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Trooper’s family are the epitome of what the saying “dogs are family” means.  Singapore Special Trooper was abandoned by his previous family and arrived at the shelter with a paw missing. Fortunately for him volunteer Paula fell in love with this happy soul and became his forever family when they adopted him in November 2021.

 

With an orthopaedic leg fitted out for him by his new family, he was ready to conquer the world.  And with family in tow, he did just this, with his first move from Singapore to Scotland in April 2022 where he spent 6 months before returning to Singapore in November 2022.  He then relocated back to his forever Scottish home in March 2023.  Troopers mother Paula shares more about this amazing boy’s travels moving countries to always be together.

 

LD: Tell us a little bit of background about your dog such as breed, age, where did you get him from, personality etc.

Paula: Trooper is a very sweet Singapore Special who we adopted from OSCAS in Singapore when he was 6 years old. We know that we are his third family and when we first adopted him, he was quite anxious, easily startled by noises, shy of new people and lacking in confidence.

 

LD: How old was your dog when you moved?

Paula: He was 6 and 7 years old when he made his flights.  His first he flew with me from Singapore to our home in Scotland in April 2022 where we stayed until November 2022 then we both returned to Singapore. We have since flown home for the final time to Scotland, making it three flights in total for Trooper.

 

 

LD: How long were you living in Singapore (including with your dog)? How much time did you get to plan your move to Scotland?

Paula: We had been in Singapore since July 2020 and adopted Trooper in November 2021, so he was with us for 6 months before we flew him home. I started researching how to relocate Trooper about 3 months before his flights and spoke to lots of other people about their experience to find out how to do this to try to minimise the stress as much as possible for Trooper.

 

 

LD: Did you move your dog on your own or through a Pet Transporter? Why did you choose to use a Pet Transporter or do on your own?

Paula: During lockdown there had been very little movement of animals so in early 2022 there was huge demand on pet relocation globally and we asked Pet Lighthouse to help us with Trooper’s flights and paperwork. We were hoping to fly him direct to the UK but due to COVID backlog both Heathrow and Manchester were both fully booked for pet arrivals for 6 months, so direct flight from Singapore was no longer an option so he had to do a stopover in Amsterdam.  This was our first time relocating a pet from one country to another and back.

 

LD: Can you run us through the process of moving your dog to Scotland & to Singapore –

1. A list of things you purchased and if you can recommend any products? We bought an airline approved crate on Carousell and started getting him used to it at least three months before flying. We put his bed inside so by the time he flew this was a safe space for him. His bed was too bulky to fly with him, so for the flight we lined the base with a soft mat and added his Loyal.D blanket.  Pet Lighthouse provided the water and food bowls that attached to the door.

2. The checklist of paperwork (online site people can refer to, your own list) required. How much time did it take? (so people can build in a timeline). The paperwork requirements for the UK were all dealt with by Pet Lighthouse – they sent me all the forms to complete up front when I contacted them about three months before our planned flights. They contacted the airline, AVS, and Edinburgh airport and kept us all up to date with information.

LD: Which airline did you use and how was the experience with them? How long was the entire journey? Did you fly together?

Paula: Trooper first flew KLM via Amsterdam to Edinburgh 15 hours flying in total with an 8-hour stopover in Amsterdam at the KLM pet hotel. His return journey was an overnight stay in kennels, a drive to Manchester and then a direct flight from Manchester to Changi with Singapore Airlines (14 hours flying in total).

 

His final trip home had to be changed a few days before as KLM weren’t able to fly him from Amsterdam to Edinburgh so he flew instead with Lufthansa from Changi to Edinburgh via Frankfurt with a stopover in Frankfurt pet lounge. Trooper’s collar, harness and leash which had been strapped to the top of the crate, were lost somewhere on this journey. His stopover in Frankfurt was 24 hours, so far from ideal but given the change in flights a few days before traveling it was the best option to get him home. 

 

It was quicker flying via Amsterdam as a shorter stopover.

 

 

LD: Did the airline require that your dog had no collar etc on while in the crate?

