Adoption Travel Information
When adopting an animal from a different country there is a lot of logistical planning for us to work through. Our travel team will always do their best to make this process as smooth as possible, however it is important for you to understand what is involved so that your expectations can be managed from the start.
DCDR fully relies on volunteer travelers leaving the island to escort animals to North America. We refer to these volunteers as travel companions. We work with our travel companions all throughout the year by qualifying them, collecting their itineraries, their personal information, and noting any special requests for escorting. Our busy time is when North America starts seeing the colder weather as people want to escape for a Caribbean holiday; so, wait times will vary throughout the year.
We operate in the Puerta Plata, Punta Cana, and Las Terrenas areas of the island. Our travel companions tend to fly from Toronto, ON and Montreal, QC as the main airports, however we also see Halifax, NS in the winter months. Other airport destinations are considered rarer and would have to be considered on a case by case basis as we may have to try to build awareness on social media to find a travel companion: Please note that with the recent U.S. ban of the import of animals from the Dominican Republic and 112 other countries we are currently only able to send cats to the U.S. and then only from limited airports in the D.R. to New York or Boston. We hope the U.S. lifts this ban in July of 2022, but as of the moment we are limited in being able to send animals there.
Once your application has been approved and your deposit has been received, our travel team will respond to you with a “Congratulations!” email from our Adoption Department to give you an estimated timeline to receive your new animal. They may make logistical suggestions based on the potential travel companion’s itinerary. Our travel team is always juggling details to ensure that the travel companion’s volunteer experience is smooth and efficient along with creating the best arrival solution for our adopters. We genuinely appreciate your flexibility & patience!
*IF you are adopting a dog or cat under 8 months of age there are extra guidelines with the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency that we must abide by. Using a travel companion, we can only import animals into Canada that are 8 months of age or older so wait times will be increased. If you are adopting a puppy or kitten and you, a family member, or friend can escort the animal, then any animal over 4 months of age can be sent. We do not send puppies that are less than 4 months of age, as we want to ensure that they have had their full doses of vaccinations at the proper age.