shot they gave him was too strong. We had to call a vet and on the end everything went well but before all that happened we had had to get all the documents about his origin and his medical state and so on. Even more, we had to sign and translate some documents via fax machine, then send it back and wait them to confirm. I cannot explain what a drag was the whole deal.