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Keep up-to-date with the latest Pet Travel and Jetpets news.

Jetpets Assists in Chimpanzee Breeding Program

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On the remote western edge of Africa, in the country of Sierra Leone, lies a great belt of tropical rainforest home to some of the worlds most unique and beautiful animals, Chimpanzees. Due to significant pressure from the illegal bush meat trade, rising human populations and deforestation, these populations are under threat.

Monarto Zoo in South Australia is working directly with the Jane Goodall Institute and the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre to combat the threats to this amazing population. Monarto Zoo’s Chimpanzee breeding program was recently bolstered by the addition of two new females from Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

Hannah and Lani were transported by Jetpets last month to join their new brothers and sister at Monarto Zoo and they are settling in, in their own unique ways.

Hannah was initially nervous in meeting her new troop but quickly overcame her social anxiety to settle in to a mothering role.

“They are doing really well and have settled in better than we could ever imagine. Hannah is just amazing with Enzi (our 2 ½ year old male chimp). She can be seen at times carrying him around, and he really likes her a lot. Our alpha male Tsosti has taken a liking to Hanna and is supportive of her in any disputes”, said Monarto Zoo’s Team Leader Althea Guinsberg.

While the playful and social, Lani, has taken to grooming her new-found friends after sitting back and observing for a while.

“Lani is doing well; in the beginning she was not happy and that affected her appetite, but this did not take long to change and soon she was foraging with the troop. She gets on well with our one adult female Galatea and the two have some great grooming sessions. Gombe, one of our males, also loves grooming with Lani and they get on really well”, said Althea.

With Chimpanzees being classified as an endangered species with approximately 150,000 to 300,000 chimps remaining in the wild it’s never been a better time to support the conservation work being done by Monarto Zoo and their partners. If you would like to donate and assist in the important work they do, you can do so by visiting this link or if you are in South Australia stop by Monarto Zoo for the ultimate chimpanzee experience.

Transporting Your Pet Is Easy – with Jetpets

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Are you relocating interstate or overseas? Perhaps you’re just organising a holiday and can’t bare the thought of leaving your best friend at home? Regardless of where your pet is travelling from and to with Jetpets you can have complete peace of mind.

Here are five tips to get you started as well as for a limited time you can take advantage of this Jetpets double points offer. You can earn 6 Points per $1 spent on all bookings made with Jetpets on a Virgin Australia service between 16 April to 29 April 2018.  Terms and conditions apply, view them here.

Our pet travel consultants are pet lovers just like you and love nothing more than reuniting families
Our pet travel consultants are pet lovers just like you and love nothing more than reuniting families

Tip 1- Seek the help of an expert

Jetpets have been transporting pets both domestically and internationally for over 26 years. Our team of pet loving experts includes pet travel consultants, vets and pet handlers, all of whom understand that pets are part of the family. Your first step should be to seek the help of our experienced team.  Jetpets can arrange absolutely everything for you and with our door to door service you will barely have to lift a finger, which will ensure you can relax knowing that your beloved pet is in the very best of hands.

Jetpets travel crates come in a variety of sizes which means there’s a crate perfect for your loved one
Jetpets travel crates come in a variety of sizes which means there’s a crate perfect for your loved one

Tip 2- Make sure your pet’s travel crate is airline compliant

Airlines are very strict on the quality and specifications of pet travel crates. Jetpets both hires and sells airline approved pet travel crates. A pet travel consultant will identify the perfect sized travel crate that ensures your pet is comfortable and safe. For overseas travellers a complimentary stay dry fleece matt is placed inside the travel crate, keeping your pet dry and comfortable for their entire travel journey.

Tip 3- Want to be on the same flight as your pet?

The moment you decide that you are travelling with your pet give Jetpets a call and we will do our very best to secure a flight booking for your pet on the same flight as you. Just as seats fill up for human passengers the same can be said of pets and the sooner you secure your flight the sooner you can relax knowing that you will arrive on the same flight as your best friend.

Our unique transit lounges provide an opportunity for your pet to stretch their legs and get pats
Our unique transit lounges provide an opportunity for your pet to stretch their legs and get pats

Tip 4- Enjoy the convenience of our transit lounges

Jetpets have a pet transit lounge located near each major capital city airport*. We offer the convenience and complimentary transit lounge to airport pick-up and delivery service. Our happy travellers transiting through get to relax and stretch their legs prior to or after air travel.

