Dogs in Europe

Bringing pets into the EU has nothing to do with the Schengen Agreement, it is regulated by the EU regulation # 998/2003 (which allows more stringent measures from Ireland, Malta, Sweden, and the UK).

• The pet needs to be chipped (with ISO 11784/11785 chips, not the American standard).
• The pet needs a valid EU Veterinary Certificate (click for English version) with an USDA stamp on it. The certificate must be in the language of you first EU country (e.g. the German/English version if you're arriving in Frankfurt). For pets from the USA the certificate just needs the proof of rabis vaccination but not the serological test.

And again, it's very complicated and troublesome to bring a dog into Sweden, the UK or Ireland, even for other EU citizens.

The severity of quarantine regulations in the UK has been lifted recently if certain strict guidelines are followed:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/index.htm

The scheme does cover the USA.

Hotels are just like here--some do, some don't. The Michelin guide has the little "no dog" symbol for hotels that don't allow them, so that would be handy for you (it has that for restaurants, too). I've seen dogs on trains all over Europe, but you usually have to buy a ticket for the dog (it's not always a full fare ticket you have to buy--look at each country's train website).

REQUIREMENTS FOR DOGS FROM THE U.S. OR CANADA TO THE U.K.

Pets must qualify and meet all of the rules and regulations listed below to be considered for the Pet Travel Scheme. If your dog does not qualify for any reason (including a faulty or unreadable microchip), he or she will be required to enter quarantine with a petition to obtain early release.

Rules and Regulations, And How to Prepare Your Dog

1. Qualify: Dogs must first qualify for the Pet Travel Scheme. Pets must come from a qualifying country, like the U.S. or Canada, and cannot have been outside qualifying countries during the six months before your dog enters the UK.

2. Microchip (At Least 6 Months or more before traveling): Dogs must have a microchip inserted underneath their skin by a vet. The microchip must be inserted BEFORE the required rabies vaccine. Have your vet test the microchip before and after it is placed in your dog, and each time your dog visits the vet. Microchips given in the U.S. and Canada typically do not meet ISO Standards. The microchip needs to use ISO Standards in order to be read by the U.K. microchip readers. Therefore, you should bring your own microchip reader with you. This is especially important if traveling to the U.K. first, then other European countries, and then back into the U.K. If your dog's microchip cannot be read, your dog will most likely have to go into U.K. quarantine. Be sure to bring all original microchip paperwork with you from the vet.
   (to be cont)

(cont)3. Rabies Vaccination (At Least 6 Months or more before traveling): Dogs must be at least 3 months old to receive a rabies vaccine. The vaccine must be done AFTER the microchip has been placed in your dog. Your vet is responsible for recording the following information on your dog's rabies vaccine record: microchip number, dog's date of birth/age (if known), date of vaccination, vaccine product name, vaccine batch number, and date by which the booster must be given (usually 1 to 3 years from current shot). Bring the information with you.

1. Blood Test (At Least 6 Months or more before traveling): AFTER your dog has received the microchip and the rabies vaccine, you must have your dog's blood checked to show that the rabies neutralizing antibody titer is equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml. The blood test must be done in the U.S. or Canada. Your vet MUST send the blood sample to a lab that is recognized by the U.K. Pet Travel Scheme. Look at the PETS website below for details and for finding a recognized lab. Your vet must give you paperwork with the following information: a record or paperwork stating the date that the blood sample was taken, your dog's microchip number, and a copy of the blood test result with the microchip number clearly stated. If your dog fails the blood test, another vaccination, blood test and 6 month rule will probably be required. You will need to carry the blood test results with you.

2. Official PETS Certification (6 months or more AFTER your dog passed the blood test, before traveling): If your dog passed the blood test, a PETS certificate will be issued ONLY when 6 months or more has passed since the blood test was given and passed. This is called the "6 Month Rule" which is in place just in case a dog became infected with rabies before the rabies vaccine. Supposedly a dog infected with rabies would show clinical signs of rabies within 6 months. The certificate MUST be obtained from a vet that has been authorized the by U.S. o

