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December 2022
I did DIY from Pretoria to Jhb to Cape Town to Frankfurt on 24 December. Both dogs were in the cargo hold for both flights.
DIY can only be done from CPT airport, which is why that flight was added. It means your dogs fly as excess baggage on your flight ticket. There is no pet travel agent involved. It saves a lot of money but does add a lot of stress so be well prepared. I heavily relied on the Facebook group, EMBARK: South Africans Emigrating With Pets.
Dogs: 2 x Italian Greyhounds
Airlines: CemAir (Jhb – CPT) and Lufthansa (CPT – Frankfurt)
Private Vet: Wilgers Animal Hospital (Pretoria)
State Vet: Pretoria (c/o Lillian Ngoyi Street & Pretorius Street – the entrance to the building is next to the McDonalds and the state vet is on the 7th floor)
Tips learned from the process:
* Try and do everything from vaccinations, titre tests and health checks with the same private vet that has done this process before
* Our trainer suggested the dogs sleep in the crates for at least the last two weeks prior to their flight. Our plans ended up being quite rushed so we eventually only had them sleep in the crates for 1 week prior to departure. But we trained them with the crates for 2/3 months prior.
* Book a direct and night flight if you can, best for the dogs
* The DIY guide by Elizabeth Gie mentions a separate Western Cape Health check form, in Gauteng you just use the EU Health Certificate form & the extra declaration page stating you do not intend to export the pets for commercial purposes. There is no specific Gauteng form.
* I did this alone with 2 x 23kg bags and 2 size L Viaggio crates when we arrived at CPT airport, none of the baggage staff wanted to assist me with transporting my dogs and luggage to the arrivals area from the baggage carousel. I ended up relying on kind strangers. Side note, we did fly on 24 December.
* At CPT airport there is a baggage storage place called A-Tech – I left my crates and baggage with them to take the dogs running in between flights. Their prices were very reasonable. I think like R70 a piece of luggage for 5 hours.
We arrived in CPT at 9 AM and only departed for Frankfurt at 18h20.
* We booked a private porter for arrival in Frankfurt to avoid the drama of CPT again. I highly recommend this. Since our flight arrived at 5h30 local time, the customs officials were not there yet. The porter went to the Lufthansa counter while we were busy waiting for my luggage & sorted everything. He literally asked, “do you have your papers?” and when I said yes, he said, “okay then we can go” – I doubt it would have been that easy without him. Again, I speak German quite well which probably helped too. Hiring him did cost €90 but he helped us so much & as it was Christmas morning, I doubt someone else would have helped me with transporting the dogs and my luggage.
* If not using a porter, remember you have to pay for the baggage trolleys I think one or two euros each.
* My husband was already in Germany & rented a VW Tiguan for the journey to our new home in Baden-Württemberg.
* We gave the dogs CalmEze the week leading up to the flights as well as CBD biscuits that they were used to.
March 2022
December 2021
CATS FROM JOHANNESBURG TO FRANKFURT, GERMANY.
https://www.bmel.de/…/heimtiere-einreiseregelung.html
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Weather in Germany
German Climate Germany’s climate is temperate and marine, with cold, cloudy winters and warm summers and in the south occasional warm föhn wind. The greater part of Germany lies in the cool/temperate climatic zone in which humid westerly winds predominate. In the northwest and the north, the climate is oceanic and rain falls all year round. Winters here are relatively mild and summers comparatively cool.In the east, the climate shows clear continental features; winters can be very cold for long periods, and summers can become very warm. Dry periods are often recorded. In the centre and the south, there is a transitional climate that may be predominantly oceanic or continental, according to the general weather situation. Winters are cool and summers warm, though maximum temperatures can exceed 30 °C for several days in a row during heat waves. The warmest regions of Germany can be found in the southwest.Here summers can be hot with many days exceeding 30 °C. Weather atlas gives a good overview of the climate per month Another good source of information by Region/Town is the Climatemps website. Here is an example of the weather data they have for Stuttgart Current weather conditions BERLIN WEATHER STUTTGART WEATHER FELDBERG WEATHER Towns with the most sunshine Freiburg and Chemnitz are known as the towns with the most sunshine hours in Germany.Looking for other sunny cities in Germany? You can see a comparison here. When you don’t feel yourself during the darker months, you might suffer from Seasonal affective disorder Warmest cities in Germany Frankfurt is the warmest city in the summer.The city with the highest average temperature for 2019 was Köln-Stammheim. Offenbach am Main is also on the list.Rostock is the coldest on average. Most Rainfall per city Halle / Saale has the least rainfall. It also seldom rains in Erfurt, Berlin and Magdeburg – they still have little sunshine (3.8 to 4.4 hours/day).According to Bild, A lot of rain falls in Oldenburg (1072 milliliters), Remscheid (942), Essen (931), Solingen (896) and Wuppertal (866).This means that North