*Transit lounge facilities are located only in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.  

Tip 5- Additional tips for overseas travellers  

It is worthwhile to help familiarise your pet with their travel crate before long distance travelling. By associating their crate with positive things such as play and treats your pet will be more at ease when it comes time to travel. Read up on our  travel crate familiarisation tips here. A Jetpets pet handler can visit the home and identify the perfect sized travel crate, leaving it with you for pet familiarisation.

Country of entry requirements differ so our team of experts will assist you every step of the way, including the administration of all required paperwork, and the timeliness and completion of the vet work schedule. Jetpets resident vets are specialists in pet travel and can take area of your pet’s entire vet work schedule which ensures everything runs smoothly.

Is your furry family member travelling?

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There’s many benefits in using a pet travel service.

Travelling within Australia or overseas? Need flights booked for your pet? Require a door to door service? Regardless of the travel scenario there’s countless benefits in using a pet travel service, rather than attempt to organise it yourself. Here’s just some of the benefits in having the Jetpets team arrange and look after your pet throughout their entire travel journey.

  1. Place your pet in the care of pet lovers.

We know that you are trusting us to care for your much loved, precious family member. Our pet loving team includes pet travel consultants, resident vets and pet handlers, and we are specialists when it comes to pet travel.

We will take the time to get to know your pet and find out if they have any special requirements.

  1. Pet welfare, comfort and safety comes first

Everything we do centres around the welfare, comfort and safety of your pet.

Our resident vets are located at transit lounge locations throughout Australia. For overseas travellers our vets can complete the entire vet work schedule and ensure strict country of entry requirements are met.

Your pet travel consultant will create your pet’s travel itinerary and provide valuable tips to get your pet ready for travel, as well as stepping your through the entire process.

Our transit lounges are conveniently located near major airports in Australia and provide a relaxing and comfortable environment for your pet prior to their flight.

Our team provides great advice on the best sized travel crate for your pet. You can hire or purchase an airline compliant travel crate from Jetpets. For travel within Australia you can visit a transit lounge for guidance on the best sized travel crate, or for overseas travellers a pet handler can deliver one to your home well before travel. Our pet handlers provide great advice on getting your pet familiar with their travel crate.

For door to door services our pet handlers will transport your pet in comfort in our air-conditioned fleet.

For indirect flights we offer a comfort stop service, ensuring that your pet is taken care of every step of the way.

We are there if things don’t quite go to plan. Sometimes a flight does get delayed or cancelled, or a pet may soil their travel crate prior to flight. You needn’t be concerned as a pet handler will attend to it. They will also be there to top up their water container.

We have a strict weather policy to ensure all pets travel comfortably and safely. We have a dedicated pet travel consultant who proactively monitors the forecast and in instances of extreme weather will change the flight time if necessary.

  1. We select the best flight options

Wanting to travel on the same flight? We will do our best to accommodate this.

We have visibility of pet cabin space availability across our airline partners and will suggest the most direct flight option for your pet.

We monitor the weather and if your pet is travelling from or to a hot climate we will recommend a morning or night flight.

  1. Peace of mind

You can have complete peace of mind knowing that your pet is in good hands with Jetpets, and we are accessible 24/7.

  1. Value for money

With the level of expertise provided and care taken Jetpets represents exceptional value for money. There are also many complimentary aspects of our service that provide convenience to you and benefit your pet.

For interstate pet travel you can enjoy the convenience of our complimentary transit lounge to airport pick up and delivery service.

Terms and conditions apply.

For overseas travel our complimentary services include:

  • The convenience of our “front door” pickup by our trained pet handlers.
  • Pet handler home visit to assist in choosing the correct crate size for your pet, and leave it with you for pet familiarisation.
  • Our stay dry fleece mat provides an absorbent padded surface to keep your pet dry and comfortable in their travel crate.
  • Jetpets resident vets can complete a home visit and health check.
  • One-night boarding stay prior to travel.

Terms and conditions apply.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see first hand our happy travellers.

