Hi there,
I am going to live in France for a few months and I am taking my dog with me. Anyone travel in Europe with their pets? I'd like to hear of your experiences!

I live in Paris and travel in france frequently with my dog. I take her with me on the train all the time. I have to purchase a half price ticket for her so it isnt cheap. If you have a small dog, fits in a basket is what the SNCF says, then it is only 10 euros i think.

I take my dog to restaurants and cafes on occassion as well and have never had a problem. It is difficult to take a taxi with a dog however. Many taxis refuse but eventually you will find one that will take you. They usually charge a small fee for the dog.

My dog has also stayed in many hotels with me. The accor group of hotels accepts dogs in all of their chains (Sofitel, Mercure, Ibis etc). Also many smaller hotels accept dogs although there is sometimes a fee.

I have taken my dog on the metro in Paris as well without any problems but it is against the rules if it doesnt fit in a basket so be careful as you could get a fine.

I have only left france once with her and that was for a weekend in Brussels. We took the Thalys and had no problems and needed no paper work but I did carry her vaccanation card with me just in case. You cannot take dogs on the Eurostar and to take a dog into England you must have a microchip implanted under the dogs skin. The chip serves as an ID for the dog. The dog is registered in a data base and must have lots of shots. I think the whole process takes about 6 months but I have not done it.

I dont think you will have any problem in France. I found the plane flight from the US with my dog in the baggage hold the most stressful part!

I know that in some places dogs must be muzzled when riding on public transport such as a tram or a Metro. But if you don't know I think the above poster's comments about pets are pretty much indicative of many Western European countries in general...dogs on trains, dogs in restaurants, etc., unlike in the US.
However, I would be VERY careful about the issue of shipping the animal (unless it is small enough to be considered carry-on and fits into the appropriate sized container)on ANY airline..and sometimes airlines will NOT take a pet in baggage depending on the time of year, temperature, etc. For the pet's well-being you might want to consult with an animal shipper such as a kennel or vet who does such and knows the issues. I shudder to think of how many animals are put into jeopardy when people don't take the time to properly ship them..heartbreaking.

as Bootman points out, dogs must be muzzled on the train in france. However, I never have muzzled mine and I have not had any probs. She has never worn a muzzle and I didnt want to subject her to it. That said she doesnt look very threatening and if you have a doberman or something you may want to invest in a muzzle.

As far as bringing the dog here do be sure and discuss with the airlines. I drove for 7 hours to get to an international airport to get a direct night flight to Paris. I didnt want to change planes nor did i want to fly during the day because of the heat.

I flew air france and my dog arrived without problems and did not seem to be distraught. I did kennel train her for 3 months before the flight to make sure she would feel safe. I also trained her to drink from the water dispenser attached to her kennel.

DO NOT sedate your animal. Sedatives react more strongly at higher altitudes and your animal could die.

I totally agree with Bootman that you must be very very careful transporting your animal.

If you can I would try to a fly a European carrier like Air France ot BA for some reason they seem to be better equipped to handle pets I've flown my dog 4 time between Canada and the US always on Air Canada we have no choice but to change planes which is not ideal. In contrast to Morgan I always sedate my pet per her vets recomandation to help her with the stress but this is a discussion you should have with your vet.

We live in Belgium and have traveled extensively in France with our dog (and two birds!). You don't say when you plan to travel but if it's during the summer months, you will not be able to ship your dog in cargo--airlines put in summer restrictions against animals in cargo during periods of high temperatures. Your dog also wouldn't be able to spend any time alone in a rental car for the same heat-related reasons.
We usually stay in an Accor hotel--our favorite experience pet-wise was in the Mercure Centre in Angers (Loire Valley). Delightful location next to the Jardin des Plantes and a wonderful park across the river for off-leash runs.

Is the issue with heat while the plane is on the ground? Once the plane is at 35K feet, the temp outside the plane is enough to freeze dry your skin regardless of how hot it is on the ground below you.

Also, Morgan, how long was your flight? I wouldn't think you would need a water dispenser unless the trip was longer than 10 hours. Unless of course, heat is going to be an issue in the hold.

