How to Globe-Trot with Dog
September 27, 2015 6:35 AM   Subscribe

My (new) husband and I have decided it’s finally time to live the dream by stepping back from our jobs and traveling the world for the indefinite future. We would like to spend at least a month each in cities all around the world. Difficulty level: 14 year old Scottish terrier. Looking for advice of all stripes.

He (the husband) and I have been talking about doing this almost since our first date a few years ago. And we’re now ready to do it. The plan is to spend one month in each place—Mexico, Peru, Argentina, London, Japan, etc.—for 2016, coming and going as we please and somewhat spontaneously. But as we are start to put our itinerary together and make our arrangements, we are going further and further down confusing rabbit holes with regards to flying and getting into various countries with Lulu, the Scottish terrier.

Every decision we try to make raises a new set of complications—varying weight limits for dogs in plane cabins, conflicting information about quarantine laws in various countries, etc. So here are a few specific questions for the Green:

--It is a wrenching thought to not bring her with us. But would that actually be the smartest thing to do? Many friends have offered to keep her while we’re gone, and we wonder whether, though she is in good health now, all this travel and new environments would be a shock to her system. We hate the idea of not being with her. We hate the idea of The End coming while we’re gone, while she is in the care of someone else. But on the other hand she could be around for a few more years, and we also hate the idea of putting off this long dreamed-of trip.

--Is there one preferred/most reliable site for information about traveling with dogs? I’ve found a few discussions on various travel forums but they don’t seem that extensive or current.

--Same question for the laws in various countries. There are a lot of sites with information out there, but they contradict one another. Is there one site to rule them all? We are willing to build our itinerary around countries without hard-core quarantine laws—if we reliably could find and confirm them.

--We are trying to travel with a fair amount of flexibility/spontaneity. So, if we love Lima, we might want to stay longer. If we don’t love it, we might want to stay less than a month. Is this spontaneity even possible if trying to fly/travel with a dog?

--Lulu would appear to fit, in terms of height/size, into the largest approved carrier that can be taken into the cabins. However, despite fitting into the carrier, she (26 lbs) is apparently over the weight limit for cabin travel (usually 15–18 lbs). Any anecdotal evidence out there about airlines actually weighing pets that fit into approved carriers?

--Does anyone have any experience with international pet relocation services? Pet relocation services seem to offer an option between cabin and cargo (like “cargo plus”). Are these services a viable choice for us?

Many thanks in advance for any insight—both moral and practical—you can offer.
posted by fiery.hogue to Pets & Animals (23 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
This is your dream, not your dog's. You have friends waiting to embrace and care for your terrier.

You can go without her in good conscience.
posted by mdonley at 6:43 AM on September 27, 2015 [28 favorites]


I think it would be much, much kinder to your dog to let her stay in one place, as hard as it might be for you...

Re the trip, you also might want to check out Trusted Housesitters- a site that lets you housesit or petsit for people all over the world. Great way to stay in amazing places free.
posted by three_red_balloons at 6:44 AM on September 27, 2015 [9 favorites]


My only experience is flying US with my dog, but he is technically over the weight limit at 22 lbs. When I call to book the dog reservation (you have to do this ahead of time, usually right after you buy your tickets) they always ask. I always lie. In the actual airport, no one asks or seems to care. One time a Delta desk rep was looking like she was trying to weigh him on the little luggage platform, but some Abbot and Costello type hijinks from me juggling luggage around and she eventually gave up.

Things to consider:
-your dog can't come out of its carrier the entire flight or (technically, though I've seen this broken) while in the airport except in special areas, which means he'll be going a very long time without a bathroom break/leg stretch on international flights.

-flying with a pet is expensive. The cheapest pet fee I've encountered is with Southwest, and that's just domestic, and it's an extra $95 for each one way journey. Add an easy $200 onto each ticket, minimum.

