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Taking the dog abroad

16K views 32 replies 21 participants last post by  Wazshaw 
#1 · (Edited)
This is by no means a definitive guide but its a good guideline of how to do it and what to expect. I hope you find it useful.


Preparation - The Passport.


See your vet about getting the passport sorted.
- Plan ahead, it takes a while to get, up to a few months (recent legislation has made it much simpler).
NB - A pet passport is valid for life but you will need to take it with you to the vets when boosters are due so it remains up to date.

Your dog/s will need;
- up to date vaccinations,
- a Rabies vaccination (this is not a one off, its another one requiring a booster)
- micro chip.

Its also advisable to have (I'm not sure if any are compulsory)
- a worming program
- a tick treatment (ticks in Southern Europe can be a nasty experience for your dog).
- an ID tag
- Pet Insurance - inform them you are going.
NB. we had ID Tags made with the colour/type/reg of our van along with the dogs name, mobile number etc.


The Crossing:

We have only ever used the tunnel when taking our dogs.
The reasons are simple, its fast and it allows us to sit with our dogs in the van.
I have no experience of the ferries with dogs so cannot comment but I understand the dog stays in the van.

You wont be suprised to find out that dogs dont travel for free, there is a small cost (15 euro return I think/dog)

As with the humans on board, you will need to confirm the number of furry passengers on board at check in.
NB - You will not need to show the border control their passports LOL:

Thats it, your through, wait for your lane letter to be called and take the opportunity to take the dog/s for a walk.

The Tunnel terminal does have a doggy excersice area which is fenced T:

Once your called and lined up, bording, the crossing and the disem'bark'ing takes about 45minutes - so very quick A:

The Trip;

French for dog is Chien.
The French are pretty dog friendly when it comes to camping but some campsites dont allow dogs.
We only found a few campsites that didnt take dogs so dont panic
(perhaps more likely to be refused at higher rated sites were swimming pools and children play areas are key attractions)

You will be expected to keep your dog on a lead at all times
Do not allow Rover to mess on the site - if he does, bag it and bin it.

We found the French simillar to the British regarding dogs;
some dont like them, some are scared of them and some love them.

It is still the norm to leave dog mess on the pavements!! We didnt, we bagged and binned it - and watched our step.

Some shops allow dogs most dont - its like here. Dogs are not allowed in Supermarkets.
We did see dogs in Tabacs, its common courtesy to ask before you take your dog in a building.

Dog food is readilly available in supermarkets so dont feel you need to haul everything with you - your call.

There are plenty of wonderful beaches in France, Dogs are not allowed on all of them but I would say the majority of beaches we went to do did allow dogs.

The return:

Your dog will need to be seen by a vet between no less than 24 hr before and no more than 5 days before your return.
Make your appointment earlier the better, you do not want the stress of trying to find a vet to do it at the last minute.

The vet visit -
they will scan your dogs chip
They will ask you a question or two about the health of your dog and if there has been any probs during the visit.
A visual and non invasive inspection of the dog
They will weigh the dog to determine the dosage of worming tablet - and give the dog a worming tablet.
You can take your own worming tablets if you wish - you can provide a treat to wrap the tab in - our vets did this all for us.
The Passport will be filled in with the relavant details - this must be done correctly and dated correctly so check it before you leave.
You pay - budget around 30-35 euros per dog. In our case it worked out less because it was two dogs on one appointment.

We internet searched vets a few years ago for this service, vets in Calais were coming up with silly amounts, as high as 60 euros.

There are many vets in France and with such a big return window now it makes it much easier.
We have used a vet in St Omer for our last 2 visits and are very pleased with them. They speak a good level of English.

When you get your pet passport stamped and signed by the vet
MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IT, AND MAKE SURE THAT IT HAS BEEN FILLED IN PROPERLY!
.
At the Tunnel;

Once you have checked in at the self check in booths, proceed to Passport Control. As you are nearing the check point, keep a look out for the big Yellow sign with a dogs paw print on it. - Its on the RHS
Turn into the little carpark.
Take your dog and its passport into the building (I cant remember if you need your passport aswell :confused:) so it may be worth taking it with you anyway.

Your dog will be scanned and the information checked.
You will need to give them the Registration of your van.
Thats it,
back to the van, stick the little tag on the window by your rear view mirror and re-join the flow of traffic going through Passport Control and security.

