Pet transport and cross-border pet travel come with a lot of acronyms and jargon. Here's a plain-language glossary of the terms you're most likely to see.
A–C
- Air cargo: Pets that don't fly in the passenger cabin usually travel in the aircraft's cargo hold, checked in through the airline's cargo facility. See airport cargo drop-off.
- AIRS (Automated Import Reference System): The CFIA's online tool for looking up Canada's import requirements for animals and other goods.
- Animal Welfare Act (AWA): The main U.S. federal law covering the treatment of certain animals in commerce, including transport.
- APHIS: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. It administers the AWA and pet travel certification.
- Brachycephalic: "Short-headed," or snub-nosed. Breeds like Pugs, Bulldogs and Persian cats, which face higher breathing risks during travel.
- CBSA: The Canada Border Services Agency, which enforces border rules for goods and animals entering Canada.
- CDC Dog Import Form: An online form required for all dogs entering the U.S. It produces a receipt valid for six months.
- CFIA: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which sets import rules for animals and enforces humane transport regulations.
- CITES: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which requires permits for moving listed species (including many parrots and some reptiles) across borders.
D–I
- Dedicated transport: A trip in which one household's pets travel directly from pickup to drop-off, without other customers' animals.
- Deposit: A payment to secure a booking, usually applied to the final invoice.
- Health certificate: A veterinary document confirming an animal's health for travel, required for some species and routes.
- HPAI: Highly pathogenic avian influenza. Outbreaks can restrict bird movement across borders.
- IATA: The International Air Transport Association. Its Live Animals Regulations form the basis for most airline crate standards.
- Injurious wildlife: Species restricted under the U.S. Lacey Act, including several large constrictor snakes.
M–R
- Microchip: A tiny implant with a unique ID number that can be read by a scanner. Required for dogs entering the U.S.
- Out-of-hours: Pickups or drop-offs outside normal business hours, often charged an extra fee.
- Per diem: A daily allowance for driver meals on long trips.
- Port of entry: An official border crossing or airport where people and goods enter a country.
- Rabies certificate: A veterinary certificate proving rabies vaccination, required for dogs and cats entering Canada.
- RHDV2: Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2, a serious disease of rabbits that can affect travel rules.
S–Z
- Shared shuttle: A transport service carrying multiple customers' pets on one route.
- Transfer of care: The documented handoff of responsibility for an animal. See our article on transfer of care.
- USDA Class T carrier: A business registered with USDA APHIS to transport animals for hire under the AWA.
- VS Form 17-129: The USDA APHIS application for an import permit, used for pet birds entering the U.S.
- Zoonotic disease: An infection that can pass between animals and people.
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