Paula: I think it depends on the airline as to whether they allow the dog to wear a collar - each time that Trooper travelled everything was taken off him and attached to the top of the crate. We know that the collar, harness and leash arrived in Frankfurt with him - the pet lounge there said they had put it in a yellow onion sack to travel with him to Edinburgh. We just don't know whether it was attached to the crate, whether it got on the plane with him or if it was all lost in Edinburgh. I knew this might be a risk so went to the airport to collect him with a spare harness and leash for him.

 

LD: What kind of pre-travel training did you do for your dog – eg.crate training.

Paula: We did crate training, as above but also played him sounds of a busy airport – a sound file Pet Lighthouse had provided which we played on a loop.

 

LD: How easy was it for your dog to adjust to their new home in Scotland and even when returning to Singapore?

Paula: There were a lot of new things for Trooper to adjust to in Scotland – big open spaces, horses, sheep, cows, rabbits, deer. He soon adjusted and grew lots in confidence. His itchy skin also improved, and he grew a thicker coat to adapt to the drop in temperature.  Returning to Singapore was easy for him – same apartment, same friends, same walks etc. His thick coat all fell out though and he struggled with itchy skin again.

 

 

LD: When you lived in Singapore what were your dog’s favourite things to do?

Paula: Trooper loved early morning walks before it got too hot, chilling at the dog run with lots of other dogs, walks round the Botanic Gardens, and Sunday mornings sitting outside a café watching the world go by.

 

LD: Living in Scotland, what are the main differences your dog is experiencing and also your family living with a dog there in comparison to Singapore?

Paula: The main differences are being able to walk off leash for miles on footpaths and tracks over the hills; and of course, the weather – Trooper now has a coat for the mornings when the temperature struggles to get above freezing. He is outside a lot more, happy to sit in the back garden watching dogs and people passing by through the woods behind our house.

 

 

LD: Trooper has moved twice now between Singapore and Scotland – do you think he has a favourite country/preference? Why?

Paula: I think he prefers Scotland because he can walk off leash and run and play with other dogs we meet on our walks. He is more active here, although he still loves his bed too.

 

 

LD: How much did your move cost in total If you did the move on your own, how much do you think you saved?

Paula: Pet relocation prices are at a premium at the moment with airlines liable to increase prices and not confirming a final price until a few weeks before the flight. It was much cheaper flying from UK to Singapore (about half the price) than the other way round.

 

Approximate cost Singapore to Scotland: $5,600 flight; $1,000 animal receiving centre fees in Edinburgh; $1,500 for relocation company to include documentation and flight booking, export licence, custom permit, transport to vet for pre-flight checks, cost of pre-flight checks and tape-worm treatment, transport to airport.

 

LD: We consider pets as our family. But sometimes people abandon their pets, get worried or realise the cost may be too much and leave their pet behind… what’s the one thing you’d like to say to such people so that they would reconsider?

Paula: Trooper has been very much part of the family from day one and there is no way that I would have left him, even for the 7 months I was in Scotland before returning to Singapore.  Our pets rely on us for love, security and companionship. They would never let us down so we should never let them down either.

 

 

We hope these stories help keep more furry family members together so no one is left behind. You can read more in the series here:

SERIES ONE: MOVING BETWEEN SINGAPORE & THE UK

SERIES TWO: MOVING BETWEEN THE USA & SINGAPORE

SERIES THREE: MOVING BETWEEN AUSTRALIA & SINGAPORE

SERIES FOUR: MOVING BETWEEN SINGAPORE & GERMANY

SERIES FIVE: MOVING TO SOUTH KOREA FROM SINGAPORE

SERIES SIX: MOVING TO PORTUGAL FROM SINGAPORE

SERIES SEVEN: MOVING TO THE UK FROM HONG KONG

SERIES EIGHT: MOVING TO NEW ZEALAND FROM SINGAPORE

SERIES NINE: MOVING BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND SCOTLAND

Help us keep families together! If you have a moving story you would like to share please email us at: customerservice@loyald.com