con't~~~6. Tick and Tapeworm Treatment and Certification (24 to 48 hours BEFORE your dog gets on the plane): Your dog is required to be treated for parasites between 24 and 48 hours BEFORE your dog is checked at a US or Canada airport leaving for the U.K. An official certificate for parasite treatment is required. A vet must give the tick and tapeworm treatment. Pet owners are not allowed to give the treatment themselves. Vets are required to use a parasite treatment that includes the product "praziquantel" for tapeworms, along with a product licensed for use against ticks and the product must have a marketing organization within the United States and Canada. Tick collars are not acceptable. The certificate must be official and not a private veterinary certificate or letterhead to show that it has been done. The official certificate is one issued for the purposes of PETS by the US or Canada government. It will have the name of the government department at the top. The official certificate must show your dog's microchip number, the date AND time of treatment, and the products used. The vet must also sign, stamp and date the certificate. If using a pet transport company, make sure they arrange for your dog's PETS certificate and tick and tapeworm certificate to accompany your pet (you should also have copies). The parasite treatment is required every time your dog enters the U.K.
7. Bring All Documents With You: You must bring all documents and certifications with you. This includes microchip paperwork (and a microchip reader), rabies vaccine information, blood test paperwork and results, an official PETS Certificate, and an official Tick and Tapeworm Certificate.

con't~~~

1. Bring All Documents With You: You must bring all documents and certifications with you. This includes microchip paperwork (and a microchip reader), rabies vaccine information, blood test paperwork and results, an official PETS Certificate, and an official Tick and Tapeworm Certificate.

2. Additional Requirements: You will need to use an approved route and air carrier for entry into the U.K., have an official seal on your dog's carrier or container, a declaration of residence (PETS 3 Form), and Customs paperwork. Please continue reading below for details about these additional requirements for bringing a dog from the U.S. or Canada into the U.K. or call the PETS Help-line listed below.

I’m curious to know why you’re taking your dog all the way to Europe. Minimally, you should check with the embassies of your destination countries for specific requirements that must be met.

Wow! That is a comprehensive list of requirements! I love my girls dearly, but I would never go through that just to take them on a vacation that they could never comprehend. I leave my 2 with trusted friends and then travel.

I'm with you, Gonzy. I can't imagine that it would be any fun for the dogs at all, particularly all of the necessary vet visits upfront.

Robin, that is great that you put up those regulations. Mind boggling. We need to reference this thread when people ask about taking Fluffy with them.

I’m not a scientist, so I’ll simply ask if canines possess the cognitive ability to process information and thoughts. I mean, would they really know they’re on vacation, and could they actually have fun? Beloved as children they may be, but dogs are animals with very limited faculties. Still, I don’t think I would trust my dog’s life to the rigors of the crate & the cargo hold.

I agree with Nancy, I'm a dog person and love my dog dearly but I wouldn't take him on vacation. It wouldn't be fair to him taking him place to place and spending every couple of nights in a new location. I'm sure he would be much happier at home as most dogs would. Also, what would you do with your pet when you wanted to sight see, keep him locked up in a room all day?

Last Saturday I was at a dog show and met a woman and her mother who had traveled from Sweden with their dog to compete in the American National Specialty for their breed. I don't know about her breed in particular, but my breed's Nationals last about 10 days. We always have people from other countries competing at ours with our dogs--mostly from Argentina and Brazil. For people with pets that never go anywhere except to the vet's, travel for their pets IS traumatic. For folks like me who regularly travel with their dogs around the country, our dogs have no problem with it and in fact enjoy going to other places. So something that may be difficult and negative for one, may not be for another. As for the dog from Sweden, he had gone Best of Breed earlier that day and by the time I saw him was competing in his Group and looked happy and well-adjusted.

You take your dog on vacation for you - not your dog. Your dog is your companion and I might go a couple of weeks on vacation without her, but when I do an extended vacation of 3 months or more, she will be with my wife and I. Only a dog person will understand what I am talking about. If you do your research correctly you will be able to take your pet witout a lot of problems.

I am a dog person, but I still would not take my dog to Europe for a vacation. In my case, my dog would be highly traumatized by all of the necessary vet work in advance. There's no benefit to her (or me) to do that and then have to make accomodations for her everywhere I go on the trip.

Well,just got back from Paris & Switzerland with our "fluffy". About our 15th trip to Europe, but first with our dog. Guess what, I would take her again any time I could. It was not a problem, it was a joy. She, Petra, was served a bowl of water as soon as we walked into a restaurant. So many Parisians came up to talk to us about her. The only thing I can say in French is: I can not speak French. So they immediately switched to English if they could. Others, saw us the next day and walked over to say hi again. Hotels were not a problem, although it runs about 50/50 on those that allow dogs. In Switzerland, they have cork screw type things about 18 inches off the ground so you can "park" your dog outside of churches. I can not begin to tell you the joy Petra caused on the top of the Jungfrau yoke, our camera broke and we were offered a trade for the dog. As to what is needed: not much. There are requirements, health certificate within 10 days of departure etc., but nobody looked. The rabies certificate was viewed in Seattle when we got home. And they really got upset about the dog food (got to love our Customs/Immigration if their biggest problem is dog food). We bought the food in the USA and took it with us. As for the trains, no problem. In France your required to put your dog on your lap in the bus, and pay 5 euro for a train ride. But the French would never consider making you pay and we didn't. In Switzerland, you must pay a half price fair for a dog on the train, but free on small trains and lifts like the BOB. Again nobody looked to make sure we paid. The train conductors gave her treats and a pet. Air France asked us if we wanted a meal for her: fish or lamb. The biggest problem was the dog potty areas in the airport, they are required by law to have them, but nobody that works at the airport knows where they are. Find out before you go. Taking a dog is not for all, but I would take Petra to France, Germany or Switzerland without hesitation, anytime. J