Emotional reunion for couple sailing the Pacific Ocean

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At Jetpets we pride ourselves on being able to transport any animal to any location in the world, so when the captain of the yacht “Sailing Nandji”, Jared Laver contacted us to reunite both himself and his partner, Bonita with their beloved Whippet Marley, we jumped at the chance.

The challenge however was that Jared and his partner were currently sailing around the Solomon Islands on their yacht and Marley was travelling from Australia to meet with them.

While the decision to leave Marley behind in Australia for the first length of their voyage was unavoidable the pair were determined to be reunited with their travel buddy Marley somewhere along the way despite the challenges that this would pose but Bonita said it best when she said, “If you want to travel fast you go alone, If you want to travel far…you go together”.

Initially they had planned to arrange Marley’s travel themselves but after realising how complicated the requirements were, Marley’s veterinarian recommended they contact Jetpets to ensure that the important paperwork was completed correctly by the experts as an incorrect form could lead to a very expensive problem.

“If any of the paperwork was incorrect or if we made one mistake then Marley could be sent straight back”, said Jared Laver.

So Jetpets set to work making all the unique arrangements for importation in to the Solomon Islands as well as the specific vet work that was needed prior to travelling. Our pet travel consultant was made aware of the unique circumstances and was able to communicate with Jared and Bonita via email from their yacht in the Solomon sea, making the entire process possible.

With the pet travel arrangements all made, and triple checked we informed Jared and Bonita when Marley would arrive, and the pair excitedly made their way to the little airport to be reunited with Marley. Although they experienced flight delays the pair were successfully reunited with Marley later that day and little Marley was so happy to see them, wagging his tail so vigorously he was almost drumming inside the pet travel crate.

It’s easy to see the strength of the bond shared between these three world travellers and to be a part of their reunion is just one of the many rewarding reasons we do what we do. Please click through and watch the entire episode on their YouTube channel you won’t regret it, and make sure you have a box of tissues handy, it’s a bit of a tear jerker.

Travelling Abroad With Your Pet? Here is our definitive list of tips you need to know.

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Often pet owners can become discouraged when they realise how much organisation is required to transport their pets overseas, but this needn’t be a road block to your travel plans with your pet. We decided to put together the definitive list of tips for those interested in pet travel to make it easy for you to know what to do and when to do it.

  1. The very moment you decide to travel abroad with your pet…call Jetpets.

Our pet travel consultants will step you through the process of planning your travel. They will also be able to give you an understanding of the time frames involved to prepare your paper work and arrange any veterinary requirements. Most importantly it will allow you to budget for your pets move and provide peace of mind, knowing that your pet is in great care with our team of pet travel experts.

  1. Create a travel itinerary for your pet.

A personalised pet travel itinerary will allow you to track where to be and when. Often when travelling internationally there are multiple flights, pickup times, drop off times, pet accommodation details (if required) and veterinary commitments that you need to be mindful of. Thankfully Jetpets will develop this itinerary for you which will cover everything you need to know in a simple and easy to follow layout.

  1. Workout your veterinary requirements as early as possible

Every pet move is unique, and every country has unique entry requirements. Knowing what these requirements are as early as possible will allow you to make the correct decisions to ensure that you meet these requirements well in advance. The best way to do this is to have our Jetpets veterinarians manage your pets entire vet schedule. Our veterinarians have a wealth of experience and knowledge in pet travel which will ensure that your pets are correctly prepared for their departure from Australia and safe and seamless arrival in your overseas destination.

  1. Travel Crate Familiarisation

Having your pet be comfortable and relaxed in their pet travel crate is important. An easy way to ensure that your pet regards the travel crate as a safe and relaxing space is pet travel crate familiarisation. A Jetpets pet handler can bring the crate to your home weeks before your identified travel date to give your pet time to acclimatise to the new environment. Our travel crate design also allows you to split the crate in half allowing your pet to utilize it as a pet bed which is a great first step in crate training your pet if they haven’t travelled before.

