Going With the Boys

Another post about logistics that need to be considered when traveling.  Yes…..the boys!  They are adorable and have such different personalities.  Jaxon is the cautious one while Cooper still believes the world is HIS oyster.  Cooper tends to bring Jaxon out of his shell a bit but there are days Jaxon would just like to be left alone.  They are quite the pair.  

So when you travel with pets you need to check to see if there are any importation requirements for them. In the Bahamas you must apply for an importation permit.  Some days this is an easy process and others it is most stressful.  We have been going to the Bahamas for five years and of those five, one has been a cake walk.  You can send away for the permit yourself by sending a money order along with the application or you can use a service that does that for you.  I have done it myself four of our five years and for three of those years I had to resend it again.  So I paid double those years as the first ones were “lost”.  

This year having two dogs and being pushed for time I decided to use a service that is provided by Wellington in the Bahamas.  I simply filled out the forms, paid a little more than usual, but the headache or concern of not getting it were gone.  Wellington hand delivered our application to the Agricultural Department and walked our paperwork through the process.  Within ten days I had an email confirming approval and their individual permits.  What a great service!  Visit Bahamaspetpermit.com for all the details.

                                                     https://www.bahamaspetpermit.com/

Don’t get me wrong……if I had several months to take care of getting it done, I would probably have done it the way I usually would, but I did not have the time to babysit or reapply if necessary.  You have to pick your battles.

Now that I have their permits in hand, I have to get each one “vet checked” as close to our departure as possible.  They actually state within so many days of departure but they have relaxed that requirement as they know that boaters have a lot to deal with when it comes to weather delays and such.  Three years we have used our normal vet but the last two we have chosen to use one in the Key Largo area.  They have a form to fill out from the Department of Agriculture as well as they need to sign the permit that the Bahamas has sent you.  Once all of that is completed, you are good to go and you can travel with your loved ones and know that they are “legal”.  

Just as the Bahamas does not have the medical staff to take care of us with COVID or any other ailment, they don’t have veterinarians on the islands.  They typically come to the islands one or two days a week and that is usually only on the larger islands.  They want you bringing your HEALTHY pet and enjoy the beauty of their islands.