I know that there isn't as much involved (paperwork, etc) to take dogs into the EU countries as there is for the UK. As Nancy from Texas said that it is traumatic for dogs. We have a good friend who is a vet (he is one of the top vets in the US) and he always tells his clients not to take their pets.

There are people who need to take their Service Dog with them when they travel - I know one lady in a wheel chair with a small papillon who picks things up for her and is a Certified service dog. They have travelled throughout the US, including a cruise to Hawaii.

Another lady has a papillon who is her Hearing Service dog - she is partially deaf and he alerts her for many emergencies. The OP does not mention that the dog is a pet, it might be a working dog. Just something to consider instead of saying WHY take the dog, just give the information if it can be of assistance, JMO.

Robin,

Actually I said travel is traumatic for dogs who don't regularly travel. For dogs who DO regularly travel, it isn't traumatic at all and in fact, most rather enjoy it. I have flown with my dog from Austin, Texas to Boston via Chicago and he was fine. I also did a 9 day road trip with two dogs from Phoenix, Arizona to Los Angeles, up the coast of California to San Francisco, over to and through Yosemite, through Death Valley (in JULY mind you--129 was the high temp) and back to Phoenix via Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Show dogs fly cross-country regularly. I remember a few years ago our Doberman club hosted a big show in Houston and it ran late into the evening (I think Best of Breed was finally awarded around 11:00pm). The dog who won had flown in from Pennsylvania that day and while his handler was exhausted, the dog showed like a million bucks and never showed any signs of having been on a plane earlier in the day. What it all comes down to is knowing your dog. If I ever win the lottery I plan to spend several months traveling in Europe with my dogs--entering them in shows where I can.

Anyone ever tried taking a cat?

"most rather enjoy it"

How can you tell they enjoy it??

It's quite easy to tell if a dog is happy or stressed.

Some dogs get very stressed at traveling or anything new, others most want to be with their pack (ie you), others absolutely love car rides/new places/new smells/new people. I have one of each kind of dog. My happy traveler dog would love to come to France with us on our annual trip, I'm sure, but he's big and I'd never, ever put a dog in cargo on a plane.

Joanne thanks for posting that--I thought it was very entertaining. I love that Air France offered her a meal and that the Swiss churches have tethers! I've heard that in France dogs are the ultimate icebreaker. I saw tons of dogs on mountain trains/gondolas in Switzerland a few weeks ago--they were enjoying hiking vacations with their families.

Even if you can't understand why someone would want to bring a dog on vacation, consider that the OP might be traveling for an extended period, moving there temporarily, or has a service dog.

As someone who has studied dog behavior informally for over 20 years, it is easy for me to read my dogs and tell whether or not they are happy and enjoying themselves. I can also tell when they are stressed.

For the person who asked about whether or not anyone had ever travelled with a cat, Peter Gethers did and wrote The Cat Who Went To Paris, The Cat Who Went Abroad and The Cat Who'll Live Forever about it.

Dogs to me are pretty transparent in their emotions, at least my Polish Sheepdog is. She is happiest when she is with her family, regardless of where they are at. Some dogs can be traumatized when they are left behind. Traveling with your pet is a choice you should make based on what you think is best for them. I know I can go for a couple of weeks OK, but if it is longer than that, it is a problem. Also if the entire family is going and it is a choice of boarding out or not, I know she will want to be with us. There are dogs that are happy with anyone, but I don't happen to have one of those. I always try to question people when I see them with a dog at the airport, and I have yet to find one that has had a bad experience. My vet does not have a problem with her traveling.