-hotels with a dog are more expensive, too
posted by phunniemee at 6:45 AM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


I would suspect that a vast majority of your trip would become how to wrangle the dog and assure your pup's comfort. Having her with you will also significantly limit what you can do, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, do you want to put that kind of restraint on it?

As stated above, this is YOUR dream, not your pup's, who would likely prefer to stay with a friend and take naps.
posted by HuronBob at 6:53 AM on September 27, 2015 [12 favorites]


There is no one website to tell you everything, not least because laws change fairly often and there is too much riding on getting it right. Instead, you will need to go to the official website of each country and get confirmation of the rules directly from the government department involved. It's usually pretty clear what you need to do. If the country doesn't have a website then you'll need to contact them using whatever old fashioned method they prefer and get the definitive info that way.

And this will be complicated, inflexible with timing, stressful for everyone, very expensive, and potentially dangerous to your dog if you get it wrong. You will need, at the least, vet visits and relevant certification every time you change countries. Also, you won't always be able to use the cabin (particularly for long haul flights), some countries and/or some carriers simply don't allow it.

I've moved my cats both across the world and within Europe. I used a different pet relocation company both times and I have nothing but good things to say about them. But that was actual relocation because we were moving (and every time moving the cats cost significantly more than moving the people), the idea of doing that regularly as some kind of vacation seems kind of awful to me to be honest.
posted by shelleycat at 7:13 AM on September 27, 2015 [4 favorites]


A few questions to ask yourselves when deciding to bring Lulu along:

First: is Lulu's digestive system extremely flexible, where she would be used to and comfortable eating a wide variety of different foods without diarrhea, gas and/or vomiting? Intestinal discomfort would make travel very hard on her physically. It could be very expensive to bring dog food with you and/or ship it to your local destinations, and several of the cities you mention might have very few if any pet food stores. Hence, if Lulu needs a set diet, then don't take her.

Secondly: what is Lulu's behavior about travel? Does she enjoy it thoroughly and is reliably cheerful and welcoming to meet people of all kinds (including people who wear different clothing, uniforms (TSA agents for instance), smell different, and speak differently)? Our dog is great with nearly everyone, but he definitely fears people when they wear sunglasses, hats, and other forms of clothing that cover their faces ...and he is terrified of groups of teens (even just 2 or 3). Can you trust that Lulu will not bite any stranger when you are not around? Including one who might be coming into your lodging every single day?

Thirdly: how is Lulu's bathroom routine? Is she trained to eliminate on command (such as Lulu go potty!)? Can she eliminate on multiple surfaces but reliably will not eliminate 'indoors"? Some dogs won't eliminate on strange surfaces (dirt, concrete) and will only eliminate on grass, and it might be difficult to find grass-covered areas in some of the cities you'll be visiting.

Fourth: how is Lulu's barking when you are gone? You'll likely be renting temporary housing in the cities you're visiting and will likely want to go sightseeing during the day. Will she bark a lot when you're not there? (If you don't know, tape record her at home ...) If she will bark at strange sights/sounds when you're away, your ability to find the right kind of temporary housing would be difficult.

If answers to any of these questions bring up challenges traveling with her, then Lulu would be better staying home. She wouldn't have a good time, and if she's miserable, you would be too.
posted by apennington at 7:14 AM on September 27, 2015 [7 favorites]


I feel like a real tool for bringing this up, but Lulu is already past the typical life expectancy for her breed. (You guys must be awesome pet owners!!) Have you thought about (a) how you will feel if you leave her behind and she passes while you are traveling, or (b) how you will handle it if you bring her with you and she passes on the trip?

Sorry for being so macabre. I don't mean to be a buzzkill, or to add extra worry to your plate. But this is something I would want to think about in advance if I were in your shoes.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 7:51 AM on September 27, 2015 [19 favorites]


I know people who are motor homers and travel with their ageing pet dogs. They do however start in the UK and travel in continental Europe and don't go where they can't take their dogs easily. And they don't have to worry about flights or pet friendly accommodation etc. Unless that's the kind of trip you're planning this is going to be very stressful for everybody as others have said.

