Courier Richard made the journey to the UK with delightful passengers from Portugal and Spain on board. Among them were a number of regular and returning Animalcouriers passengers; as well as Alfie, whose heart-stopping story has a happy ending.
Rusty
Sweeter than candy and full of bounce, young pup Rusty travelled with us from Braga in Portugal to new owner Elizabeth in West Sussex. He had a couple of nights homeboarding with courier J, who found him a most delightful distraction!

Darling Rusty
Chilly Boy and Bea
Lovely personable cats Chilly Boy and Bea are Colin’s constant companions. Colin and his family have returned to the UK after five years working in Ventosa, Portugal. First stop on returning was Colin’s daughter’s graduation. Chilly Boy and Bea stayed with Animalcouriers until Colin collected them and took them home to Dorset. Colin dropped us a note, saying:
“Just a final thank you for all your help in bringing Bea and Chilly Boy back to the UK. I collected them today and they are now at home and still talking to me. Great people and great service. Well done to all your team. All best wishes, Colin, Izzy, Bea and Chilly Boy “CB”!!!”

Colin arrives with Chilly Boy and Bea

Colin asked for the cats to travel in separate bedrooms, to avoid any spats en route. Here he is saying a temporary goodbye to Chilly Boy on the left, and Bea on the right.

Chilly Boy looking very alert
Billy Bean and Bella
Billy Bean and Bella are returning Animalcouriers passengers. French Bulldog Billy Bean is full of character, while beautiful Bella is a super friendly cat. Owner Maria’s father-in-law and family friend Peter met us near Loulé on the Algarve to hand these precious pets over for their journey.

While waiting for Billy Bean and Bella, courier Richard came upon these two sisters, with their mum and grandma, all dressed in traditional finery

Peter satisfied that Billy Bean and Bella are comfortably settled in to our van

Billy Bean loves a walk

Billy Bean’s cheeky face

A happy reunion in London with Maria for Billy Bean and Bella

Maria wrote to say: “We are very glad to have our loved pets with us. They were calm and happy at arrival.”

Maria sent this rather good photo of Bella exploring the garden
Charly
It was a pleasure to welcome King Charles Cavalier Charly back on board. One of our most regular passengers, this splendid fellow and owners Marina and Anthony split their time between London and Marbella, Spain.

Marina and Anthony had gone on ahead, so Charly was cared for by Elizabeth until we could collect him
Lucky
Handsome puss Lucky has been boarding at the Petcare Pet Hotel in the Malaga area since February, while owner Hazel searched for a property in Portsmouth that allowed pets. Finally she’s succeeded, and is very excited that Lucky is on the way to join her.

Lucky became a firm favourite with cattery owners Viv and Pam
Lucas
We stopped off in Roquetas de Mar to meet adorable four-year-old Labrador Lucas, travelling to the UK with us while owner Isabel followed on by plane. Lucas is very enthusiastic about meeting people and having a good sniff while out walking, so he certainly made the most of his trip with us.

Goodbye Spain!

Hello London!
Alfie
A last-minute addition to our trip was dear Alfie in Nerja. Alfie and his owners were unfortunately involved in a car accident on their way home from holiday. During the immediate aftermath, Alfie took off and was nowhere to be found. His poor owners had to return to the UK, pretty much giving up hope of ever seeing him again.
Somehow, though, clever Alfie found his way back to the empty holiday villa they had been staying in. A truly brilliant neighbour, Cynthia, managed to gain Alfie’s trust. She looked after him and worked with a local vet and Animalcouriers to make a arrangements for him to travel to the UK for a reunion with his overjoyed owners.

Clever (and lucky) Alfie
Nadia
We picked up tabby-and-white puss Nadia, another returning passenger, from Guardamascotas, kennels and cattery in Valencia. Her owner, Richard, is so besotted with her, he sent us a photo of her on the pretext of making sure we collected the right cat!

We did collect the right cat 😀

Delighted Richard takes delivery of Nadia in Lincolnshire
Phoebe
Tortie cat Phoebe, our final collection, has also travelled with us before. We brought her to Madrid for owner Heather when she moved to Spain for a teaching job. Now Heather is returning to South Norfolk, and we had the pleasure of welcoming Phoebe back on board.

Collecting charming Phoebe in Madrid
Billy Bean is adorable.
Isn’t he gorgeous!
What’s it all about, Alfie?
Remarkable story – I never cease to be amazed at the brilliance and perseverance of our furry family members.
Safe Travels.
They astound us. As I child, my family moved back to the UK from Africa. We brought our dog but left our semi-feral cat with friends in Lusaka. He didn’t much fancy city living and made his own way back to our old house 70 miles away!
The story of Alfie is amazing…..what a clever boy and how wonderful the neighbor was to help him get back in the arms of his family. Lovely!
Hugs, Pam
It’s the best story yet.
I’m glad that Alfie was so lucky and is reunited with his family. A gorgeous set of travellers!
Such a relief, and such a clever boy.
Fantastic passengers!!
Aren’t they just!
Delightful indeed.
Very.
A good story about Alfie. It is nice to get a happy ending these days.
They’re not so common these days.
Thank the heavens Alfie made it back to the villa and Cynthia worked her magic. I am so happy Lucky is on the way home! Nothing like customers who keep coming back to let you all know how wonderful a job you do. Bella!
Thank heavens indeed!
I am so happy for Alfie and his owners!
It’s a wonderful story.
Another great load of passengers. The story of Alfie was particularly good for the happy ending! It would be sad to think of that sweet little fellow lost and missing his family.
Can’t imaging losing that gorgeous fellow and not finding him!
Lovely group of passengers on board 🙂
Aren’t they just gorgeous, and lucky!
My goodness, poor Alfie. He’s very clever to have made it back to the villa, and bless Cynthia for taking care of him, and you all for making sure he was safely reunited. Were his owners okay after the accident?
Aww Charly is such a sweetie. I used to have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, he passed 6 years ago but I still miss him dearly. Apart from the rare heatwave we’re having at the moment, I can’t imagine Marina & Anthony can enjoy returning to the UK from Marbella.. I know where I’d rather be!
Caz xx
Luckily the owners were OK but obviously shocked to the core. All very much happier now.
Cavaliers are lovely, can understand why you miss yours. Guess if the weather is relentlessly hot, you might be tempted to seek out cooler places? 😀
They are all beautiful passengers!
I heard France is in a heat wave now. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
Thanks Lavinia, it’s scary hot but we are hoping it may be over in a week!
Alfie is one special doggie, Annie <3 COOL Pawkisses for a Safe Travel ahead 🙂 <3