Thats all. :D
Additional Info; (courtesy of MyloXyloto and TonkaToo respectively)

"You've also got to be breed aware. Rottweilers, mastiffs and English Bull Terriers are a no no in some countries.
Staffies are ok most places. Even if your dog passes a vet test you are obliged to register them with the local authority EVERY time you stop. A lot of campsites will refuse all those breeds."

"in addition to having them muzzled in public places (I can understand that one) apparently I had to get permission from the Mayor of where I was in France!"
 
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#2 ·
Thanks very much for that. It's all well and good knowing the theory, but it's better coming from someone with experience of how it all works.

My dog has had a passport from early days, but I've never actually taken him. However, I've just got another dog and I'll be getting her a passport this winter (timing it to tie in with his renewal), so I may get brave in the future and take them both!



T:
 
#5 ·
Some great advice.
We take our's to Europe a few times a year but we travel on the ferry (Dover Calais)
Hope its ok to add the following.
We usually stop before the ferry port to give the dog a run,
there is a small dog area in the port but its just a tarmac area.
The pet passport is not checked when entering the port.
As stated above the dog will have to stay in the van for the duration of the crossing (hour and a half)
so make sure you leave a water supply and maybe some chews/toys to keep them happy.
If you are going to the South of France (anywhere below Paris) It is recommended to get a Scalibor Collar (in addition to any other tick flea treatment)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scalibor-Co...377239060&sr=8-2&keywords=scalibor+dog+collar

There are some different ticks, fleas and sandflys in the south, this collar seems to deal with them well.

As stated above you will need to visit the vet before your return to the UK,
We usually book in for a couple of nights here....

http://campinglachaumiere.com/

Its a nice little site about a 10 minute drive from St Omer,
English speaking and the owners wife works at 2 of the local vets so she will arrange your vets appointment for you when you book your plot,
and supply you with an easy to follow map to the vets on your arrival.

When its time to return home you turn up at the ferry port, pass through passport control
(no need to show pet passport here)
Proceed to check in (for P&O check in with animals is off to your right)
Hand over your tickets and your pet passport
The booth operator will hand you the scanner to read your dogs microchip,
scan your dog, hand it back, and they check the microchip number against the passport.
You will be given a sign to stick to your windscreen stating you have an animal onboard.
DO NOT remove it untill you CLEAR THE PORT on arrival UK.
That should be it, although we have been stopped on arrival Dover by DEFRA just to check the paperwork was in order.
 
#7 ·
Some great advice.
We take our's to Europe a few times a year but we travel on the ferry (Dover Calais)
Hope its ok to add the following.

We usually book in for a couple of nights here....

http://campinglachaumiere.com/
Extra info welcomed, many thanks.

We used the same site as you originally. ITs a nice site but we prefer another one we know.

We do still use the same vets connected with the site as we found them to be excellent (will post their details later if people are interested)
 
#9 ·
Clinique Vétérinaire du Haut Pont.

5 Rue de Belfort
Saint-Omer
+33 3 21 88 87 54

There are many other vets to chose from but we like the service and people here.
Parking outside is in the street but has never been a problem. There is a wide section of pavement righ toutside the door which people park on aswell.

It may be of interest to some but when were there just over a week ago we saw they were building an Aire directly opposite.
 
#11 ·
Processionary caterpillars further south are pretty dodgy as well as the sandflies.
You've also got to be breed aware. Rottweilers, mastiffs and English Bull Terriers are a no no in some countries.
Staffies are ok most places. Even if your dog passes a vet test you are obliged to register them with the local authority EVERY time you stop. A lot of campsites will refuse all those breeds. Stupid really as the only dog I've ever been bit by was a Jack Russell!!
 
#12 ·
I've got two Rottweilers and when I read into travelling overseas into Europe with them there were some very strange considerations; in addition to having them muzzled in public places (I can understand that one) apparently I had to get permission from the Mayor of where I was in France!

I'm really not quite sure how that one works and as a result it's put me off a bit! I'd be reluctant to stop en route for fear of breaking the rules, as I'm very aware that the rules for Brits are different to the rules for everyone else when in France! Also, my French speaking is not fluent enough to deal with a potential crisis!! Family in France just laughed when I told them and obviously they would be able to sort out everything for when I'm with them, it's just the bit in between, as they're near Toulouse and that's a long old schlepp in one go with two dogs on board!

