Marty U. Says:
Is it possible to move pets to Ecuador through a professional service so they don’t have to fly as cargo? What’s the best way to go about it?
IL Ecuador Correspondent Donna Stiteler Says:
I brought 5 dogs down with me from the U.S. to Ecuador. My dachshunds flew in the cabin in the luggage area and were fine. My shepherd had to go cargo, but she also did well. My dachshunds could have gone under the seat, but I chose to keep them together in the cabin. I did have something to relax them as I did for the shepherd as well.
My shepherd could be unpredictable, which had me very concerned, so I was particularly worried about her. But it all went fine in the end.
I used www.lordguau.com/ for the cargo part of the transport. I had to tell myself, “It’s just one or two bad days for the pups,” and trusted that I’d planned as best I could. Everything worked out okay. I took the dogs through Miami to Quito, and then I arranged for a private driver to pick us all up and take us to Cuenca. I would probably go through Guayaquil in the future as it’s only a three- to four-hour bus ride from there to Cuenca.
The rules are changing all the time regarding dog transport. Because of a rabies scare, more rules are now in place from some countries.
I would contact Lord Guau or another pet transportation business for specific information.
I wrote a detailed article about the process for International Living magazine, which you can read in the online archive here.
Hope this helps!