Pet Transport in Houston, Texas
We provide international pet transport to and from Houston, planned around the weather, the season and your destination’s entry rules. A move to or from another state goes by road with a partner driver or on a domestic flight.
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- Export and import paperwork
- Check-in at IAH or HOU
- Door-to-door relocation
- Meeting your pet at the arrival airport
Houston requires every dog and cat four months or older to be registered with the City and microchipped.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 1-877-540-0555
Houston at a glance
How a move from Houston works- Flights from
- Bush Intercontinental (IAH) or Hobby (HOU)
- Door-to-door pickup
- Roughly one to two hours’ drive of Houston
- Airline guides
- Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines
- Export paperwork
- USDA endorsement through VEHCS
- Service area
- Southwest
Pet Relocation from Houston
Houston flights leave from George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), and the route is chosen for each move on the weather, the season and airline availability. The things to plan around are Gulf Coast heat and humidity through the long summer, when airline heat limits apply, and hurricane season from June into November, which can shift schedules. We book cooler windows and keep backup dates ready.
How a Move from Houston Works
Book our pet relocation services by the piece in Houston: the flight booking alone, or the drive to the airport and everything after it.
Flights and check-in
We book your pet’s flights from Bush Intercontinental (IAH) or Hobby (HOU), set the dates around the weather, the season and each airline’s rules for pets, and handle the check-in with the airline on travel day.
Door to door, when you book it
Door-to-door pet transport adds the road legs. A partner driver collects your pet from home, anywhere within roughly one to two hours’ drive of Houston, and handles the check-in personally, and we meet your pet at the arrival airport. We do not run local rides to the vet, groomer or daycare.
Paperwork for a move abroad
For a move abroad, the paperwork starts with the destination, the first step of every international pet relocation we plan. APHIS’s export page, read September 16, 2026, says to verify your destination country’s entry requirements every time you plan to travel, and that a USDA-accredited veterinarian submits the health certificate for USDA endorsement on your behalf. APHIS calls VEHCS the fastest route to endorsement, says processing there is staffed Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time outside federal holidays, and says there is no in-person or drop-off service. We prepare the file with you, including an import permit where the destination country asks for one, and check each document against its rules before your pet flies. Our destination guides cover the rules country by country.
Arriving
Moving a Pet to Houston
Coming from another state? The Texas Department of State Health Services entry page, read September 23, 2026, says a dog or cat 12 weeks or older entering Texas must be vaccinated against rabies and travel with the vaccination certificate signed by the veterinarian who gave the vaccine, and that Texas law does not require a health certificate, though most airlines ask for one. Once you live in Houston, the City of Houston’s pet registration page, read the same day, says the rabies vaccination is yearly and the registration is renewed every year. A dog coming from another country also has to meet CDC’s entry rules, which our guide to the CDC dog import form sets out.
How the service works from start to finish is on our pet transport services page.
Flying a Pet Out of Houston
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
IAH is the main airport for many Houston pet travel routes, including domestic flights and international connections. It helps to plan ahead for check-in timing and any seasonal limitations.
Read the IAH traveling with pets and service animals manual.
William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
HOU can be a practical option for certain domestic routes. If your itinerary uses Hobby, it’s still worth allowing extra time for screening and check-in.
Airlines that fly pets from Houston
Each airline named on this page publishes its own rules for animals. Our guides set out what each one says:
Alaska Airlines: cabin fees, carrier rules and its seasonal embargoes.
American Airlines: cabin, cargo and PetEmbark.
Delta: cabin rules, fees and who it ships pets for.
United Airlines: what it publishes for dogs and cats.
How Our Pet Transport Process Works
Consultation
We collect your pet details, route, timing, and destination requirements.
Travel Plan and Timeline
We outline milestones, routing options, and document timing.
Pre Travel Preparation
We guide crate/carrier setup and travel day readiness steps.
Transportation Coordination
We coordinate schedules and handoffs with the partners involved.
Arrival Support
We share arrival-day steps and settling guidance after travel.