:(
 
#14 ·
Great thread with lots of sound advice.
I retire from the forces very soon and I'm planning on a months trip through France and into Spain, just me and my dawg. The thing is he's a Bull Mastiff, he's 9 years old (tomorrow) and the softest thing you could ever wish to meet. I'm concerned about falling foul of the gendarmes, gardia as I think he would struggle with a muzzle, particularly in any kind of heat. Should I think twice about taking him?


Oh, and he snores like jet taking off and farts for competitively for England. He's still my best mate though.:D

Mick
 
#18 · (Edited)
Excellent information. Our dog has been abroad a few times now, I think he has been to 11 countries so far. We plan on going further afield in the future (Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Morocco etc) and things look to be a little more difficult if you travel outside of the EU and other "listed" countries but hopefully the passport and innoculation arrangements will be further simplified over coming years.

Our van is petrol engined with an LPG system so isn't allowed on the Chunnel, so perhaps I can offer some advice on using the ferries.

As mentioned earlier, generally the pet stays in the vehicle and this isn't a problem on shorter routes as he is in familiar surroundings. We have travelled Dover-Dunkirk, Dover- Calais and Holyhead-Dublin and had no qualms about leaving him in the van for an hour or two. We usually find him curled up fast asleep on the passenger seat.

On many of the longer routes you also have to leave the pet in the vehicle for the duration, though you will usually be allowed access to the car deck at set times for brief exercise breaks. I have been looking into options for a visit to Norway and the Harwich-Esbjerg (DK) route seems to be the most direct route but I think it would be too stressful, I really don't think it would be fair to have him locked alone in the van for the best part of 19 hours.

Some routes have kennels which although not offering familiar surroundings, can be visited round the clock. Many owners apparently set up camp in the kennel area! There is also an exercise deck nearby with a hose and bins.

Some operators now offer pet friendly cabins, this really is the way forward for continental dog travel. We managed to book a pet friendly cabin on the Portsmouth-Bilbao route with Brittany Ferries last Easter and it was a much less stressful experience for all. The special cabins are close to the exercise deck and your dog is limited to this deck, your cabin and the corridor in between. Bear in mind that there are a very limited number of pet friendly cabins so book early!

http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/f...ommodation/4-berth-outside-pet-friendly-cabin

You will usually pay a fee each way for the pet and it isn't always cheap. For example, last year we paid DFDS around £100 to take 2 adults and a 2.5 ton van from Dover to Dunkirk and back again, and an extra £60 (£30 each way) for a 7 kilo dog! Irish Ferries from Holyhead-Dublin on the other hand don't charge for the pet and you don't even have to declare them if they are to remain in the vehicle.

As you can see the procedures and costs vary enormously across different routes and operators so check on the website for their pet travel arrangements and read the small print in detail. You might need to muzzle the animal when moving through public areas, there may be strict size limits for the kennels and so on.

Finally, we have had absolutely no problems finding an English-speaking vet, although it is arrogant to assume that a foreign vet will speak English these are educated people and usually do, though it is polite to at least instigate the conversation with a few words in the local lingo. Just keep an eye out for a veterinary surgery in the last week of your travels. I have the details of two great vets we have used at Annecy, France and Sagunto in Spain if anyone wants them.

Cheers
Shaun
 
#19 ·
Just a quick heads up on this thread,
When you get your pet passport stamped and signed by the vet
MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IT, AND MAKE SURE THAT IT HAS BEEN FILLED IN PROPERLY!
I know this sounds a bit pedantic but we have just returned from 4 days in France,
we had the worming / pet passport done at a vets in the UK before leaving,
at the ferry check in it was noted that the "time" of the worming tablet being given had not been recorded.
We were lucky, being a day inside the 5 day limit meant we were ok to travel,
If the weather had been good and we had stayed out another night it would have been a different story.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Looking for a vet to see in France before you return? The website we used was the French yellow pages,

http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/

By inserting 'Veterinaires' in the left search box, the town or city in the right search box, and then click on 'Trouver' button, this will give names, numbers, and maps of all vets in that area.
Click on the map on the right hand side of the results page, and you can zoom in to see the locations of all the vets. We found the vets we spoke to all spoke English and were extremely helpful. We Also took our own worming tablets as the vet had no problems with that, and the vet in the Jura Mountains charged us €29 for his service.
Another useful website with lots of info for other countries is, http://www.dogtravelblog.co.uk/
 
