BIG dogs

In eight cruises I have never seen a dog or any pet on a cruise. I think there would be some logistical problems - like where do they take their evening walk? Second most countries have pretty tight rules about bring in live animals without lots of paper work. Don't think that will work.,

I remember reading about the ability to take dogs on trans-Atlantic crossings on the QM2, possibly only available with the higher priced staterooms. Some of the QM2 crossings go to Hamburg and Le Havre, so that might work for you, if money is no object.

Googled - "Most passengers on board Cunard's Queen Mary 2 are unaware that on Deck 12, there's a luxury kennel with space for 12 dogs and cats. The kennel is not used by rich dilettantes who can't bear to be parted from their precious pooches, but for more practical reasons, by the many passengers who are relocating, taking a long vacation or commuting between their various homes in the USA and Europe." Quoted from - Suite101: Taking Your Dog on a Cruise: Cunard Line is the Only Company Which Permits Dogs and Cats at Sea http://www.suite101.com/content/taking-your-dog-on-a-cruise-a22101#ixzz0zdIW0Krq - Also, on a South American Cruise on RCCL - we had a lady with her seeing eye dog. There was a box for him to do his duty in on the front of one of the decks. He accompanied her to all dinner, shows, and land trips and was with her at all times including buses, etc.

Thank you everyone!!!

getting there is only part of the problem: Be sure to check out regulations at the countries you plan to visit- it used to be that dogs had to be quarantined for 6 months on landing. Each country is going to have its rules.

The only country that requires quarantine is Great Britain and they have relaxed the requirements SOMEWHAT (not entirely). As I have posted before in other threads about traveling to Europe with dogs, people who compete at the international levels in certain dog sports travel between the US and Europe every year with their dogs with no problems. More specifically, I personally know some folks who have traveled to Europe for Schutzhund trials with their Dobermans and German Shepherds. I also have friends who immigrated to the US from Germany with their two Dobermans a few years ago. Just make sure you have the appropriate paperwork completed including a medical clearance within 10 days of travel. If your dogs are crate-trained, flying from New York to Paris is no worse than a long day crated (at most 10 hours) to the dog.

Kelly The only time I saw a dog on one of our cruises was on the Brilliance of the Seas. It was a service dog. The ship provided a large wooded box with saw dust to do their business in on the main walking deck. I would advise leaving them at home it's just not worth the hassle of all the work to get them abroad.

My husband and I just returned from France. I've been impressed when I've been in Europe to see that dogs are allowed in restaurants. We saw that many times in France; however, the first time the dog was one table away from us, and the most awful smell came floating to our table - very doggy and then the dog kept coughing (like a hairball?). That was the only time I found it to be a problem. I'd like to be able to take my dog to restaurants with me. This is not addressing your question, but just thought I would mention this. It was funny because I had just said how nice this was when we noticed the problem.

A good source of information would be the American Kennel Club or the breed club for your particular breed. You can be referred to a breeder who shows their dogs overseas and perhaps they can give you some up-to-date advice. I imported a Fox Terrier from Italy on my last trip there. All the paperwork was handled by the breeder and my dog had it's own EU Passport. It was more difficult getting the dog out of Italy with all it's paperwork than it was getting it into the U.S. As far as the air travel aspects, it went off without a hitch. I researched this extensively and found that the vast majority of animal injuries and deaths occurred in hot weather with snub-nosed breeds such as pugs, bull dogs, boxers, and boston terriers. The airlines transport thousands of animals each year with only a small number of adverse incidents. When I got to the airport with my dog, I made certain that every airline employee that I had contact with knew that I was traveling with a dog in the cargo hold. I made certain that my dog was hand-carried to the plane, and I secured the cage door with zip ties. When I got on the plane, I spoke with the head flight attendant and had her ask the Captain to confirm that my dog made it onto the plane safely and to make sure that the cargo area was going to be kept comfortable for the dog. He personally checked on my dog's well-being. As an alternative to flying with your pet, there are pet transport services that specialize in shipping animals as cargo. My neighbor lives full-time in Italy and had her large dog sent to her in this manner. I would not take a cruise as a means of pet transport. It is very expensive and really quite impractical.