Korean Job Discussion Forums

[abrcreed]

Does anyone have good experiences with a particular airline as far as bringing pets to Korea? I'm planning on bringing my 15 pound dog to Korea.

Thanks!

[Redcap]

You will get some meaningful replies when you specify which country you are flying from. Different airlines service the Korean route from different countries.

You will receive substantially more replies if you re-post this question in either the General Discussion forum or Off-Topic forum. Be prepared. Asking this question will generally unleash a debate as to whether you should even bring a dog to Korea in the first place.

[DanielYessir]

Yeah where are you flying from. Korea Air and Asiana (Korea's airlines) both allow pets. You have to store it under the plane and you have to pay. ALSO the bigger issue is once you arrive here. Maybe sure you have ALL your papers for you dog. You also need to have a micro chip implanted in it's ear and you need to prove that all the dog's shots (rabies etc) are up to date. The shots must be done 3 months prior to coming to Korea (90 days). If not, your dog will be kept in quarantine until its ready to leave. Also they might keep it in quarantine for a few days anyway to ensure it's not sick or unhealthy. It can be a huge hassle, so think carefully about doing it.

Oh yeah if you don't have shots or a chip, they have to be done here and you have to pay.

[young_clinton]

You mean so you don't have to buy it in Korea? Your own private stash.

[warmachinenkorea]

Make sure you read the new regs for bringing an animal into Korea.

http://www.qia.go.kr/english/popup/pop_bringADogOrACat.jsp

[Drew345]

There's a post a couple of threads above with someone trying to get their dog from Korea to Canada. Maybe a dog swap is in order and save everyone some headaches?

(just kidding)

[rockbilly]

Fifteen pounds is a lot of meat! Your new neighbors will be salivating.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

The microchip is implanted in the dog's body, near his shoulder, not his ear.

[AnsanAnswers]

Check out http://thefirstclasspet.com/ and you can always call the owner, Gina Nam, for specific questions. Even if you don't use her service, she's more than happy to answer all of your questions.

As regulations seem to change regularly you definitely want to make sure you are updated on the latest and allow yourself enough time.

If you do happen to give her a call let her know Brian and Whitney referred you.

[lemak]

Many airlines (particularly North American ones) have black out dates in the middle of summer and winter when they don't allow pets on flights due to a combination of overloaded flights and worries (liability) that the dog might die in the extreme weather.

Even if your airline *does* allow the dog on the flight in say July or August, think long and hard about if you want to subject your pet to what may be hours sitting on a 50+ degree tarmac waiting for delayed flights or other problems. Plenty of dogs have died whilst being transported in the peak of summer.

Also many airlines don't allow certain breeds of pug nosed dogs or those which pose a danger (which at 15 pounds I doubt yours falls into the category).

Plus side these days the veterinary care in Korea has improved hundred fold over what it was like a decade ago. There are actually plenty of caring, well trained, highly qualified vets around these days.

Confirm, reconfirm and re-reconfirm with your boss that he and the apartment owner will allow you to keep a pet.

And be aware a huge portion of Koreans are scared of any animal that is bigger than a hamster, so be careful about where you let your dog off the leash lest you have the cops called on you, or give someone a heart attack.

[DomAndJenny]

I have been living here for about a year and a half with a 60 lb, somewhat scary looking dog. Some people are afraid, lots of people are indifferent or delighted to see her.

I stressed out a lot about taking her over and someone gave me the advice, "just bring your dog."

Just do it, it will be fine. Call the airline and confirm. They will have to stay in with the baggage but depending on the plane it will be climate controlled. If it is not pressurized and climate controlled they will inform you before you book and you can book another flight, a customer service agent should be able to help you on the phone. I know that Air Canada and Korean Air were fine about the dog. I flew one leg AC, then had to transfer her myself to Korean Air but it went smooth.

Korean Air was awesome, I left from Toronto to Seoul. When I got to Seoul my dog was strapped onto a cart and two men were waiting for me. They took me through quarantine in under five minutes and pushed the cart all the way to where the driver was waiting to pick me up.

Just have your paper work done in advance. Make photocopies, be up to date on everything. I printed out the requirements and brought them to my vet and she sorted it all out for me.

This is the website with the information I got:

http://www.nvrqs.go.kr/eng/rese_quarantine_02.asp?pageNumber=3-0

It's down right now, but it used to work. Google "importing pets to Korea" and you should have lots of information.

Good luck!

[watergirl]

don't listen to some of these nay-sayers.I took my cat, a few years ago, and it was very easy. The koreans barely even looked at him when he arrived.
Do make sure you remind them to turn on the aircon and check temperature in the compartment where your pet is, when on board.
Personally, I would try and get a direct flight, if at all possible.

There are tons of vets here in Korea, and they are MUCH cheaper than back home. Plus, they have cat hotels here for if u need to put your pet somewhere while away, so maybe see if they have likewise for dogs.

[CentralCali]