Chances are your pet is going to live another year or two max, having already exceeded the life expectancy for her breed. Personally, I'd either leave her with a friend, recognising she may pass in my absence, or spend that time with her at home planning this trip out and organising the rest of our lives so we're ready to go once she passes.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:08 AM on September 27, 2015 [5 favorites]


schroedingersgirl, the OP has thought about it, see the first bullet point.

I agree with everyone that who thinks it will be better to leave Lulu out of the travel, even if it does mean you may not be there for her at the end of her life. That much travel and change in diet would be a shock to her system, and I can't imagine how stressful it would be to try to find veterinary care in an unfamiliar country & language. (And, even if she were a much younger dog, it seems like it would go badly for all the points apennington listed.)
posted by oh yeah! at 8:13 AM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


fiery.hogue, we are in similar circumstances. I am sketching together a plan to travel internationally from the U.S. with my four-year old 22-pound best friend, a sausage-bodied Cocker mystery-mix who has legs like a giraffe and looks ridiculously huge standing next to the largest carrier most airlines recommend.

Some sites that have been helpful for me in my initial research: DogJaunt and Gigi Griffis.

Every country has its own requirements, so you need to first put together an itinerary of where you want to go. I have my eye on the UK/Europe, so for those countries, I have to have a health certificate from my vet and an endorsement from the USDA. Every country is different. The UK is picky: No pets can arrive in cabin in the UK, so most people go to France or the Netherlands and cross into the UK from there. (No pets on Eurostar trains, btw.) Also, UK requires a tapeworm treatment right before arriving there. Some people take the Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southhampton. The QM2 is the only cruise liner that accepts kenneled dogs and has a whole service for them onboard.

The biggest issue for many is getting a large small dog into the airline cabin if you do not want to use cargo for the dog. Lots of discussion on DogJaunt about bags, how big of a dog can fit in cabin, what's worked for some people. People generally recommend SturdiBag for those dogs. I have a large for my dog and it is not large enough. Kind of depends on the dog. You can read a lot of Sturdibag reviews on Amazon to see what size works for which dog and which airline.

There's also the possibility of traveling with your dog as an Emotional Support Animal if you qualify. This is not the same as a service dog -- you have to have a letter from a legitimate mental health professional saying that you have one of the conditions identified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual volume IV (DSM-IV) and that they recommend you travel with a support animal. If you fly a US-based airline, you are then protected by law. There's been a lot on the news about people abusing this rule, so I don't recommend it if you don't actually qualify.

That's if you decide to take her.

A few years ago, I went to Alaska for several months and could not take the dog I had then, a sweet and elderly maltese girl who passed away in my mother's arms just two weeks before I got home. It hurt. It was hard. But she loved my mother and she would have been miserable in that chilly dry cabin where I stayed instead of spending her last summer warm in the Colorado sun. I wish I'd been there, but I know her passing was peaceful and quiet. I'm still learning lessons from that, but mostly I am realizing that it was OK and my dog was in good hands.

Anyway, feel free to me-mail me as you continue to consider the trip. Maybe our paths will collide.
posted by mochapickle at 8:23 AM on September 27, 2015


Please, please do not fly with a dog this age. You are talking about a lot of very long-haul flights. Dogs are lost in airport transfers. They have broken free on runways. Dogs die in cargo holds. (I am not linking to any of those stories. Here instead is a really happy story about how that didn't happen, but only because this individual pilot put the welfare of the dog over the convenience of passengers.)

Additionally I will add that we have had a service dog, and flew cabin with her, but even working dogs get too old to fly. The ability of a senior dog to hold urine during transit times, cabin or cargo, becomes a real issue and this is enormously distressing for any dog without access to toilet.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:48 AM on September 27, 2015 [4 favorites]


In addition to the many points above, how do you imagine the flow of a typical day while you're in each city? Are you going to be able to really take fullest advantage of the experiences on offer if you're continually having to structure your time around the needs of an elderly dog? I see that you're wondering about how the dog will affect your ability to make spontaneous decisions for the larger movements of your journey, but I'd ask you to consider how it's going to affect your ability to be spontaneous and free-roaming on the daily.

