Summer holiday - To France with the pup (Yes must be mad!!!)

Re: Summer holiday - To France with the pup (Yes must be mad!!!)

Hope you enjoy your break away
We went away for 5 days and left our daughter (she was 18 at the time) to look after Harley. I checked in with her at least 5 times a day
We are in the process of buying an XL wheelbase van to convert into a camper to sleep 4 (2 double beds) and a kitchen, shower/toilet etc. I'm lucky that my hubby is an auto electrician and loves DIY . Will take at least 5-6 months to build so will hopefully be ready later this year

 

Re: Summer holiday - To France with the pup (Yes must be mad!!!)

I live in Germany and we travel backwards and forwards between the UK and Germany several times each year. The first time we did the trip was with an eight-week old Poppy in the car! The last time we did the trip with her was, let me see now, oh yes, I remember - YESTERDAY :. The channel tunnel is no problem at all, as the dog stays with you in the car. The UK side of the channel tunnel is very well organized with a nice doggy play area (they even have a separate play area for bitches on heat!). I don't think we have ever been checked going out from the UK, but when coming back into the UK do leave a little more time, as you have to go to the pet control area, to show the pet passport and to have the microchip scanned. They take this very seriously, so make sure your vaccinations are all up to date. As Roger says, you must have a worming treatment done by a vet (and this must be marked in the pet passport), which must be given at least 24 hours and not more than 5 days before travel.

We don't use a travel crate for Poppy in the car, she is strapped into her doggie bed on the back seat, using an Allsafe harness. She is very calm, and just goes to sleep. If you decide to use a harness rather than a crate, I would suggest getting your dog used to using the harness well in advance. We stop every couple of hours to let her out to stretch her legs, do a pee and have a drink. The French parking areas are really good for stopping to take a rest - they even have cool outdoor showers, so you (and the dog) can cool down!

The first time we took Poppy away with us was when she was five months old, and I love taking her on holiday. I shouldn't worry too much; it'll be great fun. If you use a crate at home for sleeping, I would take it with you to use in the rental property.

Have fun!

 

Re: Summer holiday - To France with the pup (Yes must be mad!!!)

We took H with us to France last summer and are doing the same this year, possibly every year from now on. The pet passport was quite straight forward our vet had obviously done it 1,000s of times. Apart from normal vaccination being up to date you will need the rabies one too. H loves travelling with us. We stopped at motorway rest point every 2 hours or so, there are lots of these in France some with better facilities than others but all fine to stretch the legs a little.

We found quite a few ticks on H while there. Every small town has a vet so we popped into the vet, and explained in my best french ' J'ai trouvé boucoupe des Tiques sur le chien' and the vet gave us Advantix similar to Advocate for him. A day later the ticks were dropping off. I'd suggest you ask your vet for a tick treatment before you set off. We went back to the vet for his the day before we left to have his passport checked and signed.

 

Re: Summer holiday - To France with the pup (Yes must be mad!!!)

I am completely DISORGANISED & Bouncer is coming on a weeks hols to center parks late July. Should be interesting.