My upcoming move

Just be sure you are moving with your pets during the time they will still fly animals in cargo if dog/cats not in cabin with you as there is a cut-off date for animals in cargo due to high temps in summer months. Call the airlines.

Thank you! Since we are moving in August-September no airline will take them as cargo. So I'm prepared to have them with me in cabin or use other pet transport service. I'm mostly worried about the stress of travel for them...

Regarding you Nissan car lease - check directly with your car leasing company BEFORE you move to see if they will even let you ship your car to the USVI's. Most US based lenders WILL NOT let you ship a car that has a lien against it out of the continental US. You should know that for this purpose a car lease is no different than a car loan - it's still a lien against the title. You might have to pay off the lease in full before you can ship your car.

We have a few good dog groomers on St. Croix. Laur from Gallows Grooming in Gallows Bay comes to mind right off as we take all our dogs there and she does a great job.

We do have a few specialty dog supply stores on island as well but any unique products can easily be sourced from the mainland in bulk and shipped here via VI Cargo or Paradise Freight.

There is no longer a Nissan dealer on island but the Honda/Acura dealer next door to it services Nissans.

We have lots of professional and amateur photographers here. High quality large format photo prints and canvas giclees can be done at CPM Digital in Gallows Bay.

We have a Pony Club on the East End that is very well established that would welcome your child(ren).

We welcome you to St. Croix!

Try to get your animals used to being in ther pet carriers prior to flying by starting to leave them in them daily for small periods of time with a treat and a toy. Consult your veterinarian re: tranquilizers. You may wish to try them out on a tranquilizer prior to using it for the flight as well, if deemed necessary to use at all to make sure they do not have a bad reaction.

Oh thank you for so much useful info! Cant wait to tell my daughter about the point club!

@Afriend, thank you for a good idea. I never considered they might have an issue with me taking the car off the mainland. I'll definitely check.

@Alana - the vet said he'd prescribe tranquilizers no problem, but I read on the airline site they highly discourage its use due to unpredictable reactions on hight altitudes... I really don't know what to do here.

You can check out their reactions by treating with the medication and trying it out beforehand to gauge reactions while at home and accessible to your vet if there is a problem. If your animals are not hyper or frighten easily, you may not need the tranqs. Only you can decide what will be best for them but getting them acclimated to their travel kennels beforehand will help a great deal.
Good luck with the move and the flight.

We do not tranquilize our dog and cats when they fly, and it is a better experience for them, especially if they go in the cargo hold. They are better able to stand, move around, and less likely to vomit due to being groggy, and if they defecate/pee they are better able to move away from the dirty spot of the carrier, which is the most traumatic thing.

Same thing if you carry them on board, which I imagine you might do with the two cats? Most cats do just fine being carried on board - our Bitsy girl LOVES it, she people watches the whole time! You do have to take the pet out of the carrier going through security, but if you're concerned they might squirm away you can ask to go to a secure area. Our cats just "freeze" when we take them out though, because they have no idea where they are or what's going on.

If your pet(s) fly in cargo they are in a separate heated compartment - they are not with the luggage. But there is no air conditioning, and like other posters have said if the ground temperature is too high in your city of departure, or any connecting city, or STX, the airline will refuse the pets for their safety. You need to check this out way ahead of time.

I highly recommend "Dry Fur" inserts for the carriers - you can buy them off of Amazon, and they come in sizes to fit every carrier from tiny to large. They work wonders if your pet pees to wick away the wetness and keep them dry in travel.

Laur groomed our poodle for many years and I recommend her as well.

Speciality food is easily bought online as others have mentioned, and shipped in bulk via VI Cargo or another carrier. I recommend getting a plastic storage container called the "Vittles Vault" - they sometimes have them at CostULess, or you can order them - it is a round plastic bucket type container with a spinning lid that seals airtight and insect tight. They are the only storage container I've used that keeps those pesky aggressive crazy ants from chewing their way in and ruining all your expensive food!

Good luck with the move!

definitely check with the airlines as there are a slew of regulations (some "day of flight" conditionals) for pet travel, but more likely you will be the most stressed .... and as noted you need to check on the status of the lien for you car, if ok to transport you will find someone to work on it, although not sure how the warranty might be treated through the honda dealership...
pet supplies will be very limited, and as noted you'll most likely be ordering off-island...
STX is a fantastic place for kids - mine attend Star Apple Montessori and we really like it, but there are several options (including 2 other Montessori schools) so when you are down for your PMV try and take a look at your options and teachers and find the right fit...PM me if you have any specific questions about Star Apple...
There is a Pony club and also CruzanCowgirls that rehab rescued horses out west...

good luck with the move....