I am allergic to dogs, cats, pretty much anything with fur. Rather than medicate myself into oblivion, I prefer to avoid furry friends. I'm OK with that. What I'm not OK with is pets (excluding service animals) traveling in plane, train, bus compartments with everyone else, and staying at hotels, motels, condos, cabins, cottages, etc. I haven't yet had anyone with a dog or cat sitting next to me on a plane, thank goodness. But with pets being allowed to go more and more places, I have had allergic reactions in a condo and a hotel, only to find out the previous tenant brought their dog. Getting rid of allergens is not as simple as vacuuming the carpet (and furniture if you're lucky) or dusting. I understand that many people are devoted to their pets and really enjoy their company, but I personally would recommend that people leave their pets at home so 1) people like me don't get sick, 2) so your pet doesn't get stressed out or sick, and (I'm thinking ahead) 3) with all of the new diseases that seem to crop up and spread through animals and then humans, why would you want to take that risk, no matter how healthy Fluffy is? If you're going to travel with pets, do it on a road trip and stay in your own RV, tent, trailer, etc. I have a feeling Fluffy would rather run around in the woods/beach/meadow, etc. than walk the streets of a European city.

Since the vast majority of hotels and condos in the US don't allow pets, and plenty in Europe don't as well, isn't is easy enough to avoid places that take them, thus preventing the allergic reaction? If someone is sneaking them in where they aren't allowed that is indeed a bad and inconsiderate thing to do.

Given that Europeans bring their dogs all sorts of places when they travel, I don't think discouraging Americans from traveling with their pets in Europe is going to help you. In Switzerland a few weeks ago you would have had to share just about every cable car and train we took with Swiss dogs.

Actually, it's getting harder and harder to find places, especially in the US, that don't allow pets. The ones that do don't usually differentiate rooms like they would for smoking vs. non-smoking. And the condo I was referring to was a "no pets" condo, but obviously the management either didn't know or didn't care.

I guess I look at the traveling with pets issue differently than most non-allergic people. I see it as a potential temporary health problem for people like me, but my bigger concern is someone's dog could be the inadvertent carrier of the next big flu bug... I know people travel all over the world all the time and can very easily transmit diseases, but pets do so much, for example, sniffing and licking of things we would never touch, and they could pick up a bug over there and bring it here, or they could already have a bug from here that they spread over there. I have no idea how likely it is that this could happen, but with all of the diseases that have spread over the past few years (SARS, bird flu, swine flu...) it seems like it would make a lot more sense to travel without pets.

Tina, I sympathize with you but want to warn you about coming to Germany. Here, you can bring your dog in every restaurant, every department store, and all the buses, trams and trains. This would prove to be a problem for you I think.

And France is the same as Germany in this regard.

On our first visit to Germany years ago, we noticed the same gorgeous breed all over the place but didn’t know exactly what kind of dog we were seeing…similar to a long-haired Dachshund but furrier. Turned out these were Tekels (I guess a type of Dachshund). On another trip, I noticed several Tekels in northern Italy. I’ll have to admire them from afar, because I am not a dog person, but all of the dogs everywhere in Europe don’t bother me. For one thing, they seem to be much better behaved than the dogs I see here. At cafes, for example, they just lie there obediently and don’t seem to bother others, don’t beg for food, don’t bark, etc. It seems to me that this is the rule and not the exception. My mental image of dogs here are those crazy hounds at the “dog park” section in many of our public parks…they’re insane! Okay, I know I’m going to get some feedback on that one.

why is it a requirment to have microchips in animals? when did we stop being humans and start being borgs? im tired of all of this regulations on life, we are not any safer, free-er, healthier or happyier, there is to much control in the world and we are being allowed to live by the rules of others telling us we must do this or can't do that, when will humanity wake up, watch this movie on youtube called , resist the mark of the beast

Light up, Guy. This is a travel board not a political board so take it somewhere else. Learn how to spell or use a spell checker.

They’re watching you, Guy.

To guy- the reason that England is so insane about letting animals into the island is that there is NO rabies in England at all, and they very much want to keep it that way.

Unfortunately you have to be a bit draconian to keep viruses out, but Rabies is such a nasty, nasty disease, I can see why they want to keep it the hell out.

I can see taking our dog with us to Europe, but if we went and traveled through Europe it would probably be a 4-5 month or longer trip. At that kind of length, it would be cruel to leave a dog behind. We were careful when we adopted her that, to the best of our limited ability to see into the future, we could care for her for the next 15 years. Leaving her behind, without her family, for half a year wouldn't be right. Much like we'd also take the children if we went, as annoying as that might be (I am sure that my 7 year old cannot take art museums at the pace I like to wander them), they're part of the family and they have to go with you on extended trips.

If I was spending a week, I'd leave Flufferella at home at and not worry about it.

I know some people have said this is difficult - but at 14lbs it shouldn't be difficult at all. I travel with my dog all the time (contact me for more tips!). Also, it helps (for trains) if he fits into a bag

Wow, Guy! Maybe I'll watch that YouTube flick. But, in the meantime, you should watch Finding Nemo. Or Snow White. Anything to pep you up a bit...