#22 ·
hi iv just come back from bulgaria as i was living there for a bit then i moved to france and yes i drove all the way and back again just a word the worst place to drive is in austria the cops there are not nice and make sure you get the right vanetta for the road and if like me you cant speak german as they all seam to over there it can be a big problem ,,, as i went into the garage to buy mine on way back from bg i took in my passport logbook and driving licence they gave me the sticker for my window of i go happy camper and my dog also i did not do 3 miles when the police told me to pull over you got the wrong vanetta he said in very good english so i said to him its the one the lady gave me in the shop no good he said you have to pay 280 euros now and still get the right one i say its not my fault go see the woman that sold it to me im not paying it asyou know you got to take all your papers in and you can see iv got one in the window he says no problem as his hand goes to his gun ill shoot your dog and take your van ,, so i did pay and it was in cash as did not want my dog shot or my van taken off me ,, gave me a recite for my money just make sure you got the right vanetta look on line before you go ,,,, france love dogs at do germany but make sure you tell your vet were you are going with you dog as there is different rules in each country
 
#23 ·
We leave ours in the UK either at kennels or a friends house (on a farm).
We met our mates in Britanny last week and they have their dog; a complete PITA who can't be left anywhere without making a huge fuss. We had to keep out of the sun, he can't be left in the car, etc.

Much as we love our dog, she's not coming overseas with us; too much hassle, too hot.
 
#24 ·
We leave ours behind, too. Talking about ferry bookings, I've just had a bit of an argument with DFDS. They are just in the process of removing the small motorhome category from the drop down menu and the jobsworth I spoke to told me not to book Ron as a large car, even though a T5 is smaller than some monstrous 4x4s. He said they could charge the extra at port. (Yes, I know you can get away with it, but I'd worry!) He also said that motorhomes, whatever their size, are part of their freight allowance, which is considerably more expensive. They wanted 170 for Dover- Dunkirk return. Went to aferry.co.uk and checked against price for small camper with P&O. The aferry.co.uk price was 120, P&O's own website 126. Still fuming about DFDS, though. :bhd
 
#25 ·
We travel with 3 dogs and all their passports are now full on page 22 (vet declaration) there are only 4 spaces anyway.
Last time we travelled the vet carried on to page 23 "legalisation" on one of our dogs' passports - the others still had space on page 22 then.
Passport control never mentioned anything at the time.
Just wondering if any of you have had a full passport what you have done as i do not want the expense of buying 3 more passports because some bright spark only put 4 spaces to begin with!
 
#26 ·
for anyone interested, just got this reply from apha regarding the vet declaration:

Please be advised that whilst the entry for clinical examination is not required to be completed for the movement of dogs and cats to other EU countries, some transport companies may still require owners to produce evidence of an animal’s fitness to travel.



Veterinarians may, therefore, complete the ‘Clinical Examination’ section of the passport if they wish to do so and if it is possible. Alternatively, the following statement could be used as a guide by vets if issuing a letter to a client regarding an animal`s fitness to travel, should it be needed -



“On (enter date), I examined the animal described in UK pet passport serial no (enter number) and found it to be free from clinical sign of infectious or contagious disease, including external parasites, and in my opinion, is fit for travel”.



Please be advised that additional pages may not be attached to the EU pet passport. If an essential section has become filled, (rabies vaccinations or tapeworm treatment), you will need to obtain a re-issue passport. Re-issue passports, like the originals, should be obtained from your vet.



For further information on how to prepare your pet for export to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), including listed countries, documentary requirements and approved routes and carriers, please see the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/pet-travel-information-for-pet-owners
 
#27 ·
We travelled May/June 2015

New style Pet passports now have 7 spaces for 'Clinical Examination' which I'm thinking is Vets Report. Also if anyone is worried about their animal not taking the tapeworm tablets there is the choice of an injection instead.


We travelled Portsmouth to St.Malo and although we had trained our dogs with a muzzle they didn't need to wear them at any point either going or returning. But be prepared because the rule is still in place so can implemented at any time.
 
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