  1. Choose a pet travel service that provides you value for money.

Jetpets provides various complimentary benefits that represent great value for money which includes…

  • The convenience of our complimentary “front door” pickup by our trained pet handlers.
  • Pet handler home visit to assist in choosing the correct crate size for your pet, and leave it with you for pet familiarisation.
  • Our stay dry fleece mat provides an absorbent padded surface to keep your pet dry and comfortable in their travel crate.
  • Jetpets on staff veterinarians can complete a home visit and health check.
  • One-night boarding stay prior to travel.

Note that terms and conditions apply.

Rusty The Hitchhiking Terrier Returns Home

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The cheeky hitchhiking terrier, Rusty, who hitched a 1,500-kilometre ride on a truck from his home in Goondiwindi, Queensland, to Snowtown in South Australia has captured the hearts of the nation.

Rusty The Hitchhiking Terrier Returns Home with Jetpets

Rusty’s adventure began after he decided to go looking for his family while they were away on a short holiday. Somewhere along the way Rusty decided to stowaway on a truck driven by Paul McDowell and his wife Heather Reid, and when they discovered him they decided to take him with them until they could identify and get in touch with his owners.

After his owner Laura was made aware of Rusty’s incredible journey she put out a call on social media to see if anyone could assist in getting Rusty back home. As the industry leader in pet transport we jumped at the chance to see Rusty reunited with his family and offered to transport him home free of charge.

In order to get the little guy home safely we pulled out all the stops by donating a state of the art pet travel crate complete with a stay dry fleece matt and plenty of room to stretch his legs.

With the arrangements made to get him home the story began to circulate online and soon almost every news station in the country was calling to get the scoop on Rusty, as the well wishes poured in on social media from all over the world.

Rusty’s surrogate family believe Rusty was sent to them to help them get over the grief of recently losing their family dog, who was stuck by a car on New Year Eve but were delighted that Rusty would be reunited with his family once again.

“I will miss him though, he’s been great company for our five-month old French mastiff and a distraction following the loss of our other dog in an accident just days before Rusty turned up”, said Heather.

Rusty’s journey home began with a few cuddles before he boarded his flight from Adelaide to Brisbane after which he enjoyed the comforts of a stopover at our transit lounge to stretch his legs and have a meal before his 4-hour road transport back to Goondiwindi.

“He was very relaxed and quiet the whole way in the air-conditioned van and only started barking when I drove in to the driveway, so he got a bit excited then”, said pet handler Deb Duce.

“It’s really nice to have him back, the kids have missed him and we’re very excited to have him back”, said owner Laura Scudamore.

We were also amazed to discover that this is not the first time little Rusty had gone on a solo trip away from home too. In 2016 Rusty was found in Chinchilla, more than 200 kilometres from Goondiwindi. With a children’s book in the works from his previous adventure the author will have to add a few extra chapters after Rusty’s recent adventure.

In any case if Rusty decides to get itchy feet and contract the travel bug again you can be sure we will be there to get this adventurous dog home safe and sound once again.

Watch Rusty’s Happy Reunion Now.

Rusty The Hitchhiking Terrier Returns Home with Jetpets

BBQ’s and Dogs: What is safe for them to eat might surprise you

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With the lovely weather we are experiencing here in Australia we are right in the middle of prime barbecue season and while others around the world are experiencing wintery weather, the love of barbecues (or cook outs) is universal.

Sharing a barbecue in the backyard with your family dog is one of those past times that sticks with you forever but it’s important to know what types of foods are safe to feed to your dog and what foods could cause an adverse reaction to your beloved pet.

We spoke with our Jetpets veterinarian Dr Kes and asked her to give us some advice to make sure your family barbecues are pet friendly this year.

Onions

All members of the onion family (garlic, scallions and shallots included) contain compounds that can cause medical problems for dogs. These compounds cause complications for your dogs red blood cells causing weakness, fatigue and reluctance to move. While the amount required to make your dog sick is significant, it’s best to not take the risk.

Chips, Pretzels and Corn Chips

Chips are not considered a healthy food for humans and the same could be said for dogs due to the high sodium content. Too much sodium in your dog’s diet can cause vomiting and diarrhea and can lead to sodium ion poisoning in extreme cases. So, don’t let your pooch clean up the bag of spilt chips during your barbecue.