Also, are you willing to risk pretty much ruining your trip of a lifetime if your dog experiences a major health decline while you're traveling? You're imaging traveling with an elderly but otherwise healthy dog, but what choice would you make if your dog were incontinent, cripplingly arthritic, or going deaf/blind? You've obviously considered the fact that she may die in the next year, but I'm not sure you're weighing enough the even MORE likely scenario that her health will start to decline before it even gets to that point.
posted by drlith at 9:16 AM on September 27, 2015 [4 favorites]


Sorry, oh yeah!, but the OP says nothing about item (B) in my comment. It's true that OP mentions (A) - I could have been more clear in my comment - but I encourage OP and family to think through all facets of the issue...not just the emotional side but also the logistical side.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 9:19 AM on September 27, 2015


My concern would be going from a country with poor rabies control (much of South America) to a rabies-free country (Japan, UK). You often have to have quite recent certifications from the vet, right before travel, that can be tedious and time-consuming to acquire through the local bureaucracy. It's possible that, even with your American rabies certifications, when you were attempting to enter the UK from Argentina (say), the UK would demand your dog be quarantined because you'd been in a country with poor rabies control and they didn't like the Argentinian paperwork. You could fight and argue all you wanted, pointing out that you technically complied with requirements, but you and your dog would be at the mercy of a bureaucrat who is much more interested in preventing rabies from entering the country than the comfort of your pet dog. (In fact, this is one of the reasons they typically recommend families moving from the US to the UK not take pets unless they will be staying longer than 6 months -- problems with clearing the pet through customs can end up with the pet in quarantine for quite a while, even if you have all the appropriate vaccinations and paperwork and so on.) International customs agencies just aren't set up for frequent pet travel between countries, and the international stance is to be suspicious of animals being transported across borders, because they can carry diseases that can harm livestock and damage large sectors of the economy. So they are not going to err on the side of pet-friendliness.

I think this is too much travel for an old dog. But I think the real problem is that spending only a month in each place, traveling between First- and Third-World countries, and hopping from continent to continent, there is simply too much risk you end up with your pet caught in a quarantine that's longer than you intend to be in the country. And then what if, six months into your trip, there's an outbreak of a livestock disease in your current or next country, and the next country tightens up the rules on allowing pets in and temporarily bans dogs from entry? Or your current country bans them from exit? You can't control that kind of situation, and you will have to have a plan B (probably bringing the dog home to the US).
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:45 AM on September 27, 2015 [5 favorites]


Your beloved dog is 14 years old. If I were you, I would postpone the trip until after she dies. I would hate not being there to spend the last months or years with my dog. If she were a lot younger this wouldn't be an issue, but to me? Wait until it's time to say goodbye to her, then go on your trip.
posted by Automocar at 10:44 AM on September 27, 2015 [10 favorites]


I think it's wonderful that you are thinking of your dog this way. But I just don't see things working with an elderly dog on such a trip. And maybe not even a younger dog, for that matter, who could also fall ill or get injured, or get stuck in quarantine, so far from home. Many good points mentioned above, including the incredible stress of the long journey across the Atlantic.

I've had to decide recently about leaving an older dog behind, and for a much shorter trip! But if you think of all the time you will be forced to leave her in strange countries, in strange hotel rooms or homes, alone, I think it's kindest to leave her with people she knows, if you have confidence in the people who will take her.

I'll be honest. I would not be able to leave our dog behind for such a trip, and would probably put it off. Your friends may be forced to make some difficult and heart-wrenching decisions on your behalf. That's a lot to put on someone! I'm not saying you don't have friends that would deal with it like champs, and yet.

