Trusted Pet Transport in Toronto, Ontario
We provide international pet transport to and from Toronto, planned around the weather, the season and your destination’s entry rules.
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- Export and import paperwork
- Check-in at YYZ
- Door-to-door relocation
- Meeting your pet at the arrival airport
In Toronto, every dog and cat needs a City licence and tag, renewed each year.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 1-877-707-1739
Toronto at a glance
How a move from Toronto works- Flights from
- Toronto Pearson
- Door-to-door pickup
- Roughly one to two hours’ drive of Toronto
- Airline guides
- Air Canada and WestJet
- Export paperwork
- CFIA endorsement, by appointment
- Service area
- Ontario
Pet Relocation from Toronto
The planning realities at Toronto Pearson (YYZ): Air Canada’s published winter rules shape flight choices from 1 November to 31 March, summer heat waves can restrict midday departures, and Pearson’s cargo terminal is busy enough that timing and paperwork have to be exact.
How a Move from Toronto Works
Each of our pet relocation services can be booked on its own, from a single airline booking to a move from your door to the arrival airport.
Flights and check-in
We book your pet’s flights from Toronto Pearson, 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 Toronto, and handles the check-in personally, and we meet your pet at the arrival airport.
Paperwork for a move abroad
For a move abroad, the export certificate has to be endorsed in Canada before your pet leaves. CFIA’s appointment page, read 22 September 2026, says endorsement by an official CFIA veterinarian needs an appointment booked through a local CFIA office, with no walk-ins, that the service fee is paid online at least 3 days before the appointment and cannot be refunded once the appointment is scheduled, and that endorsement cannot be done after the animal leaves Canada. We prepare the certificate with you and your veterinarian, including an import permit where the destination country asks for one, and check each document against the destination’s rules. Our destination guides set out each country’s requirements.
Arriving
Moving a Pet to Toronto
Coming from another country? CFIA sets the rules for a pet entering Canada, and our guide to bringing a pet to Canada sets them out. Once you live here, Ontario’s rabies page, read 22 September 2026, says a cat, dog or ferret must be vaccinated for rabies as soon as it is 3 months old, indoor pets included, and the City of Toronto’s pet licensing page, read the same day, says every dog and cat owned in Toronto must be licensed and wear a tag, renewed every year.
How the service works from start to finish is on our pet transport services page.
Flying a Pet Out of Toronto
Most Toronto air moves route through Pearson, Air Canada Cargo’s main hub and the widest set of international lanes in the country. A small pet that fits under the seat flies in the cabin for a fee per direction on Air Canada or WestJet, lower on domestic and United States flights than on other international routes. Larger pets travel as cargo. Air Canada Cargo does not publish a route rate for dogs and cats and quotes each shipment through a sales representative, billed on chargeable weight, which crate size drives more than your pet’s weight does. Our cost estimator shows how a full move prices out.
Winter is the planning constraint at Pearson: cold weather embargoes pause cargo acceptance in the deepest weeks, so January and February dates book earliest or move by road. Ground routes run the 401 corridor to Montreal and Ottawa, and cross-border moves into the US are routine.
Airline Pet Policy Guides
Each airline named on this page publishes its own rules for animals. Our guides set out what each one says:
Air Canada: cabin, baggage and cargo rules.
WestJet: fees and cabin rules.
How Our Pet Transport Process Works
Consultation
We review your pet’s details, destination, and preferred timeline.
Travel Plan and Timeline
We outline routing, documentation steps, and key deadlines.
Pre-Travel Preparation
We guide crate setup, veterinary timing, and readiness checks.
Transportation Coordination
We coordinate flights, ground transport, and airport procedures as needed.
Arrival Support
We confirm arrival steps and post-travel considerations at the destination.
Pet Transport Services
Air Pet Shipping
We coordinate flight routing, airline policies, and airport procedures for pets travelling by air from Toronto.
Ground Pet Transport
Ground transportation supports regional moves, airport transfers, and connections between GTA communities and departure points.
International Pet Transport
International pet transport includes planning for vaccinations, microchips, permits, and destination compliance, with timelines built around official requirements.
Door-to-Door Relocation
Door-to-door relocation combines ground and air coordination to align pickup, travel, and arrival schedules.
Types of Pets We Transport
Dog Transportation
We plan dog transportation in Toronto and the GTA based on breed, size, crate requirements, airline policies, and destination rules. Each itinerary considers seasonal temperature restrictions and airport handling procedures to reduce unnecessary delays.
Cat Transportation
Cat transport plans focus on cabin versus cargo eligibility, carrier sizing, and stress-minimizing routing. We also confirm airline-specific check-in rules and documentation timing before any flights are booked.
Bird Transportation
Bird transportation involves advance airline approval, species-specific permits, and appropriate crate planning. Airline options may be limited, so early coordination is important.
Small Mammals Transportation
Transportation for rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, and similar pets depends on airline acceptance and destination rules. We coordinate routing and documentation while guiding owners through preparation steps.
