A crate that looks "close enough" can be the difference between a calm, comfortable flight and an airline refusing to board your dog at check-in. We recently completed an in-person crate fitting for two dogs, Aspen and Ava, ahead of their move to Spain — and what we found is a perfect example of why measuring on paper is never a substitute for fitting the actual dog into the actual crate before flight day.

When Ginger’s human mom flew from Texas to Los Angeles with her 7.5-month-old baby and her dog Ginger in tow, she had one stop left before the real journey began: handing Ginger off to the Across The Pond Pets team for her flight to Adelaide, Australia. What followed was a textbook example of how a well-coordinated international pet relocation should go — and a good case study for anyone planning a similar move to Australia or its quarantine-easing neighbor, New Zealand.

New EU legislation that took effect on April 22, 2026 has changed the rules for bringing dogs, cats, and ferrets into Europe from the United States. If you’re planning an international move to Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, or any other EU country — here is exactly what has changed, what stays the same, and the critical October 2026 deadline that every pet owner traveling this year needs to know about.

International pet travel to Latin America has become increasingly common as more American families, retirees, remote workers, and expats relocate to countries like Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Colombia. Recently, the team at Across The Pond Pets coordinated Lucy’s relocation from Seattle, Washington to Panama City, Panama — helping her family safely navigate every stage of the international pet shipping process.