Thanks for the DryFur insert suggestion - got those.

some snub nosed breads might not be allowed to fly at all

def check with your lease holder before more. i would hate for you to get to one of the shippers and then have it sit in hold forever while you try to get it shipped.

nissan dealership here had a shipment of vehicles from pr shipped here and never paid for them. they are now out of business as the owners took off to florida.

Is your dog small enough to fit in a carry-on pet carrier and fit under the seat? If not, it will have to go cargo. If it is a snub-nose breed, definitely check with the airlines regarding restrictions on flying that type of dog.

This from the American Airlines webpage:
American Airlines will not accept brachycephalic or snub-nosed dogs and cats as checked luggage. The following is a list of brachycephalic dog breeds and any "mix" of will not be accepted:
Affenpinscher
Bulldog (All breeds)
Lhasa Apso
Pug (All breeds)
Cane Corso
Mastiff (All breeds)
Shar Pei
Boston Terrier
Dogue De Bordeaux
Pekingese
Shih Tzu
Boxer (All breeds)
English Toy Spaniel
Pit Bull
Tibetan Spaniel
Brussels Griffon
Japanese Chin
Presa Canario

Cats they won't accept:
Burmese
Persian
Himalayan
Exotic Shorthair

Here is the heat restriction from AA's website:
Pets cannot be accepted when the current or forecasted temperature is above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 degrees C) at any location on the itinerary.

If you're flying American Airlines, hope this helps.

some snub nosed breads might not be allowed to fly at all

I can never get those snub nosed breads to rise properly ...

But, anyway, Scottish Terriers aren't snub nosed breeds. They do have rather heavy brogues though which take a bit of getting used to.

If you are planning on transporting three animals in the airplane cabin with you, you'll need three people to travel -- it's one pet per ticketed passenger. So make sure you've got someone who can travel with you and hubby for pet transport, and factor that expense into your moving budget.

The Dry Fur looks brilliant. I always just wrapped a puppy "pee pad" around the insert in the bottom of my carrier when traveling, and changed it out when soiled -- but this looks like a simpler solution, except I worry about the smell factor. JulieKay, were they stinky when wet?

I did not notice any stink from wetness when we were traveling? Kitty pee tends to not stink too bad until it dries, though. Once we were home and the carriers were in the garage a day later the pads did stink quite a bit and went straight to the garbage!

The nice thing about the DryFur too is that while they are soft to the touch they have a firm core (cardboard? plastic?) that keeps its flat shape even as your pet moves around on it. The edges are "flapped" to fit up to the edge of the carrier to prevent spillovers, and the soft material is smooth to prevent snags from claws, unlike the pee pads. I think they're worth every penny.

If you are planning on transporting three animals in the airplane cabin with you, you'll need three people to travel -- it's one pet per ticketed passenger. So make sure you've got someone who can travel with you and hubby for pet transport, and factor that expense into your moving budget.

The Dry Fur looks brilliant. I always just wrapped a puppy "pee pad" around the insert in the bottom of my carrier when traveling, and changed it out when soiled -- but this looks like a simpler solution, except I worry about the smell factor. JulieKay, were they stinky when wet?

She says her three year old son is traveling too - I think she should be able to buy a pet carry-on fare for him as one of the three? He will have a space under the seat in front of him.

But that makes me remember to book your in-cabin pets early, as most carriers have a limit to the total number of pets allowed in the cabin -generally 5 in the main cabin and two in First Class.

Traveling with a three-year old, a dog and two cats sounds daunting to me. Consider leaving someone (maybe not the kid) with relatives until you can either return for them or someone can bring them out.

We did it recently with five cats and a poodle, lol. I joke that it's the closest we've ever come to divorce.

LOL@old tart, juliekay that is way too much . i am trying to figure out how to get 3 cats back if /when we get to move back

@Linda - perfect point, ill consider tranquilizers for myself. I guess I can still look good with all gray hair at 30 🙂
@JulieKay wow... that's crazy... I'm scared!
Note to self - load up on Xanax.
thanks, ladies!

Don't be scared, take it one step at a time and you'll be fine. 🙂

I also agree with Linda though, "we" need the tranquilizers more than our pets! I indulged in a few glasses of "liquid tranquilizer" on the plane on the way back myself, ha ha!

also, if your pet food can not be found here, you can most likely order it online or have a friend or family member ship it to you. i order from petco and it can take from 1-3 weeks to get here.