Alcohol

Sharing a cold beer with your friends is a great time. Sharing one with your dog can lead to significant problems for your pet. Dogs have a relatively small liver and they have a hard time processing the alcohol in the beer. Liver damage to your dog can be fatal and ensuring that your dog doesn’t lap up a stray beer will make sure they stay healthy.

Chicken Wings

While chicken meat is perfectly safe for your dog to consume problems can arise when dogs are given whole chicken wings to consume. The small bones contained within chicken wings can splinter and crack easily becoming lodged in your dogs throat which can cause breathing problems and can even puncture the dogs digestive tract. Ensure your chicken wing bones find their way into the bin rather than the garden where your dog will go hunting for them later.

BBQ’s and Dogs: What is safe for them to eat might surprise you

The Shoe Fits for Little Sprinter

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Little Sprinter is fast becoming a hero in his home state of Hawaii after undertaking his service horse training.

You may remember back in July earlier this year, Jetpets and Pet Express had the pleasure of assisting a special little horse to fly from the windy city of Chicago to the beautiful beaches of Maui in Hawaii.

Little Sprinter’s owner Christine Higgins was so thankful for the wonderful service and care given to her new companion that she reached out to us personally to thank us for our involvement.

“My little guy arrived in wonderful condition. His eyes were bright and he was relaxed and calm. The trip couldn’t have gone any better!”, said Christine.

Pet Express’s Adrienne communicated with Christine throughout the travel process even getting him out of his custom built  travel crate and taking him for a walk during his time at our San Francisco transit lounge.

You see Sprinter wasn’t just any miniature horse, Sprinter was purchased by Christine to become a “service horse”. Christine had earlier been diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine and joints causing inflammation that can lead to severe and chronic pain. In addition to this Christine was also diagnosed with Lupus, which affects the immune system, forcing the bodies immune system to mistakenly attack healthy tissue.

These two conditions, combined with other significant ailments, resulted in Christine having to reduce the physical intensity of her day to day life. Christine knew that she would need some assistance to keep mobile and a companion to keep a positive attitude through this considerable life challenge.

Little Sprinter began his service horse training immediately with the aim being that he could provide support to Christine when she travelled to the shops, attended doctors’ appointments and extra stability around the home. Jetpets have kept in close contact with Christine and recently Christine expressed a concern that Little Sprinter was having trouble keeping his balance on the hard wood floors inside her home and asked if it was possible for us to assist.

Jetpets committed to help Christine and Little Sprinter by sponsoring special rubber shoes for Sprinter to wear which would allow him extra grip while indoors and provide better stability to Christine.

Sprinter with his Jetpets sponsored, rubber shoes which enable him to assist Christine indoors.

While Sprinter will no doubt improve the quality of life for Christine’s whole family, Christine wishes to share Sprinters inspirational story with others.

“He loads up in the back of my SUV with a ramp. It is my goal to visit nursing homes and hospitals with Sprinter as a therapy horse. I know he will provide so much joy and so many smiles to people struggling like I am”, said Christine.

While Sprinter has his work cut out for him assisting Christine and her family and his local community, it’s not all work for the miniature horse. Sprinter gets plenty of time to play in the small paddock next to Christine’s house. His playful personality coming through when playing with his favourite toy, a red yoga ball, which he pushes around the paddock, leaning on it until he falls over only to get up and do it all over again.

It’s not all hard work for Sprinter the service horse. Here he is trying on his Halloween outfit.

“He’s quickly becoming my best friend. He’s so sweet and kind. He stays at my side”, said Christine. Although Christine mentioned he also plays up sometimes, “At this point he may be on Santa’s naughty list though!”, she jokes.

Jetpets wishes Christine, the Higgins family and Little Sprinter all the very best as they continue to battle Christine’s conditions. We know Little Sprinter will do a fantastic job of looking after her during the festive season and into the next year.

If you are interested in following Christine and Little Sprinters adventures, you can do so on his Facebook page which by the way is the most adorable animal page we have seen all year.

Jetpets assists in the relocation of Australia’s first breeding pair of Caracal cats

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Recently Jetpets had the pleasure of assisting in the relocation of two Caracals from South Africa to their new home at the Wild Animal Encounter Conservation Centre in Hawkesbury, North of Sydney. The Caracals, Kato and Kaia are the only two Caracals currently on display in Australia and it’s hoped the unrelated pair will breed once they reach maturity in the next 12-18 months.