Thank you all SO much for your help and wonderfully informative responses! I too have HUGE concerns with flying the dog, and therefore decided months ago that I would not do so....my four-legged friend is being spoiled...she is travelling to Paris via the UK on the QE2!!!! We started the process for her to be ready for international travel about 6 months ago. She was microchipped and tested for rabies, and her international health certificate has to be filled out by a USDA approved vet within 10 days of her arrival on French soil. All of the pet import rules for France have changed recently, so if anyone out there is planning to take their pet to France, please be sure you are aware of the new regulations. Pets must have a rabies test done more than 3 months in advance of the travel time, and the rabies vaccine in the animal's system has to be at a certain level in order for them to be accepted into the country. My dog failed her first test, even though she was properly vaccinated against rabies! She passed the 2nd time, but her failure delayed our trip by 6 weeks! Thankfully, Cunard was willing to work with us and did not charge us for the change in plans! My dog is apparently the first American to go through the new process and if anyone needs help with their own plans, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. It can be confusing....I'd be glad to help anyone through it!
Thanks again for your wonderful input...Abbey looks forward to sniffing around Europe!!!!

Meola, WOW the QE 2 . I actuallly looked into that as well but they had yet to intoduce the no quarenteen option in England at the time and as far as I could tell the east bound QE 2 trips did not continue on to cherbourg so i assumed I would have issues with quarenteen in england. I saw a show on the QE 2 and they showed the pet kennel which looked really nice. There is a private promende for dogs. It looked really nice. Have a great trip!

Scottee

Water was required by the airlines. As far as the heat goes it is not only the heat in the cargo hold before flight but also on the Tarmac. Imagine your poor animal burning up in its little plastic kennel on the tarmac in the direct sun as they load the bags. Unfortunately that is what happens sometimes

I was traveling in June and was very worried about heat so I chose the 9:15 pm Air France flight out of Atlanta to Paris (9 hour flight i think). It was dark and had cooled off by the time I turned over my dog to the airlines.

Trish,

Didnt know you could sedate. Everything I read online advised to the contrary. Glad it is working well for you and I agree that you should consult your vet.

MorganB:
You are correct---the QE2 went to Cherbourg on May 10, our original sailing date. But we had to delay when the dog failed her rabies test. So, we go into Southampton on June 25 and a pet transport company comes aboard the ship and temporarily quarantines the dog (puts her in her vehicle, takes her to our vehicle waiting aboard the ferry to Cherbourg) and basically it's as if the dog never landed in the UK. We had to apply for a pet transit license from the UK government, etc. It's all very involved! But we've managed to get all the necessary documents, tests, etc. in order, so we're ready to go. I have heard mostly good reports about the kennels onboard the ship, so I think we should be fine. They even have a lamp-post out on the poop deck (no pun intended!) for the dogs!!!

I can understand the heat build up in a plastic kennel. I just overlooked them since I am not even sure they make plastic ones big enough for my dog(I have a Great Dane). I am just used to the metal grated crates. Also did not know that the airlines require water. You would think that the planes would have some climate controled section in the hold since they do sometimes haul cargo for companies so its not always just baggage down there.

I was going to try to inject some humor here, referencing travel with pet prairie dogs and Gambian rats, but couldn't come up with anything funny. Indeed, the situation is probably not funny. (But who would keep these things as pets anyway?).

Well the hold is cliamte controled for the area where live animals are transported but I would suspect that it is only heated and therefore is hot before take off.

Meola, interesting about how the transit is handled. It does all sound very complex. How the europeans love paper!

When I brought my dog Margot to France I had to have a certificate of good health and a rabies vacc that was recent but no blood test was required whew! However this was the funny part. They looked at the documents in Atlanta when I checked in and then they were never looked at again.

When I got to CDG I went to the baggage claim, Margot was already there. A group of air france flight attendants were talking to her. I saw she looked fine and then went to get my bags. When i went through "customs" I had two baggage carts, one with luggage and one with the large kennel and no one said a word. No one looked in the kennel or anything at all. I was really surprised. I just breezed right through.

MorganB:
That idea has crossed my mind many times---that they may not even check her documents. But, since they heightened all the restrictions and requirements, I wasn't about to take the chance. I will almost be annoyed if they pass her on through without inspecting her paperwork, after all the work I've done! Let's see...4 vet appointments, 2 rabies tests, transport company fees and QE2 kennel fees: that comes to approx. $1900!!! Oh, the things we do for the pets we love.....

This is so wonderful to know-I would be willing to send our Pup off on a cruise if I knew he would be well and safe, the thought of putting him in a cage in an airplane makes me shudder!
Although the only way I would do this is if we moved to Europe, otherwise, he can stay with the sitter and play with his friends while Mama has fun without him ((&amp)

I'm with you, Scarlett! I don't suggest this kind of travel with any pet unless it's unavoidable (we are, indeed, moving to Paris for 3 1/2 months). Some people might even be able to kennel their pets for that long a time period but our dog would be miserable without us...she can't handle more than 2 weeks at the kennel. She'll be very happy in Paris, I'm sure, as it's a very dog-friendly city!