Looking for pet transport in London? Whether it’s a dog taxi across town, a puppy collection from a breeder outside the M25, or a pickup from Heathrow after a flight, here’s a rating-sorted look at who actually operates in the capital, what the DEFRA licensing really tells you, and the one piece of local detail that makes London genuinely different from anywhere else on this site.
A note on the ratings below: these are Google’s, from real reviewers, not our own inspection.
Heathrow, and the busiest Animal Reception Centre in the country
The reason London gets its own page, beyond the size of the market, is Heathrow. The Heathrow Animal Reception Centre (HARC) has served the airport since 1977 and is, in its own words, “the only Heathrow BCP [Border Control Post] licensed for all animal species.” That’s not a claim from any pet transport company — it’s the City of London Corporation’s own description of the facility it runs.
The scale is worth knowing too: HARC handles roughly 22,000 dogs and cats a year, alongside around 400 horses, 100,000 reptiles, 1,000 birds and 28 million fish, all passing through the same reception process. That’s a genuinely enormous operation, and it shows in the clearance time — commonly quoted at 3 to 4 hours, noticeably longer than the roughly 90 minutes typical at Manchester Airport’s smaller, on-site setup, which we cover in our Manchester pet transport guide. That’s not a criticism of Heathrow; it’s simply a much bigger, busier operation processing a much wider range of animals, and it’s worth building the extra time into your day regardless.
Our full guide to Animal Reception Centres in the UK covers how the wider process works, including the accompanied-versus-unaccompanied distinction that catches a lot of people out — worth reading in full if your dog is flying in from abroad.
Pet transport operators based in London
1. Tailored Pet Travel
40 Wandsworth Bridge Rd, London SW6 2TH
★ 5.0 (101 reviews)
Phone: 07446 698859
Google Maps · Website
2. Tara’s Pet Taxis
Barnet EN5 5SG
★ 4.9 (39 reviews)
Phone: 07958 085588
Google Maps · Website
3. Pet Cars
24 Fortune Green Rd, London NW6 1UE
★ 4.7 (19 reviews)
Phone: 07794 359672
Google Maps · Website
Worth a separate mention: Airpets, based right at Heathrow (Spout Ln N, Longford, Staines TW19 6BW), isn’t a London address in the strict sense, but it’s the operator most directly tied to the airport itself, specialising in international pet reception and export.
★ 4.6 (444 reviews)
Phone: 01753 685571
Google Maps · Website
Honest context: London’s market is large, and this is a genuine sample rather than an exhaustive list — there will be smaller local operators we haven’t surfaced yet, particularly for specific boroughs. These four are the ones we could independently verify with a real address, a working website, and a track record of reviews.
National operators who also cover London
Several UK-wide names show up repeatedly across every city page in this directory, London included — PetsA2B, PetAir UK, Sky Kennels, Animal Couriers, Move My Pet, The Pet Bus and ExecPets among them. None of that makes them the wrong choice, particularly for a long-distance or international move, but they’re covering London from elsewhere rather than being based here — worth knowing which kind of operator you’re actually booking.
Checking a DEFRA licence in London
Type 2 (long journey, over 8 hours) authorisations are published as open data by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and updated monthly. Type 1 (up to 8 hours) isn’t published anywhere public.
We checked the current register against the operators above. Tailored Pet Travel is listed (authorisation reference UK/REIGA/T2/00114613), and so is Airpets (UK/BURY/T2/00108636). Tara’s Pet Taxis is not on the Type 2 list — and their own website confirms why: they state directly that their drivers hold Type 1 APHA authorisation, which covers journeys up to 8 hours and simply isn’t published anywhere we or you can check independently. Pet Cars also doesn’t appear on the Type 2 list, which again doesn’t mean unlicensed — it likely reflects the same Type 1, shorter-journey pattern common among local operators doing everyday, in-city work.
This is worth restating plainly, since it’s the same skew we found on the Manchester page: smaller local operators doing local jobs very often hold Type 1 only, while operators doing longer national or international runs tend to hold Type 2. Absence from the published list is not evidence of a problem — it’s simply the limit of what’s publicly checkable. Ask any operator directly for their authorisation reference regardless of what you find online.
For what it’s worth, the national names above — PetsA2B, PetAir UK and Sky Kennels — all appear on the same published Type 2 list too.
Getting around: the M25 and collecting across London
London’s sheer size means most operators quote by zone or borough rather than a single flat rate, and a job that looks like “London” on paper might mean anywhere from Zone 1 to the far edge of the M25 and into the Home Counties. If you’re near the boundary — Barnet, Bromley, Hillingdon — it’s worth checking whether an operator’s “London” coverage genuinely reaches you, or whether a Home Counties-based operator might actually be closer and quicker.
Traffic is the other genuine London variable that doesn’t apply the same way elsewhere: a booking that would take 40 minutes outside rush hour can easily double inside it, and the Congestion Charge and ULEZ zones both affect which vehicles an operator can use and, sometimes, what they charge. A good operator will factor this into their quote rather than surprise you with it afterwards.
What to have ready on the day
Whatever the job, a DEFRA authorisation reference on request, confirmation of whether your pet travels alone or with others, and a written quote before booking are the same basics that apply everywhere in this directory — our pet transport hub covers the full list of questions worth asking and red flags to watch for. If your dog is coming from a breeder rather than being collected for an appointment, our guide to puppy couriers covers what’s different about transporting a puppy specifically, including the point in the process that matters most.
For dogs that find travel stressful, some owners find a natural calming supplement takes the edge off a longer or more chaotic London journey — worth having a look around Calmshops. It’s not a substitute for the checks above, just something that can help alongside them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions dog owners may have about this topic.
How long does it take to clear a pet through Heathrow?
Commonly quoted at 3 to 4 hours after landing, reflecting the scale of Heathrow’s Animal Reception Centre, which processes around 22,000 dogs and cats a year alongside many other species. Confirm directly with HARC or your airline, and don’t book anything time-critical straight after.
Is Heathrow’s Animal Reception Centre the same as Manchester’s?
No — Heathrow’s is a much larger operation with a longer typical clearance time, reflecting the far greater volume of animals it processes. Neither is better or worse; they’re simply different scales of the same job.
Should I use a local London operator or a national pet courier?
It depends on the job. A local operator often makes sense for everyday London trips, while national operators tend to have more experience with long-distance or international moves. Neither is automatically the safer choice — check licensing and reviews either way.
Does the DEFRA Type 2 register cover all licensed London operators?
No — it only covers Type 2 (long journey, over 8 hours) authorisations. Many local London operators doing shorter, everyday jobs hold Type 1 authorisation instead, which isn’t published anywhere public. Not appearing on the Type 2 list doesn’t mean an operator is unlicensed.
Does traffic or ULEZ affect pet transport quotes in London?
It can. London traffic varies significantly by time of day, and Congestion Charge or ULEZ zones may affect which vehicles an operator uses and what they charge. A good operator will factor this into your quote upfront rather than adding it afterwards.
Written by Georgiana & Figo. Have a question about pet transport? Have a look around Calmshops or drop us a line — we answer everything.
