Paws, Policy, and the Price of Ignoring Your Employees' Pets

Pet ownership surged during the pandemic, and it hasn't let up. Today, roughly 70% of U.S. households include at least one pet, and nearly all of those owners say their animals are family. That reality is reshaping what employees expect when a company asks them to move, and mobility programs that haven't caught up are starting to feel it.

The pet relocation services industry is projected to grow at a 5.4% annual rate through 2035, driven by rising global mobility, post-2020 pet ownership levels, and a "pet parenting" mindset that's especially pronounced among Millennials and Gen Z. For these cohorts, the comfort and safety of a pet is a non-negotiable part of any major life decision, including a job-related move. Starwood Pet Travel's 2026 Global Pet Travel Data Report, drawing on over 41,000 international pet relocation records, underscores this shift in concrete terms. Corporate and business moves now rank as one of the top drivers of international pet transport, alongside personal relocations and military moves. The average household moved 1.43 pets per relocation, reflecting how common multi-pet households have become.

Why Pet Policy Is a Talent Question

A Nationwide survey found that 32% of pet owners said they'd be more likely to stay at a company that offered pet benefits. That number climbs to 45% among Millennials and 49% among Gen Z. Those are the same cohorts your mobility program is increasingly being asked to move.

Employees weighing a relocation decision are doing more math than housing costs and spousal employment. They're asking: Can my dog come? Will my cat survive the flight? What does quarantine mean for my rabbit? If your program leaves those questions unanswered, or doesn't cover any of the costs, you've introduced friction into a conversation where you want momentum.

Pet transport is becoming a baseline expectation for employees with animals, and a meaningful signal to candidates about how seriously a company takes the "whole employee."

What Makes Pet Relocation Complicated (And Why That Matters for Policy)

Pet transport tends to get underprioritized in policy design because the headline version sounds simple: the employee takes their pet with them. The actual logistics vary significantly depending on domestic versus international moves, the type of pet, the destination, and the airline involved.

For domestic U.S. moves, the complexity is manageable but real. Requirements vary by state and municipality. Some communities have zoning restrictions on certain breeds or exotic animals. Employees will need current health certificates (valid for fewer than 10 days), rabies documentation, and in some cases permits for exotic pets. Air transport introduces additional considerations: not all airlines accept all breeds, brachycephalic breeds like bulldogs and pugs face restrictions due to respiratory risks, and cargo transport is prohibited when temperatures exceed 85°F or fall below 20°F. Employees flying pets should also understand that pickup at the destination typically happens within 90 minutes of arrival.

For international assignments, the stakes and the complexity both rise sharply. Starwood's 2026 data shows the top international destinations for pet relocations are the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Germany. That list maps closely to where many corporate global mobility programs are sending employees. As Starwood's VP of Strategic Initiatives noted in the report, "Pet parents are no longer willing to leave their animals behind when relocating internationally." The data bears that out: dogs accounted for over 30,000 transport requests in the dataset. Most countries require an ISO-compliant 15-digit microchip, and sequencing matters. In many destinations, the microchip must be implanted before certain vaccinations are given for those vaccinations to count toward entry requirements. Some destinations require blood titer tests that take months to process. Import permits, quarantine kennel reservations, and approved entry airports are all variables that need to be managed well ahead of the move date.

Quarantine is one of the biggest variables. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Hawaii require mandatory quarantine periods regardless of documentation. Holding periods vary widely and can be emotionally and financially difficult for employees to navigate without guidance.

What Your Policy Should Address

Mobility teams looking to build or strengthen pet transport provisions don't need to start from scratch. They do need to make deliberate choices about scope, cost caps, and support.

A few practical starting points:

Understand your population first. Before designing a benefit, it helps to know how many employees in your current and recent moves are pet owners. A quick survey or an addition to your intake process can surface this data quickly.

Domestic policy: focus on transportation assistance and guidance. Most domestic moves don't require professional pet shippers, but employees benefit from having clear guidance on airline requirements, documentation timelines, and carrier specifications. Some moves still warrant professional support: driving a long distance with multiple pets, for example, or flying when a pet doesn't meet cabin requirements. A reimbursement cap for professional pet transport services is a reasonable and increasingly common benefit for those situations.

International policy: build in lead time and professional support. The documentation requirements for international pet transport can easily take three to six months to complete correctly. Starwood's data shows that families moving to high-complexity destinations are increasingly seeking professional assistance earlier in the planning process to avoid costly delays and denied entry. The window for mobility teams to add value is at intake, before the employee has started researching independently. Programs that treat pet relocation as an afterthought create compliance risk for both the employee and the company, particularly if a mishandled entry leads to quarantine extensions or deportation of the animal. A capped benefit for professional pet relocation assistance, paired with early counselor engagement, is a sound approach. 

Distinguish by move type and assignment duration. Long-term assignments and permanent transfers are the moves where employees are most likely to bring pets, and where the investment in a pet transport benefit pays off in assignment acceptance and completion rates.

The Operational Details Matter

Whatever benefit level you choose, employees need practical guidance to execute successfully. Starwood's report analyzed online sentiment from expat and relocation communities to identify the specific points where employees get stuck. Four themes emerged consistently: cost uncertainty (employees frequently questioned whether quotes were "normal," especially for large dogs and long-haul routes), documentation opacity (USDA requirements, vet endorsement timelines, and blood titer processes were described as confusing and error-prone), in-cabin eligibility fear (last-minute anxiety about airline weight enforcement at check-in), and large-dog complexity (owners of larger dogs expressed the highest overall stress around safety, routing, and cost). All four are areas where proactive program communication, or a single early conversation with a mobility counselor, can significantly reduce employee anxiety and prevent costly mistakes. A few specifics worth building into transferee guidance:

• Carriers must be sized to allow the pet to stand, turn around fully, and lie down with legs extended. Cabin carriers must fit under the seat in front of the traveler.
• Pets should have a light meal at least five to six hours before a flight, and water should be limited within two hours of departure (except in heat).
• ID tags should include the pet's name, the owner's name, the destination address, and an emergency contact.
• Upon arrival, employees should inspect their new home carefully for hazards, check fences and gates, and give pets time to acclimate using familiar items from the previous home.
• Finding a new veterinarian early is important, especially post-international moves. Destination services contacts and expat community networks can help.

Most RMCs have vetted pet shipment partners. The International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) also maintains a directory of professional pet shippers in more than 70 countries at IPATA.org, a useful resource to include in your transferee communications.

The Bigger Picture

Relocation has always been about moving the whole employee, their household, their family, their life. Pets are part of that life for the majority of your workforce. Programs that acknowledge this, even with a modest capped benefit and solid informational resources, send a meaningful signal about how the company thinks about an employee's family alongside their job function.

As the workforce continues to skew younger and pet ownership continues to rise, that signal carries more weight in whether an employee says yes to a move, and whether they'd do it again.