Picture : NRL Photos/Gregg Porteous

The success of the first ever Caracal breeding program in Australia rests in the very capable hands of Wild Animal Encounter’s company director, Ben Britton who you may recognise as the host of Australia’s Nat Geo Wild program.

Ben’s name has become synonymous with exotic wildlife education and throughout his 20-year career Ben has starred in several documentaries and television programs aimed at educating the public on animal behaviour and conservation.

“The Caracals have arrived safe and sound here and both animals are out exploring their new environment…We had a great reaction when they heard their first kookaburra this morning”, said Ben.

Caracal’s are known for their impressive ears which have the signature tufts of dark coloured hair on the points. The ears are manipulated by twenty muscles which enable the cats to locate prey animal sounds with startling accuracy. The Caracal’s paws are also specifically designed for stealth allowing them to get closer to prey animals which gives them a much higher chance of success when hunting birds or and small prey animals.

Wild Animal Encounters is not government funded and they rely heavily on donations and the support of the public to continue their important work promoting conservation. Private tours and animal encounters offer the unique opportunity to meet these amazing creatures while supporting the important work Wild Animal Encounters does.

We wish Kato and Kaia the very best as they explore their new environment and we will endeavour to check in with them in the future to bring you any updates. If you would like to book a tour to meet Kato and Kaia you can do so at www.wildanimalencounters.com.au

Picture : NRL Photos/Gregg Porteous

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark and Mya On the Adventure of a Lifetime

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Dynamic adventure duo Mark and Mya are undertaking the adventure of a lifetime trekking through Canada and the United States.

What’s more amazing than travelling the world with your best friend? Travelling the world with your best friend, who also happens to be your dog! That’s exactly what adventure seekers Mark and his white Shepard Mya are doing with the help of Jetpets.

Mark’s love of the outdoors grew from a strong influence from his grandfather at an early age and when Mark received Mya at the age of 8 weeks old they immediately formed an inseparable bond.

Mya quickly became right at home joining Mark on his many outdoors adventures snowboarding, skiing and mountain biking; running alongside Mark as he traversed the unique landscapes of Australia.

As many adventure seekers do, Mark began to look for his next adventure but couldn’t stand the idea of leaving his best friend behind.

“I chose to get her, I chose to make her my family so I’m responsible for her and it wouldn’t be responsible of me to leave her behind”, said Mark.

 

Mark and Mya in the ski resort town of Whistler, in the province of British Columbia, Canada

Inspired by the likes of Kelly Lund and Loki the wolf dog, Mark wanted to undertake a lengthy trip travelling through Canada and America and share the experience on social media with those who dreamed of one day doing the same.

Mark contacted Jetpets in July with the hope of arranging pet travel for Mya, which we were only too happy to assist with. Mark was delighted to receive his pet travel crate months before he was due to depart, which gave Mya plenty of time to become familiar and comfortable with the crate for her long-distance pet transport.

Mark and Mya even came to visit us here at our Melbourne head office before they left to meet with our staff and finalise some details with his pet travel consultant.

Arriving safe and sound in Vancouver in mid-November, the pair have set off on the first leg of their journey where they will spend the first 3 months traversing some of Canada’s most beautiful snow-capped landscapes.

Mark and Mya visiting with Jetpets staff at our Tullamarine head office in Melbourne

With Mya travelling alongside Mark as he skis and boards his way across the snow, Mya had to be fitted for special doggy snow shoes to ensure she didn’t sink down too far in the heavy snow. While their adventure is only in it’s early stages the dynamic duo is already capturing the imagination of adventure seekers all over the globe, with well wishes pouring in to their social media pages on a daily basis.

Mark and Mya even attracted the attention of the local newspaper with their inspiring story last week, as they continue to inform the public on the benefits of pet travel.

Jetpets would like to wish Mark and Mya the very best as they share the adventure of a lifetime and we will continue to bring you exclusive updates as they continue their amazing journey across Canada’s most picturesque country side.

If you would like to keep up with Mark and Mya’s adventures on social media you can follow their accounts on Facebook here and Instagram here