Rhine-Westphalia is not only one of the regions with the poorest sunshine but also one of the rainiest regions. Where to find the most Snow The snowiest location in Germany is the Zugspitze, standing at an elevation of 3,000 meters. While snow is most common in mountainous regions, lower-lying areas also experience snowfall, though less frequently. The heaviest snowfall typically occurs in January and February. Types of weather conditions Precipitation refers to any form of atmospheric moisture that falls to the Earth’s surface. There are various types of precipitation that can occur depending on the temperature and atmospheric conditions in a particular region. The most common types of precipitation include rain, snow, sleet, and hail. To read more about the difference between Graupel, Freezing rain, Sleet and snow, have a look on this page from NJ. der Regen Rain Rain occurs when liquid water droplets in the air combine and become heavy enough to fall to the ground der Hagel Hail Hail is formed when strong updrafts carry water droplets high into the atmosphere where they freeze and are repeatedly cycled through rising and falling air currents, forming layers of ice. der Dauerregen Constant or persistent rain The US National Weather Service has a good explanation of the different types of rainIn Central Europe one speaks of continuous rain when it continues with uninterrupted rainfall and a severity of more than 0.5 millimeters of precipitation per hour for a period of at least six hours. der Sprühregen or der Nieselregen Drizzle Fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of fine drops very close together. Drizzle appears to float while following air currents, but unlike fog droplets, it falls to the ground. Quite often fog and drizzle occur together. der Graupel / Graupel Also known as snow pellets.Graupel forms when snowflakes are coated with a layer of ice. Graupel is typically white and opaque. der Eisregen Freezing rain Raindrops becomes supercooled and freeze upon impact with any surface. This results in ice that can accumulate.Freezing rain occurs when the layer of freezing air is so thin that the raindrops do not have enough time to freeze before reaching the ground. Instead, the water freezes on contact with the surface, creating a coating of ice on whatever the raindrops contact. der Schneeregen Sleet Sleet is simply frozen raindrops and occurs when the layer of freezing air along the surface is thicker. This causes the raindrops to freeze before reaching the ground.Sleet occurs mainly just before snowfall and looks like hoarfrost droplets. In contrast to snow, sleet grains are easily breakable. Often these break when they hit the ground. der Schnee Snow Snow occurs when the temperature is cold enough for water vapor to freeze into ice crystals in the air. Snow is solid precipitation that falls from the sky in the form of ice crystals. The ice crystals look like six-pointed stars, needles, columns or plates. der Nebel Fog In the meteorological glossary fog is defined as ‘obscurity in the surface layers of the atmosphere, which is caused by a suspension of water droplets. By international agreement (particularly for aviation purposes) fog is the name given to resulting visibility less than 1 km. However, in forecasts for the public, this generally refers to visibility less than 180 m. Some also say that Fog is a cloud that reaches ground level (rolls in) Der Dunst Mist Mist is defined as ‘when there is such obscurity and the associated visibility is equal to or exceeds 1000 m.’ Like fog, mist is still the result of the suspension of water droplets, but simply at a lower density. Mist typically is quicker to dissipate and can rapidly disappear with even slight winds, it’s also what you see when you can see your breath on a cold day. Some also say that mist forms on the ground (rises) der Eisnebel Freezing fog The fog forms when the temps at the surface are below freezing.The accumulation will usually be horizontal due to the wind. This type of fog can occur when cold air

Shipping and Relocation Companies
Shipping from South Africa to Germany Here is a list of the companies suggested by members of our Facebook page: Execu Move Seven Seas. They also offer MoveCubes for smaller shipments and a luggage/baggage service IMS Shipping Kühne Alpha Shipping Vanguard Logistics Elliot Britannia Brytons Shipping from Germany to South Africa All the companies listed above can also be used for shipping belongings back to South Africa. Here are some additional suggestions for shipping companies to ship goods back to South Africa. There is also a FB group called Return to South Africa, where you can find additional assistance Relocately Klingenberg Relocation services Proforg TM Relocation Services ICUnet Group General tips When requesting a quote make sure to ask if the clearing costs in Germany, or South Africa if you are moving back, are included and get it in writing. Some companies do have hidden costs Some people complained about added costs due to delays, inspections or clearance issues. Know what you are paying for, and how issues will be handled Read Reviews You can ship boxes via airline cargo, contact them to get a quote. This is suitable when you do not have a lot of items to ship Disclaimer: Please note we only list the companies people suggested to us and have not used these personally Related content

Pets
