mags-eddie

we are planning on retiring to limousin next april when i retire. better half having already done so a few years ago.(retired that is). we have a large hairy lurcher who is coming with us and we wondered what is the best way to do this. as we live in the north of england, if we took him with us in the car it would be a long. long journey for him. has anyone any experience of sending dogs by airfreight? and how costly is it.

cjm

No experience of airfreight, welcome to the Forum. Ours are smaller and travel with us and stay in car overnight on ferry (Souths Mids destination). Yes, you have a long journey, but why not turn it into an adventure by choosing places to stop on your way south to give the fella (or gal) some stretch time.
If we go via Tunnel we stay overnight before leaving France. Dogs get a walk and we get fed and rested.
You'd also need to check where you can freight your dog from; would you go via an intermediary or book the dog in yourselves. You'd have to leave the dog in the UK while you travelled to your destination and the destination airport to collect. As dogs 'pine' I don't like leaving ours alone for longer than is necessary.

cyrian

Hi
My daughter gave her dog Piriton to sedate him for the journey because on the previous visit he had not reacted well to the voyage.

cjm

Can you share the voyage/travel details cyrian? I and others would be interested. Lots of us who live in France have dogs that go to and fro to the UK and UK residents bring dogs for their 'holidays', some half way down as we are or much further to Perigord, Sarlat, Dordogne in general...

mags-eddie

in retrospect, yes i think we will drive down as dylan travels well in the car. he's a rescue dog and came all the way from donegal in ireland without any hassles.
good suggestion cjm about taking our time and enjoying the trip. we were thinking about getting another rescue hound to keep him company but after looking at the rescue sites for france i think we'll wait until we get over there.

DKP

I have always travelled back and forth on Eurotunnel.

Because you remain in the car with the dog, it is a very easy stressful journey.

I live in the South of the UK, so no long journey to Kent for me, but if you perhaps break your journey by overnighting in either Kent or Calais, this should give you both a break. We also stop regularly on the drive down to the south, (10hours) with frequent "short walks" en route.

Dogs have always arrived happy and stress free.

Air Freight could prove almost as long a journey, by the time the dog is taken to the airport, waited in cargo etc etc, and more stressful as it is a strange enviroment without the family he loves.

Good Luck.

cjm

Lurchers are lovely dogs. I recall a friend with one, she was lovely (the dog!!). You need to check costs of airfreight; I hope they are huge. Arrange to travel with your dog. He (now we know) needs your support; the smells he is familiar with; clothing, beds - I don't need to say this do I - dogs are loyal, they react and respond to you. You are pack leader. You feed and fuss them. Walk them, control them .... sorry, my two JR's are very important to me and my OH. Totally different, one rough coat, one smooth blind in one eye ... if as I suspect your fella is important to you then you do what is right for him .... saddo signing off ....

mistry girl

Hi mags-eddie I agree with driving with your dog, rather than freight. We have a lab and would not want to trust his travel comfort to someone else. Our family live in Yorkshire, so quite a journey for us, from Dordogne, but if you can break up the journey it's a lot better for all concerned. I would definitely recommend getting a second dog when you are here and settled in France. We have so many unfortunate lovely dogs in France, looking for new forever homes. Many end up on death row, because there are just too many, with not enough spaces for them. Best of luck with your move to France, and hope it all runs smoothly with your lurcher :-)

cyrian

They travelled via Eurotunnel and used a vet in Amiens for the treatments before the return.
The Wisla had not reacted well to a 500 mile then a 300 mile car journey the first time although they stopped frequently for him to get a toilet break.
They sedated him next trip and he was much better.
It also works for grandchildren

cjm

Some dogs travel well, others not so. Our orginal JR (left) loves travel and any open car door she is in; second JR, inherited after a family death shivers and shakes. Never thought of medication, but may consider. Our journeys are not too long/hard compared to many.

bigglesworth

mags eddie. We took our two to Spain- drove to Portsmouth, ferry to Bilbao, and drove to our destination. No problem.
When we came to France, we brought them by car again. There are a load of dog friendly hotels. We use Campaniles, but there are others as well.
If you ARE thinking of getting another rescue, this can be quite expensive in France. We got two of our crew from rescues here, but the rescue centres are often run as sort of franchised businesses and are bent on recouping as much of their "investment" as they can.
The rabies jab only lasts a year where we are, although it is the same dosage and prescription as the one you get in England that lasts three years. Since we arrived with our four (plus cat) our vet has bought himself a nice shiny new car!

loy loy

We do ours (cat first, now dog)in one go, and we live quite far down in between Bordeaux and Toulouse. Although we do only have to go to South London. If you have friends down south I'd suggest this. First train out in the morning.

I'd forget air, we looked into that first time round. I think we could have got to Australia for the same price.

kazzo

Mags Eddie, we have driven regularly with our rescue Border Collie and have used both Eurotunnel and the ferry. Prefer the tunnel as you stay in the car with our dog which is better for her. Also the tunnel has places to walk dogs, well relieve them, before boarding (not available at the channel ports as far as we can tell).
We have also stopped over in hotels which are dog friendly and Poppy has been able to stay in the room with us. They have usually put us on the ground floor immediately they realised we had a dog to make it easier to take her out. She has been able to come into the service areas, restaurants etc as the French are very animal friendly. The service areas also have lots of open spaces, even the more commercial ones usually have some room to exercise/comfort break your dog. Carry pooper bags with you even though you may sometimes feel you are the only dog owner using them!
We also carry a large bottle of water for the dog, although there are often drinking water taps at most services.

helenjane

Sorry, I'm a bit late to this thread, but I noticed on our way over that the 'cap finistere' with Brittany ferries has a number of dog friendly cabins which run the Santander and Bilbao routes.

dennerlymum

we are taking our doggie up to the uk from the Gers this summer for the first time...so very interested to read this thread.

However could someone remind me the legal procedures for the passage.... he has his rabies vaccination etc.. it is the procedure for the ticks and worms

thanks