Moving With Dogs to Luanda, Angola
Are you moving to Luanda and considering taking your pet with you? Then this blog post will be incredibly helpful to you!
When we received a job offer to move to Luanda one of my first thoughts was if we could even take our dogs with us and how we would get our dogs there. They had never traveled before moving to Angola! I knew I had some research to do to know what to expect in Angola.
My hope with this post is to share our experience of having two dogs living with us in Luanda to help put your mind at ease. First, I’d like to reassure you. Yes, you can take dogs with you to Luanda and they will have a good life there.
This post will cover several dog-related topics so be sure to scroll through the entire page to ensure you don’t miss a pet topic that is important to you!
* Planning to move to or visit Luanda? Then check out this activity list I created with over 40 things you have to do when you move there!
Let’s talk about dogs in Luanda!
Grassy Areas
Be prepared if you plan to live in downtown Luanda to not expect many grassy areas for your dog to play or go to the restroom. The largest grassy areas in downtown are probably the Marginal and the Ilha. And depending on where you live those are a 10 minute car ride away (more with traffic).
I suggest if you have a dog that is very accustomed to only going to the restroom on grass you start to get them more used to concrete. Luckily one of my dogs doesn't have a problem with concrete. The other took a few months to come around but she still always would look for a patch of dirt before using concrete.
If you’re planning to live in Luanda Sul or the Talatona area, then there will be plenty of grass for your dog to play around on. Most expat or gated communities have grassy yards and there is also sparse grass along the major roadways.
Again, lack of grassy areas may not be a concern for everyone but for some it is an issue to be aware of.
Stray Dogs in Luanda
There are a lot of stray dogs in Luanda. Honestly, we jogged on the streets for exercise and I wish I had gotten a rabies booster (this is not medical advice - talk to your doctor before moving to Luanda) before moving to Luanda because there were so many stray dogs around. Luckily in my years of living in Luanda I never had a serious run in with a stray dog. Mostly there were times when they would follow me for a bit while running.
I noticed stray dogs almost every time I was riding in my car. They were on every street and in every neighborhood. Sometimes they would even be laying outside shops or grocery stores. They’re just something you get used to navigating when you live in Luanda.
Angolans and Dogs
I’m not sure how to broach this topic without stereotyping, which I don’t want to do on my blog. However I noticed many Angolans are fearful of dogs. Even small dogs. We have 2 small dogs and most Angolans that first came into contact with them were very standoffish. In fact, Herbie scared off a robber one night as he was hopping our fence.
But this fear of dogs makes sense when you understand many Angolans have had “close calls” with stray dogs. Or they have friends and family members that have been bitten by dogs. When you see the conditions many Angolans live in, you will understand better how they live among stray dogs and how it can be dangerous for them.
I only bring this up to make you aware before you move to Luana with your dog. Don’t expect people to come over and want to pet or play with your dog. Please be respectful that everyone has a different history with dogs and not everyone's experience with dogs has been positive.
Dog Walking
We walked our dogs mostly in our gated neighborhood because there were no stray dogs. But, on weekends when we had more time, we would take them on longer walks outside the gates. We knew that since our dogs were small we could pick them off the ground if we needed to.
However I had friends that owned larger dogs and they were more concerned with walking their dogs outside of their neighborhoods because of the risk of their dog getting into a fight or being approached by a stray dog.
I suggest before taking your dog on a walk for the first time, you go alone and see if there are any dangers along that route. Look for regular stray dogs and make sure your dog will not be close to the street (the drivers in Luanda are crazy!)
A great place to walk your dogs when you have extra time is at the Marginal in downtown Luanda. I share more about the Marginal in this blog post. It’s a walkway that overlooks Luanda Bay and you’ll see many others walking their dogs there too on the weekends.
Dog Sitters
Finding dog sitters may be easier today however when we lived in Luanda we could not find dedicated dog sitters. We were lucky that our maid took care of our dogs when we went on vacation. Of course we paid her for her time and she was happy to earn more money.
It worked really well for us the entire 3.5 years. She was already familiar with our family and our dogs and they knew her as well. If you plan to have a maid while living in Luanda, then this is a good option for help with your dog.
If you’re living in an expat compound you will probably be able to find neighborhood high school students that are looking for extra money. And a final suggestion is Facebook groups. You will find Luanda expat Facebook groups which are a great resource for finding people and services.
Vet Care
This was the one aspect of taking my dogs to Angola that made me the most nervous. But you can rest easy...there is excellent veterinarian care available in Luanda. There are more, but I found and went to two really good vets in Luanda. They were both located outside of downtown. The first was Casa dos Animales and the second was Vet Colibri in the Morro Bento neighborhood.
Both vets took excellent care of my pets each time we went in for an appointment. When it was time for us to leave Angola, they assisted with our pets' exit health certificate and made it really easy for me. And the best part was some of their staff spoke English which made communication easier.
If you’re concerned about vet care in Luanda, do a quick google search and you’ll see all the options available to you. Based on my experience, I’m confident you won’t have any vet care issues while living in Luanda. If I had the chance to move back to Luanda with my dogs again, I would take them in a heartbeat.
Dog Products
All grocery stores carried dog and cat food and treats however the quality was not ideal (in my opinion). Honestly, I brought most of my pet food from the USA in my suitcases but I am very picky about what I feed my dogs. About halfway through our time in Luanda I found a high quality pet food (Acana) at a pet products store in Viana and began buying my food in-country.
You can buy dog treats in Luanda but I prefer making my own! They’re way cheaper and my dogs like them more! Plus, I know exactly what goes into them. For the homemade treats I slice sweet potatoes, sprinkle cinnamon on top and bake them in the oven. I’ll usually use about 4-5 large sweet potatoes and store them in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator. They hold up real well and my dogs love them.
Be aware that if you are purchasing quality pet care items in Luanda then you should expect them to be expensive. Most of the pet supplies are shipped in from overseas so you can expect that uplift to be passed down to you at the cash register.
Check out this blog post with all the pet supplies I need for happy pets!
Luanda Airport
Getting your pet in and out of Angola is not difficult. You shouldn’t let the required paperwork prevent you from taking your pet with you when you move to Angola. But, it will require some extra preparation. I won’t go into paperwork specifics because the requirements are always changing and I don’t want to provide you with outdated information.
When you arrive at the Luanda airport, you’ll meet your dog (if they were sent in cargo, under the plane) at the baggage collection area. Then, have your dog’s paperwork handy because as you’re walking through the customs officers may ask to see your dog's health certificate.
We flew our dogs into Angola twice and neither time did any customs officials ask to see our documents. I think it can be pretty hit and miss. And remember, many Angolans aren’t fond of dogs so if you have a large dog they may want you to go through customs as quickly as possible!
As you can see, Luanda has everything you need to keep your pet happy and healthy. My dogs loved living in Luanda. Between the weather and the new sights and smells I’m sure they’d love to go back.
As a dog owner I found it was not any more difficult having dogs in Luanda versus Austin. Maybe just the communicating in Portuguese part!
If you have any questions about having pets in Angola, feel free to ask in the comments below. I’d love to help you out!
Are you following me on instagram yet? @melissarespinosa
