We moved our 1 and half year old miniature schnauzer from New Zealand to Toronto and was a very straight forward process.
You need to plan this about two months ahead of time (not the day before you plan to leave) We used a pet transport (agent) to handle cargo movements/pet accommodation in transit and CBP inspections.
My partner traveled two days after our dog left NZ so she could collect her in Toronto and drive to our hometown about three hours from Toronto.
Use only a IATA approved agent. Go to the IATA approved pet carrier website (don't trust that the agent you want to use is IATA approved.)
Using an agent is 100% better than doing it yourself. They will book the flights, arrange inspections and so on. You just show up to the airport and drop your dog off.
There maybe some restrictions transporting pets. Airlines in North America are strict on transport animals on really hot days (31 deg or higher) and if daytime temp drops below freezing. Airlines also introduce a Embargo themselves for various reasons. Air New Zealand has Embargos in place during spring and early summer as they transport honey bees to Vancouver so no other pets can travel.
You will need to complete all the paperwork and the agent will check it over.
The dog MUST be micro chipped unless its under 6 months and a rabies vaccine. NZ is rabies free so importing our dog was easy. If you are from a rabies infected country then discuss this with your agent as rules are slightly different. I can't comment on this as have no experience dealing with it.
The cost. THIS is the biggest factor. You will need to pay vet fees and vaccine fees (must have updated vaccines, shots and flea treatment 6 days before departure) no vaccines or record of flea treatment no travel. Canada has no exceptions to this. All export inspections are completed by your countries own bio security. Make sure your paperwork is 100% correct, then check it again and have a friend check it. Our dogs microchip number was missing one number on one paperwork . it nearly resulted in refusal and would have led to major issues. Our agent was able to intercept this and fix it at the inspection. Was a really big issue.
Our dog flew in Cargo. Yes, the hold under the plan. I've worked as a baggage handler before so trust the system. They are strapped down in a crate so wont slide around, the cargo area is dark and climate controlled by the flight crew. The pilots are aware a dog is being transport live and the temp and condition of the cargo hold is added to their checklist (checked every two hours of flight.)
She flew from Auckland to Vancouver (overnighted at some pet hotel
) and then flew Vancouver to Toronto the next day. Total trip time was about 18 hours of flying. She was inspected in Toronto and released about an hour after arriving off the plane.
The total cost was about $3500. This included vet fees, transport costs, crate, inspections in NZ and Canada and agents fee.
Your agent will transport with an airline that has a reputation for pet transport. Air New Zealand, Qantas, Emirates, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines. Do not allow your pet to transit through the united states, they have a shady reputation for pet transport and would rather pay an extra amount to avoid the USA.
Again, we got about three quotes and went for the middle price. Do not go for the cheapest option, you are not wanting to save money/
$3500 is about average.