Preparing Your Dog for a Flight

As some of you who follow Dogs Allowed on Twitter or Facebook may already know, a few days ago Zorra came with me from London to California. She immediately settled in and is loving every minute of being here (particularly the pool) but I had to do a lot of work and research to get her ready to fly.

If you are planning on taking your dog on a plane here are some tips:

1) Do some research about which airlines are available for the route you are taking. One long flight is easier for a dog to handle than a layover. Airlines have different pet policies so you should read these carefully before booking; for instance, Virgin Atlantic has climate control in the dog area and your pet earns you miles: win!

2) Read your airline's pet travel requirements very carefully, some may require extra health checks to reduce the risk of something going wrong. If you are in any doubt call the airline, usually people who work in the pet travel department of airlines are dog people and very friendly!

3) IF YOU ARE TRAVELING ABROAD: look at the requirements for BOTH the country you are leaving and the country you are arriving in, especially if you plan to come back and bring your dog with you. You want to avoid quarantine at all costs. These can usually be found on your country's government website, but quite often you can get this information from the airline. In Europe it is essential that you get a pet passport as soon as possible because a blood test must be carried out weeks after the initial shots.

4) If a vet check is required go to the vet early, for instance with Virgin I was required to get a vet check for Zorra within 10 days of travel, so I went 9 days before traveling to the vet. This was good, because I was an idiot and I forgot to bring her passport with me to be stamped, if I had left it too late I would not have had time to make another appointment.

5) Do NOT sedate your dog for the flight! Virgin and some other airlines do not allow animals on the plane which have been sedated because they can stop breathing and die. Even if you airline does allow sedated animals please don't do it! Dogs are resilient, and  they should settle on their own but even if they don't a distressed dog is better than a dead one!

6) Make sure you put bedding in the crate which is soft, absorbent, and which you don't mind throwing away. Especially for long flights they are quite likely to pee on it even if they are completely house trained .

I hope if you do travel with your dog that it goes as smoothly as it did for me and my dog! I believe that all dogs should be crate trained because it makes situations like this much easier. Even though I haven't crated Zorra since she was a puppy she settled quickly and clearly felt safe and comfortable. With these steps you should be well on your way to a safe and fun trip with your dog!

Happy travels!

Dogs on the London Underground

Dogs on the London Underground

The tube is an excellent way to travel around London and for the most part it is very easy to take your dog on it. I recently found that some stations can be much harder to navigate than others. For instance, Victoria Station is dog-accessible for the Circle and District lines but not for the Victoria line, which only has escalator access. The step-free access map actually does not help with finding tube stops which are more dog friendly. Deeper stations with lots of underground tunnels are fine for experienced dogs but are not ideal for young dogs who might get restless or which aren't toilet trained; the only issue are platforms which are only accessible by escalators. Dogs Allowed is going to venture to find out which stations and lines are the most dog friendly, stay tuned!

Traveling with Dogs to Paris

The advent of Pet Passports and changes to quarantine procedures means that it is much easier to travel from the UK to the Continent with your pet. As always it is crucial that you check the rules in your destination country as well as any restrictions that may be placed on your pet returning home.

France is a popular place for UK residents to take their dogs due to the relative ease of getting there. Dogs are NOT allowed on the Eurostar, but they are allowed on most French trains so once you arrive in France either by ferry or plane you and your dog are able to travel freely. Traveling with a dog is an excellent way to explore a new city, you end up meeting lots of locals and discovering new parks. Sitting outside at a Parisian cafe with a dog in tow is a great way to feel like a local!

Please do not try to act too much like a local in Paris, the city has a lot of dog poo on the streets. If you do bring your dog on vacation with you please pick up after your dog regardless of the local customs.

Watch this space for tips on where to take your dog in France!