Our Pet Transport Services
Air Pet Shipping
We arrange airline routing, timing, documentation, and airport coordination for pets flying into or out of Houston, including required check-in procedures.
Ground Pet Transport
Ground pet transportation offers a controlled alternative for regional moves. We plan routes, rest schedules, and climate considerations for longer drives.
Moving a Pet Abroad from Houston
A move abroad from Houston starts with the destination’s rules, then the export and import papers and an airline booking on an international connection out of IAH.
Door to Door Relocation
Door to door relocation combines ground and air services into one coordinated plan. We manage timing, handoffs, and communication from origin to arrival.
Types of Pets We Transport
Dog Transportation
Dogs are the moves we plan most often. We match the crate to your dog’s size, book around airline rules and summer heat limits, and plan the routing through Houston (IAH) so nothing turns into a last-minute scramble on travel day.
Cat Transportation
Cats travel best when the day stays calm and the waiting is short. We choose airline-approved carriers, sort out the cabin-or-cargo question early, and plan the schedule so your cat spends as little time at the airport as possible.
Bird Transportation
Birds need a little more care: species-specific paperwork, airline approval, and travel that holds a steady temperature. We walk you through the health certificates and routing so nothing slips through the cracks.
Small Mammals
Rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small pets travel in approved carriers on carefully timed routes. We confirm that the airline will accept your pet well before the date, so there are no surprises.
Reptiles and Exotic Pets
Reptiles and exotic pets each come with their own rules. We review the airline policies and temperature requirements one by one and build a route that genuinely suits your animal, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Our Service Areas Near Houston
We provide pet transportation services throughout Houston, including Sugar Land, Katy, The Woodlands, Pearland, and Pasadena. In addition, Pet Travel Advisors coordinates pet relocation nationwide across the United States.
Farther afield, Houston moves run through our Southwest service area, which includes Dallas and San Antonio too.
Ready to start?
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
What to Expect When Shipping a Pet Through Houston Bush Airport (IAH)
Who actually handles your pet at IAH: Air General runs the cargo warehouse at 19175 Lee Road, Building H, Suite 175, and that is where a pet booked on Alaska Air Cargo Pet Connect is dropped off and collected. Drop-off and collection run Monday to Friday, 5:00am to 8:00pm. The counter is closed Saturday and Sunday, so a Houston pet move has to fall on a weekday.
American Airlines Cargo is the other option here, through its PetEmbark service. Delta ships pets only for active US military and State Department Foreign Service personnel with permanent change of station orders. United publishes its own policy on its pets page.
Questions about moving a pet to or from Houston
Request a QuoteFAQ
Is summer a safe time to fly a pet from Houston?
Houston summers are the biggest factor in timing a pet’s flight. Through the hottest months, ramp temperatures often climb past the limits airlines set for animals in cargo. American will not carry a warm-blooded animal when the ground temperature is above 85F at the origin, connection or destination city. Alaska Air Cargo says many of its stations have seasonal temperature embargoes for animal shipments over a summer season that generally runs from May 1 to October 16. We plan Houston moves around that, booking early-morning or overnight departures from Bush Intercontinental or shifting the window so your pet is never left waiting in the heat.
Will my pet have layovers flying from Houston?
Where we can, we plan Houston moves with the fewest connections, because a direct flight is shorter and calmer for your pet. When a layover is unavoidable, we choose connections with enough time and the right conditions, routing through Bush Intercontinental or a nearby hub to keep the total trip as short as possible.
Do you help with crates and carriers for Houston pets?
Yes. The crate is one of the most important parts of a safe flight, so we size it to your pet and to the airline’s rules, which set the dimensions, ventilation, and labeling a carrier will accept. For Houston pets we confirm the crate well before travel so there are no surprises at Bush Intercontinental.
How do you price a pet move from Houston?
Every Houston move is priced on its own, because the route, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and the destination’s rules all change the total. Tell us where and when, and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote. For a closer look at what drives the price, see our guide to pet shipping costs.