Doggie flight to Europe?

June 4, 2008 12:15 PM

I would like to take my dog with me to Europe this fall, and have questions.

My dog is 8-1/2 pounds, so she qualifies to fly in-cabin with me. I would be leaving from Seattle and staying for 2-3 weeks. I know the flights will be stressful, but she's a great traveler (travels in the car ~5 hrs. with me twice a week), and there is no one I trust to care for her the way I would so I can't leave her behind. Here are my questions:

1) Would it be easier on her to fly nonstop or to fly first to the east coast, then on to Europe? She frequently voluntarily goes eight or nine hours without peeing, but that is an awfully long time to be in a carrier under a seat. On the other hand, the takeoff and landing will be stressful, too, with loud noises and changes in air pressure, and with the nonstop she would only have to do it once. On the other other hand, I could stop on the east coast, visit relatives (giving her a break from the plane), then continue on. But maybe that would just be prolonging the stress. What do you all think?

2) If I'm to fly nonstop from Seattle (or potentially Vancouver, BC, where fares are often cheaper), is there a destination in Europe that results in a magically shorter flight? I really don't care where we go first, I just want to give her the shortest flight possible. I mean, I know I can just fool around on Travelocity seeing what the flight times are to various destinations, but I'm wondering if there is something I don't know (like what? I don't know!) that will get us there on a shorter flight.

3) Finally, it seems that I am a bit dense at comprehending the EU scheme for travel with pets in and among the US/UK/continental Europe. If someone could explain this as if to a two year old, I would be very grateful. The main thing I don't understand is if I can take her to England without quarantine.

Any other advice, anecdotes, etc., are welcome. Thanks for your help.

posted by HotToddy to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

To bring your dog or cat into the UK under PETS from one of the listed countries you must have it first microchipped, then vaccinated against rabies and then blood tested. There are no exceptions to this order of preparation apart from the exemption explained in the next sentence. If your pet is resident in certain countries these procedures may be done in a different order.
posted by Oktober at 12:25 PM on June 4, 2008

from here:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm
posted by Oktober at 12:25 PM on June 4, 2008

Without starting the application process six months in advance, getting into the UK with your pet is going to be impossible, as far as I understand. Getting back into the US may also be difficult. I wouldn't do this. Alternatives include kennels; some vets offer this service or can recommend a place for you.
posted by fatllama at 12:27 PM on June 4, 2008

Even if you had the six months to do the UK pet passport screening, you'd still need to have her travel in the cargo hold on one of a set of designated flights.

If you avoid the UK, you're still dealing with separate import authorisations for every EU country you want to enter, all of which have slightly different requirements in terms of microchipping and rabies certification. If your dog is microchipped, that chip is likely incompatible with the RFID frequency used in Europe, so she'd need another chip.

Bringing a pet from the US to Europe is a long, drawn-out, costly process. You really don't do it unless you're moving permanently. Use the summer to find someone you trust to look after her.
posted by holgate at 12:46 PM on June 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Someone I knew tried to use one of the "smuggling" services in Spain to get their pug into England. They got caught, and her pet was put into 6 months of quarantine, which she had to pay for. Not a great situation, especially for the poor dog.
posted by Liosliath at 12:52 PM on June 4, 2008

Just use a kennel. It won't be any more stressful for the dog than a transatlantic flight.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 1:03 PM on June 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

If you avoid the UK, you're still dealing with separate import authorisations for every EU country you want to enter, all of which have slightly different requirements in terms of microchipping and rabies certification. If your dog is microchipped, that chip is likely incompatible with the RFID frequency used in Europe, so she'd need another chip.
posted by holgate at 12:46 PM

A couple years ago when I drove through Europe, from Italy through Spain and on up to Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, I didn't pass one single customs checkpoint, which was one of the benefits o the whole EU thing....so where exactly are these "import authorisations" going to take place? As long as you are renting a car and driving around, and you just fly into and out of the same city, you should be totally fine with a dog. My mom has brought her 8.5 lbs Miki with her to France without any problems numerous times in the past 3 or 4 years. I think she flies Air France...you may have to pay extra for the dog on the flight, but it's definitely do-able. Maybe fly into and out of Paris, and just drive for the rest of the trip? You might have problems on trains/buses/planes, but driving should be fine.
posted by Grither at 1:19 PM on June 4, 2008

I didn't pass one single customs checkpoint, which was one of the benefits o the whole EU thing....so where exactly are these "import authorisations" going to take place?

Yes, Schengen does allow freedom of movement, but customs checks can be brought back at short notice -- Austria's reimposing them for Euro 2008, and Italy's talking about suspending participation. If the poster's set on doing this, the best option is to work out which country on the itinerary has the strictest criteria for rabies certification, and satisfy those. But for just 2-3 weeks, requiring vaccinations and perhaps another microchip, that's a lot to put a pet through.
posted by holgate at 2:06 PM on June 4, 2008

I would advise leaving your dog at home.

I'm a seasoned traveler and former dog owner. It's not much fun being crammed into a seat on a 12-hour flight from LA to Frankfurt, Paris, Rome or London. Being crammed in a carrier under a seat is definitely worse. I definitely can't imagine going for so long without being able to get up and stretch my legs-- and I have an office job where I sit all day.

Puppy will also have a hard time adjusting to the time change. Also, the changes in sights, sounds and smells will be a shock too. Babies also have a really hard time with this change. The flight and constant change of location can make your dog pretty unhappy.

The trip is only for 2-3 weeks and by the time the dog has gotten used to the change, it will be time to come home again. One of your concerns is that there is no one that you trust to look after her the way you would. You don't need some one to do things exactly how you do, you only need some one to make sure the dog is fed, watered, sheltered, clean, and happy. Surely, there's a kennel or professional dog sitter who could do this?

Unless your dog is addicted to your presence and becomes extremely upset when you are absent, it will probably be happier at home than in strange places. Your dog probably has no idea of what it means to vacation in Europe, so maybe bringing her is more for your sake than hers?
posted by mausburger at 1:51 PM on June 5, 2008