Maybe you could do one month in Europe or Africa, then come back to collect her and bring her with you to your Mexican leg of the trip, which is much closer to home so less trip time and easier to come back if it goes poorly?

You obviously love this dog. If your friends also love Lulu, then one month here or there while she's still in good health should not be too bad. But six months to a year is so different. Good luck to you. It's a hard decision.

It doesn't sound like you would do this but it bears repeating - please never check a dog into cargo. Too much potential for bad outcomes.
posted by Glinn at 10:52 AM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


If you're only going to be places for a month at a time, you're going to hit mandatory quarantines that are longer than your stay.

Please do your pup a favor and leave her with trusted loved ones. Can you imagine crossing a border and having her taken from you and potentially not returned because of some legal issue?
posted by erst at 12:25 PM on September 27, 2015 [2 favorites]


I think you should let Lulu stay with friends and nap the days away. Travel is stressful even on younger dogs that love it. Facetime or Skype her while you're away. Send her interesting treats and toys from your world traveling adventures.

Our cat got very sick and died while we were making a cross country move. It was the worst thing ever. Having to deal with a dying pet in a unfamiliar city far from our family and friends was so very very hard. And we weren't even in another country.
posted by ilovewinter at 1:37 PM on September 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


Three immediate, obvious problems:

1. Where are you going to stay? While it's often possible to find dog-friendly hotels in affluent Western countries where people's intense relationships with their pets are somewhat indulged, if you were planning to do this by staying in less conventional accommodations (hostels, AirBnB, couchsurfing, etc) this is going to get very difficult. Especially in countries where a dog is something that wanders around your property and eats scraps, not a pampered member of the family. And even if you can afford to always stay in hotels, you may have a harder time finding pet-friendly hotels in developing countries.

2. How are you going to travel around? I've traveled pretty extensively in Europe, Asia, and South America and I never saw a dog on a train, a bus, etc. If you were planning to travel in your own vehicle, I think a dog would be doable, but unless you were really not planning on seeing much of the places you intend to visit, you're going to be wrangling how to travel with a dog every day, for a year.

3. What happens when you want to go do something? Sure, if you were planning on hunkering down in, say, Tokyo, for a month and rent an apartment (assuming you can find a dog-friendly apartment), you could probably just leave the dog at home when you go out to play tourist. But that's not going to work for things like Macchu Pichu, the Taj Mahal, a cruise on the Amazon, a week-long trek, etc.

All of this ignores whether any of this is good for your dog, or even the larger issues of flights, international policies on importing animals, etc.
posted by Sara C. at 4:08 PM on September 27, 2015 [2 favorites]


Please postpone this trip until dog passes. I grew up with scotties and they tend to go downhill fast and with little notice. Try to spend your last months with lulu indulging her in things like extra belly rubs or whatevet gets her tail waggin
posted by WeekendJen at 5:15 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


I think you need to leave Lulu behind, and I understand how that will suck for you. I just don't see how it could possibly work to bring her. Let her stay with friends who will take good care of her.

That said, if she's really getting up there in age, why not postpone your trip? Is there a reason it has to be now, rather than six months or a year or two from now?
posted by J. Wilson at 8:28 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Yeah, the only way I can see this working is if you dial plans back to staying within your own country/continent (which I assume is the U.S.?) - which actually could be just as much of an adventure if you think about it. However, if your hearts are set on global travel rather epic road trips, I would wait until after your dog passes - it seems unkind to give her up to someone else at the age of 14.
posted by Jess the Mess at 8:31 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


How is Lulu with staying with other people? If you think she'll be un-stressed about going to a new home, then definitely do that. I've had some dogs like that and others who were super attached to me.

If she would not be perfectly content doing that, however, I think you need to rethink your travel plans. It would be unethical to leave her behind in a situation where she wasn't happy. In that case you should postpone your trip or modify it to not involve airplanes/ quarantines.
posted by metasarah at 3:42 PM on September 28, 2015


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