Traveling with your pet

For more information, visit our FAQ section on pets.

Pet and Domestic Animal Care Information and Owner’s Responsibility

1. All passengers traveling with Pets and Domestic Animals must complete the Live Animal and Animal Waiver Agreement form. The form should be affixed to the kennel for walk-on passengers or placed on the dashboard by the vehicle passenger for visual review by the deck crew. Each passenger must also complete a waiver release agreement for each animal and submit to the port agent.
2. Each dog and cat must be offered food and potable water within four hours before being transported in commerce. Do not allow your pet to overeat.
3. All passengers must supply their own kennel. The kennel must have a leak-proof floor, with the floor covered in litter or absorbent lining to retain all domestic waste, discharge, and food or water spillage. The kennel must be in proper repair, clean and allow the animal to stand up, lie down and be able to turn around in a full circle without being cramped. The total ventilated area must be at least 16% of the total surface of the four sides. Provisions of additional holes on the roof or sides of the kennel or larger mesh covered holes to increase ventilation are permitted. All openings must be nose and paw-proof, in the case of cats and small dogs holes may need to be covered with mesh to ensure the animal does not escape. It is very important that the animal does not have any surface or edge at which it can gnaw or be injured. Sufficient water and food must be provided for an entire voyage. A food and water dish should be clipped inside of the door. The kennel door must be latched securely. Cats must be kept in a kennel. HSF does not accept any kennel with dimensions larger than 40” D x 42” H x 45” W or with a weight of more than 70 pounds including the weight of the animal. Passenger must bring a leash for each animal in case they need to be taken for a short walk prior to boarding.
4. Notice: Vehicle deck is not climate controlled.  Passenger access to domestic animals on the vehicle deck is not permitted during voyage, unless prior permission is obtained from the purser and passenger is accompanied by a crew escort.
5. The kennel that remains within the vehicle must allow for extra ventilation, this will be accomplished by lowering all windows completely.  Valuables should not be left in the vehicles.
6. Dogs are allowed to travel free inside the vehicle at the owner’s discretion as long as the windows allow adequate ventilation but prevent the animal from escaping.  All other animals that remain in the vehicle must be contained within an appropriate enclosure to ensure they cannot escape or inflict injury to themselves. It is suggested that an owner who lets their dog run free in the vehicle, remove their collar or use a breakaway collar. A dog may get their collar snagged on a gear shift, brake lever or some other object that may increase the possibility of an injury.  The dog should not be tied to any object inside of the vehicle.
7. A domestic animal may travel in an IATA-approved travel kennel in an open truck bed if the kennel is properly secured to the bed of the truck.
8. Dogs and/or cats must be at least eight weeks old and must be fully weaned.
9. Additionally and consistent with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Welfare Act (AWA):
   • No more than one live dog or cat, 6 months of age or older, may be transported in the same kennel.
   • No more than one live puppy, 8 weeks to 6 months of age, and weighing over 20 lbs, may be transported in the same kennel.
   • No more than two live puppies or kittens, 8 weeks to 6 months of age, that are of comparable size, and weighing 20 lbs or less each, may be transported in the same kennel.
10. If a drive-on passenger prefers to place their kennel(s) on the vessel kennel shelving, it must be carried by the passenger to the kennel shelf as per vessel crew directions.
11. The kennel(s) of a walk-on passenger will be placed on the vessel kennel shelving by a crew member after the luggage cart arrives onboard.  Any kennel with an animal that weights more than 50 pounds up to 70 lbs must be placed on the deck level/bottom of the vessel kennel shelving.
12. The animal MUST be in good health and it is highly recommended that the owner see a veterinarian before traveling by any mode of the transportation, especially traveling with Brachycephalic (short/pug/snub nosed) or mixed-breed exhibiting the short-nose characteristics found in cats, dogs (see below) and rabbits.
    • American Staffordshire
    • Boston Terrier
    • Boxer
    • Brussels Griffin
    • Dutch Pug
    • English or French Bulldog
    • English Toy Spaniel
    • Japanese Pug
    • Japanese Spaniel
    • King Charles Spaniel
    • Lhasa Apso
    • Pekinese
    • Pug
    • Shar-Pei
    • Shin Tzu
    • Staffordshire Bull Terrier
13. To avoid overheating and exhaustion, it is suggested that the owner freeze a water bottle (ex. A 20 FL OZ plastic beverage bottle) and place it inside the kennel to keep the animal cool during the voyage.

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