hello all
Im a fulfilled happy dog owner and wonders how many british people take the trouble of going through the awfully discouraging and expensive process to take the dog with them abroad.
Do they/you do it by boat or plane? and if you've done it, how much does it cost?
Im heading back to the UK with a cat and a dog (cat is english actually :). but lets not go through the nightmare I went through to take her out of the UK in the first place a few years ago, wouldnt wish that to my best enemy) and it takes detective perseverence and cunning to get the right information, and a big purse (vaccines, blood tests, cages, 400 pounds given away to the UK Customs! not including special planes for animals etc etc).
but Im wondering once Im back living in the UK, if I'll ever afford the cost and want to go through the 10 months preparation to simply go on holidays in the sun abroad with my dog...
If you know of somebody who does it I'll be so HAPPY to hear how often they do it etc.
thanks to all.
(and no Im not considering leaving them behind! but hearing that 2 pets' entry to the UK will cost me around 1500 pounds-not including my own flight- makes me angry and think that this encourages the abandonning of pets).
I just spoke to a friend who used to work with the pet travel scheme at Heathrow. Sounds like even though the quarantine issue has gone, the UK government don't intend to make life easy for pet owners!
You need Pet Passports for both the dog and the cat (if you don't have them already). They have to be 6 months post-rabies jab and blood tests must have been done and documented to prove they are not carriers. 24-48 hours before travel, they must be tapeworm/tick treated by a qualified vet, and this information must be documented with their passports. They must be in correctly sized Air Kennels, and cannot be taken to the airport/ferry on a lead and then put into the carriers. She went on and on for a while and then said the best thing would be to check out the DEFRA website - where all the details and rigmarole is listed, and where you can find details of your nearest pet travel scheme agent in France.
We left two cats behind in Belgium, as my lovely vet there wouldn't let me put them in quarantine! She still has one, but the older girl died a year ago.
thanks Jabba, you re amazing.
Ive done everything I needed to do so far: the jab, the blood tests (more than 6 months before the departure planned date) and Im just looking at options for their traveling, all very expensive.
I did not know about the need to arrive at the airport with the dog inside the cage...I mean, how are they going to check that the dog left the house in the cage and not walked about like normal until last minute he was put in the cage ?? or maybe I misunderstood you.
You come from Belgium or have lived there? yes the quarantine is cruel, and in my opinion, not logical. I have taken the dog from France to Spain with no problem and could take him about anywhere in a 1000 km radius from Paris to Mallorca then Finland but the UK is the only country (also: Ireland applying UK rules) with those paranoid rules...o well, not that I can change them anyway, plus my vet said "wait to find out about the pet immigration in Japan! it s worse!" so I understand it must be an island thing.
O cant wait to arrive with my 2 furry friends in Scotland! everyday is a long wait...knowing myself, after 10 days I'll be cursing the weather but I'll know there's nowhere else like Scotland.
I did not know about the need to arrive at the airport with the dog inside the cage...I mean, how are they going to check that the dog left the house in the cage and not walked about like normal until last minute he was put in the cage ?? or maybe I misunderstood you.
I think, by reading the DEFRA stuff, that the animals have to arrive at the departure airport in the crates/cages - passengers can't just arrive at the check-in counter and hand them over on a leash or in a cardboard box! This is the reason that it would be advisable to contact an animal transfer agent in France - and you may have to enter the UK via Heathrow, as I don't think the Scottish airports have animal handling facilities. If the paperwork isn't in order when you arrive in the UK, the animals are kept in solitary for 48 hours!
thanks for all the trouble Jabba.
yes, Im currently asking for quotes from 2 animal transfer agents...there s one bad news: they say that the recession has caused even major air line companies to cancel animal flights last minute. now that would be most stressful as there s noone Id like to ask to go all the trouble bringing the pets back to the airport for me...
and yes, it s "compulsory" to stop at London Heathrow. If I had just the dog Id consider the sea route (cheaper I reckon) but with a cat as well I dont quite fancy carrying around my 6 kilos cat for over 12 hours of train journey, from Dover to Edinburgh!
When we moved back to England from America we bought 2 dogs into the country with us and yes it was a hassle and expensive getting the paper work in order but in all honesty, by following the rules we had absolutely no problems at all! Once we'd landed in Heathrow it took about an hour for the dogs to be checked and for them to be released to us and everything went a whole lot smoother than I expected it to!
I would never consider taking them out of the country just for a holiday, but if we ever needed to relocate again I would take them with me.
thanks for sharing Seashells!
a long way you travel too.
Am considering plane and sea traveling for coming into the UK: the price difference being 2000 euros/1800 pounds for the former and 15 pounds for the latter! what does it say about air companies?
Regarding the holidays, I know I'll travel back to the main land every summer for long periods, and leaving my rescued dog behind for over a month is just impossible. I'll take the ferry, it s 15 pounds (but then I suspect the UK customs will charge something like 400 pounds at the last minute, the price difference with the air travel is just too shocking). However it means that I probably wont be sailing all the way to Greece as I d love to but will stay somewhere round France or North Spain because I dont fancy spending 3 days just on transports.