Reptile and Exotic Pet Transport
Reptile and exotic pet transport involves specialized airline rules, CITES considerations, and climate-controlled routing when required. Planning often includes limited carrier options, making early coordination essential.
Our Service Areas Near Toronto
We provide pet transportation services throughout Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Downtown Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Oakville, and Burlington. Services are available nationwide across Canada and internationally.
Moves elsewhere in the province run through our Ontario service area, one of our service areas across Canada.
Common Local Mistakes to Avoid
Planning ahead helps reduce delays and uncertainty.
waiting too long to plan during summer or holiday travel periods
underestimating GTA traffic and airport congestion
assuming all airlines accept pets under the same conditions
booking flights before documentation is finalized
overlooking winter weather or temperature-related restrictions
Ready to start?
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
What to Expect When Shipping a Pet Through Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ)
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is located in Mississauga, Ontario, approximately 22 km northwest of downtown Toronto. As a major international hub, YYZ connects passengers to extensive domestic and global destinations. Toronto Pearson is the primary airport for pet travel in the GTA, offering the widest range of domestic and international airline options. Due to high passenger volume and airline capacity limits, advance coordination is important.
Who actually handles your pet at YYZ
Air Canada Cargo runs the AC Animals product out of 2580 Britannia Road East, Mississauga. The station runs 24 hours a day, every day including holidays. The tender window is narrow: an animal must be tendered no later than three hours before departure and no earlier than four, so it is a one-hour slot rather than a morning.
Air Canada Cargo’s before you book page, read 15 September 2026, says door-to-door service is not available for animals, so somebody has to take the crate to the counter and somebody has to collect it. Bookings inside Canada go direct to Air Canada at least 24 hours ahead; bookings to the United States or overseas have to be placed through a registered IPATA, IATA or ATA agent rather than by the owner. We book the CFIA endorsement appointment against the flight rather than the move date.
Temperature limits and ground handling
Airlines decide whether a pet flies, not the airport. Carriers refuse an animal in the hold when forecast ground temperatures fall outside their published limits, and they layer seasonal embargoes on top of that. Air Canada Cargo also requires a comfort stop when a connection runs longer than 6 hours, or when an animal is not collected within 4 hours of arrival: the animal goes to a kennel or a veterinary service and those fees fall to the shipper. Between drop-off and loading your pet waits in the cargo handler building rather than a dedicated animal terminal, so the acceptance window and the handler opening hours are what a travel date has to be built around.
Pet Relief Areas
Pearson publishes six relief areas in Terminal 1, six in Terminal 3, and three in the Infield Concourse for international arrivals, on both the public and post-security sides. In Terminal 1 there are indoor areas near gates D30 and F83 and on the arrivals transfer level; Terminal 3 has areas near gates B26 and A9 and on the arrivals level near door A. Give your pet a bathroom break before check-in, since animals stay in their carriers inside the terminal.
Additional Services
Where cargo animals are handled:
Animals travelling as cargo are dropped off and collected at the Cargo West facilities or at Cargo Area 5, where the Vista Cargo tenants sit. Air Canada Cargo runs its AC Animals program through Pearson. Air Canada Cargo holds IATA’s CEIV Live Animals certification, which it renewed in 2022.Coordination with Animal-Friendly Airlines:
Many airlines operating at YYZ provide pet-specific travel options, including in-cabin travel for small pets, checked baggage options, and dedicated animal cargo for larger pets. YYZ works with these airlines on smooth pet handling.Animal Care and Handling:
YYZ handles live animal shipments through its cargo facilities. We confirm handling arrangements, hydration and feeding needs, and nearby veterinary options for your route before travel day.
Questions about moving a pet to or from Toronto
Request a QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
When is the best time of year to fly a pet out of Toronto?
Toronto sees cold winters and warm summers, so timing matters at both ends of the year. Airlines set temperature limits for animals in cargo in extreme cold and extreme heat, and we plan your Toronto move around the forecast, picking the safest departure window from Pearson and adjusting routing when the weather does not cooperate.
Do you handle international pet moves from Toronto?
Yes. Toronto Pearson International (YYZ) has strong international service, and we coordinate overseas moves from Toronto end to end, mapping the route, preparing the destination country’s import paperwork and the CFIA export endorsement, and timing travel around the airline’s schedule. See our destination guides for country requirements.
Do you offer door-to-door pet transport from Toronto?
Yes. Many Toronto families want the whole move handled, so we can arrange ground pickup from your home, the airport hand-off, and delivery at the other end. One coordinator stays with the journey from your Toronto door to the destination.
How is the cost of a Toronto pet move decided?
Every Toronto 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 in Canada.
For real numbers, our Canadian pet shipping cost guide puts a typical full-service cargo move for a larger dog at $2,000 to $3,500 CAD, and our pet shipping cost calculator itemizes the government fees route by route.
Do you help with crates and carriers for Toronto 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 labelling a carrier will accept. For Toronto pets we confirm the crate well before travel so there are no surprises at Pearson, and we start acclimation tips early so the crate feels familiar by travel day.