Dangerous (Banned) Dogs Some dog breeds are banned in Germany. There are additional rules for individual states. Up-to-date information can be found on the Zoll (Customs) website.Some dangerous dog breeds are allowed, depending on the Federal state, and must be registered at the Ordnungsamt. Qualzuchten (Torture Breeds) Section 11b of the German Animal Welfare Act [1] prohibits breeding animals with characteristics that cause them to suffer – but so far there are no guidelines on how these should be defined. For this reason, torture breeding is still widespread. Examples are English Bulldogs, “Teacup dogs”, Sphinx cats A list of breeds can be found on the PETA website Cats Cats have a different status in Germany than dogs, and there are fewer regulations regarding cats once you are in Germany. Here are some examples relevant to cats: You do not need to confine your cat to your property and they can roam freely, You also do not need to attach your cat to a leash. Although you do not need to microchip your cat if you buy it in Germany, it is still advisable to do so. There are no taxes payable on cats Neutering – Most Federal states are now requiring your to have your cat neutered. Find out more from your local municipality Resources on the web Animal Lawyer – Rights and Duties of a Cat Owner in Germany Animal Lawyer – Rights of a cat living outside of the house Customs Info Zoll – German Customs, provisions on the import of pet animals Zoll – Dangerous dogs BMEL – Rules on entering the European Union (EU) with dogs, cats and ferrets Pet Immigration or transport services The following companies are suggestions from fellow South Africans Animal Travel Services Global Paws Aeropets Keringa Petwings PETport Petstravel Shared experiences and doing it yourself Registration, taxes and permits In most states, dogs must be added to the dog registry (Hunderegister) in your area. Search for example “Hunderegister Hamburg”. Please note, not all States (Bundesländer) require you to regsiter your animal. In order to register the dog, the animal needs to be chipped and covered by liability insurance. Dogs must be registered for dog tax /Hundesteuer. You can register for the taxes at the Bürgeamt. See for example the information from Stuttgart or Berlin. Depending on where you live the registration can be done online. Dangerous breeds – If your dog falls in the dangerous breed, you must register it at the Ordnungsamt Identification badge, chip and handler licence As mentioned before, the rules and regulations can differ per federal state. Most states require dogs to have an identification badge and a chip. When you take your dog for a walk, the dog’s name, your address and the dog tax disc must be on the dog’s collar. You might also be required to get a licence to prove you can handle your dog (Hundeführerschein)Information about the Hunderegister can be found on the Hundeinfoportal Rules and regulation for owning a pet Rules and regulations can be found on the Gezetze im Internet Dog regulations.Not all federal states have a rule that you need to pick up your dog’s poo, but this is just basic decency, especially if you take your dog walking. You can buy special poop bags for that, and most parks have special bins to dispose of the bags. Pet Insurance Agila and Allianz offer pet insurance (Hundehaftpflichtversicherung). Dog insurance is mandatory in some federal states. It is not medical insurance for your pet, but it covers you if your dog harms another dog, person or property. Adopting a pet Apps Mein Haustier Pet sitting and kennels For pet sitting look at the Pawshake app, or on the Hundelieb websiteYou can also find other possibilities on our Minijob pageFor cats, search for Katzenpension in your area, or consider a house sitter, another option is to search for a catsitter on Catinaflat Below are some South African pet sitters who lives in Germany and would love to spend some time with your fur babies. Raw food for pets Try the following websites: Petsdeli BARF Konzept Store on Amazon Das Tierhotel – gesunde Tiernahrung Death of a pet There are some restrictions on burying or cremating a pet in Germany. Things you need to keep in mind: The TierKBG (Tierkörperbeseitigungsgesetz Gesetz über die Beseitigung von Tierkörpern, Tierkörperteilen und tierischen Erzeugnissen) governs the rules and regulations for disposing of animals Some Federal states have stricter rules and regulations. Always make sure what is allowed for where you live. Below are some general rules, but could be different for the state you live in. If you would like to bury a small animal in your garden, you can only do so if you are the owner of the property, or get permission from the owner. The animal must be buried at least 50cm deep and not close to public roads ( at least two meters away). Burial in a garden is not allowed if it is in a water conservation area, and also not if the animal died from a notifiable disease. You may not bury an animal on public grounds or in a park or forest. You can bury your pet in a Tierfriedhof, or have them cremated. If the animal died at the Vet, they can assist with cremation or disposal. Animal welfare You can report any issues regarding animal cruelty at the Tierschutsbund under Tierquälerei Resources on the web I am Expat – Info on pets Settle in Berlin – Bringing pets into Germany How to Germany – Pets Travelling with pet birds Travelling with pets within the EU A complete guide to dogs – Simple Germany EMBARK South Africans Emigrating with Pets FB Group Related content
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