Taking dogs abroad.

We have no choice with little Emma. She was forced upon us by emotional blackmail- she is 13 and we have decided not to travel anywhere she can't come with us for as long as she lives. She has been to England, French Alps and Tuscany, Cinque Terre with us since we adopted her- after our last trip abroad by plane, to Crete, in May.

She is fine in the car, as long as she is with us, she'd go anywhere... Corsica and Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro by car planned for next year, and possibly Portugal, from Porto to Algarve.

A young musician friend has said he would come and dogsit, and allow Emma to sleep with hime, for up to a month ... so it is good to have that option just in case.

There is a wonderful company called Trustedhomesitters that one of my daughters uses and also other friends - they stay in your home, and look after your pets - esp dogs. I have not used them but everyone speaks highly of them -

Taking dogs for such a long trip is a challenge. Is it their first trip or do you travel with them lots? If it is their first trip I wouldn't take them for such long journey. As someone says it would be better to employ a pet sitter. However, if they travel with you many times I think that you should take them with you. They are accustomed for traveling so such trip won't be much stressfull for them. And for sure they will enjoy spending time with you!

There are some very good agencies who (although there is one I would not recommend as they collect your dog and then deliver it back so you do not get to meet its hosts)....where you pay to have your dogs as house guests of a like minded owner.
Our dog is not your usual...she's a rescue and needs long boisterous walks and although she gets on well with other dogs is happiest in a rural setting. We have two really wonderful hosts who give her a real home from home and we know that come what may she will be well looked after. They even let her sleep on their bed fgs!!!

Oops just seen you are in a Yorkshire!

We have never flown with our dog who has a pet passport but only taken her to Europe via ferry. I gather on long haul flights dogs are kept in the luggage hold in cages which traumatise some pets.

Why not consider boarding at a reputable pet sitters home? Lulu loves staying there as it’s home from home and she is treated as a member of the family. The sitters also run a daycare facility on an industrial unit with agility and play areas and boarders get free daycare before the nights they board. The sitters keep me up to date with videos of Lulu and how she’s getting on. If you are in or within reach of the Bedfordshire area they are called Tumblepups. I can highly recommend them.

Thank you Bluegal but we're in Yorkshire.Looking at home boarding at the moment and have found a small kennels near us but not been to see it yet. Keep putting it off.

Where do you live Bellab? I would certainly not consider taking dogs on such a long flight for such a short time. However, I would look after your dogs for that length of time. Am well experienced with dogs of all types but am not a registered kennel or looking for payment (so not advertising lol) I am on Merseyside so if you are anywhere near me, get in touch.

I would never put dogs in kennels for that length of time, I have to say. Much much better to ask friend/s to stay at yours, or to take them into their own home, if at all possible.

Thanks for all your advice.Have decided to leave my dogs in kennels and have started looking round. Don't want to leave them but I think it's best for us all.Once I find somewhere I'll leave them for short periods and slowly build it up.

When we went to New Zealand for 4 weeks we paid my nephew (aged about 21) to live with them at our house. As he had just finished Uni and was back at home living with parents he jumped at the chance.

I’d find someone trustworthy and pay them a decent ‘wage’ to come and live with your pets.

I relocated back to the UK from Australia last year and shipped my two dogs so I do have recent experience, although, I don’t know Canada’s regulations but I certainly wouldn’t recommend long haul for a dog for a 4 week holiday.

It is too stressful, there are so many regulations and paperwork involved and if there is a slip up in the paperwork the dogs won’t be allowed into the country, which could incur additional costs, boarding etc., It would also be a very, very expensive to do. There are not only the animal flights, vet checks (ours had to have rabies injection and we had to wait a month before they could fly, there are sometimes other tests that are also required, paperwork preparation etc., IATA approved travel crates to be purchased or hired (airlines have strict rules on these in relation to size of the animal (again the vet checking the dogs prior to flight can refuse to release them). For importing clearance of the dogs at Heathrow ARC was at least a 9 hour delay before they are released. I used an animal transport company but it was still very stressful for me as well as my dogs.

I would recommend a good kennels, or a pet sitting service. You could check at your vets for recommendations.

When living in Australia and I was visiting the UK, my dogs were in a kennels and the owner would take short videos of my dogs and put them on her facebook page so I could see they were okay.

Hope this doesn’t sound negative and off putting.

Good luck I hope you find a satisfactory resolution that works for you.

I agree with Bestwishes the flights for such a short stay would be more traumatic than leaving them with a good kennels. Ask your vet about kennels and other dog owners then visit and try them out. Our three dogs are in kennels now, someone we trust and they are together. House/dog sitters are another option.

Personally I would not contemplate putting my precious dogs on a long haul flight unless I was emigrating and even then I would be terrified of doing so.

I don't put mine in kennels either.

Instead they go to a wonderful couple who board pets in their own home. They also run a pet sitting service where pets are cared for in their own home big that wouldn't be enough care for mine whilst away.

If you make a casual agreement with a friend or even a relative to care for them please make sure their microchips are up to date and get a signed agreement between you as sadly there have been incidents of people selling dogs on or in the event of an accident or illness, acres to their usual vet.

I really would not fly them to Canada as apart from the risk of death the emotional upset they may suffer just would not be worth it.

As you aren’t going to Canada until next year, why don’t you find a super duper kennels and put them in there for odd weekends? That way they can get used to staying there and to the people who will look after them.

I would also check the actual time your pets would be away from you if you fly them. They will have to be loaded and unloaded at either end, I would think they will be very stressed in a busy airport and then hours in the hold.

Might be less stressful all round if you get a pet sitter. Ask about locally, look online for reputable companies. I know of people who take their dogs to Europe in the car, but not so sure about long haul flights.

You need to know about the passport requirements for dogs in Canada first. Look online.
There are companies who arrange air transport for pets, again search online for regs. cost etc.
I know of somone who did this for her dogs from France to UK and it worked alright. But not Canada.

I haven’t ever done this and I can understand you not wanting to leave them for a long time but is it fair to the dogs to take them on long haul fights twice in four weeks Do they have any quarantine at the other end? my friend goes on long holidays and always leaves her large dog in trusted kennels Do you have any friends or relatives who would help you on this one it’s not something I d considered but I m sure there’s lots of posters on here who will disagree with me