amybizboz

I am considering a 1-year contract in Paris. I have a Lab and will most likely take her with me. We are spoiled by the doggy lifestyle in San Francisco--dogwalker, dog-sitter, dog parks everywhere, not to mention a car to get us around!--and I am wondering how this might work. I may be traveling a bit while over there, and am wondering how hard it might be to find a pet sitter or kennel, can I take her on the Metro? Anyone have experience with this? Just want to have a realistic idea of what to expect.

Thanks.

TopMan

I am CERTAIN others will comment on this but I can tell you that taking your dog to France is like taking your dog to "heaven on earth." You can take her on the train, into restaurants, just about everywhere...Paris is ONE BIG "dogpark" much to the horror of some but the pooch will adore it!

ira

Hi amy,

Have you asked the local French Consulate if you will be permitted to bring your dog to France?

amybizboz

Mais oui!

BTilke

First, of course you will be permitted to take your dog to France as long as you have the necessary papers, microchip, etc.
We took our dog with us for a stay of several weeks in the 16th arrond. of Paris. Having her in Paris was very easy. FYI, we flew nonstop from SFO to CDG (and back) and the AF staff handled our dog VERY well. Everyone was extremely concerned about her well being. They may not always be the best at taking care of human passengers, but they do an excellent job with pets.
In Paris, itself, a few things to keep in mind. Dogs are not allowed in many parks--for example, they are allowed in only a limited part of the Luxembourg gardens (at the periphery) and are not allowed in the Parc Andre Citroen. One of the reasons we liked staying in the Auteuil section of the 16th was its easy proximity to the Bois de Boulogne. Dogs are allowed in the Champ de Mars in the 7th and you will see many off-leash dogs there (unfortunately, not all of them are well trained--you will see some "hippie" kids there with GS mixes and pit bull mixes that can be a little aggressive to other dogs).
Dogs are also not supposed to be in the metro except in a carrier. That rule seems to be flouted pretty regularly, but not during rush hour (one of the things I like about Brussels is that it's even more pet-friendly--our dog routinely rides the buses, trams, subways, etc.).
Your dog will be welcome in most restaurants, cafes, and many stores (excluding grocery stores) but not in museums or churches. Your dog also can ride the French trains, but dogs over 9 kg must have a half price ticket (on our recent vacation in central France, we took our dog on the TGV to Nantes from Angers, no problems).
If you want to travel with your dog from France to Germany (for example), you should be aware that as of October 1, companion animals will need a "pet passport." You can get one from a French vet.
Overall, you should find having a dog in Paris pretty easy. But try and pick a dog friendly neighborhood...the 7th, 16th are particularly good. Over near the Bois de Vincennes should also be good, but I don't know that neighborhood as well.
Hope this helps!

kellyee21

Hi Amy,

Lucky you to have a chance to move to Paris! I moved from the US to Paris about 4 years ago and I brought my dog and cat with me. While I can't compare to SF, I can say that it is a lot of fun having a dog here and very easy. It's true dogs can go just about anywhere, although in the past years this has changed a little and they are not allowed in the metro unless in a basket (might be hard with a Lab ???) but I can't say for sure this is enforced either.

With that said, you can take dogs on trains and the RER, and many hotels will also accept dogs so you may be able to travel with her. If not, there are kennels, but the ones I found were outside of Paris and kind of far away. My solution to this was I hired the guardienne of my apartment to care for my dog when I was away, works out great as he can stay home and luckily she is always available.

Hope that helps, if you have any other questions please ask!

Good luck with your decision!

Underhill

The bonjourparis.com web site has a topic on Travelling with Animals that is full of useful information: before your trip, during, and once you're in Paris. People who recently brought their dogs to Paris have made quite a number of posts.

cigalechanta

I was about to post the same as underhill about bonjourparis, several of our comrades there live in paris with their dogs.

amybizboz

Thanks so much, this is the information I am looking for, especially helpful is the neighborhood recommendations. I was wondering about that (off-leash dog parks), as my Lab loves to fetch. I suspected the part about the kennels being outside the city, looks like I will have to be creative (or get lucky and find an apartment supe that likes dogs and is willing to petsit!) If anyone has any further helpful information, please feel free to email me at [email protected].

Scarlett

This is great for us too, since I am always trying to convince the Yankee that we can move to France with Pup, then work out way over to England
Pup is very interested in the Pup Cafe Society~

BTilke

A good place to find petsitters is at the American Church in Paris (in the 7th). They have a very active community center and there are always people (usually American students) looking for these kinds of jobs.