daisey

Hi everybody my name is Karen. My husband Michael and myself are hoping to move to France for 6 months of the year and spend the rest of the year in the UK. We have 5 dogs and 2 cats which we are hoping to take with us but cant find out any information. Some sites say only 5 pets and some say just 3 dogs. Can anyone help us! This is a retirement and we have been looking forward to it but cant leave the "kids" behind. Thank you everybody

Sue

Hi Karen,

Welcome to BE, I hope you enjoy being part of our community.

I've moved your post in to our France forum, and I'm sure one of our wonderful members who post in this section will be along shortly to give you some pointers.

Sue

Etoile de Berger

Hello Daisey

You are entitled to bring your pets into France with only an up to date vaccination certificate.

However you will have to leave them here.

If you want to bring them back with you to GB you will need a Pet Passport for each one. That means a vaccination against rabies, a blood test after six months and a booklet with all the information in it. It will cost in the region of up to 100 GBP per animal because if one fails the blood test for titres (immunity) it will have to start all over again. In your case you might negotiate a reduction for bulk buying!!

Pet Passports have to be kept up with recurring rabies vaccs when they are due...which is variable according to the vaccine used. They last at least one year and can be used as often as you wish.

All the information you will need is on the DEFRA website (they may have changed their name but if you Google "Pet Passport" all the information is there. Your vet should also know.

Just one last word...for the Passport to be accepted in GB you will need to have your animals wormed and treated for ticks etc between certain number of hours of boarding the transport for GB. I have forgotten the details . If you fall outsde this time zone you will not be allowed to enter GB with your pets. It is all explained on the website as mentioned above.

cyrian

Do they need to be microchipped?

Etoile de Berger

Absolutely.

In fact AFAIAC, ALL dogs should be microchipped. But that is me after finding a beloved dog that had got lost in a maize field and every direction looked the same to him. He ended up at a farm the other side of the valley and was most put out when I turned up to collect him...he had spent a glorious hour playng with the farmer's children.

If anyone is not aware, there are over 60,000 dogs left alone when families in France go on holiday each summer. The number of stray dogs here is impressive...and some people let their bitches out when they are on heat to stop the dogs bothering them at the gate!!! Any pups are drowned at birth. The French SPA is much smaller than in GB and has far less influence over instigating legislation or following it up. They just don't have the resources because the French don't "do" charity as Brits do. Many times British people have commented on the casual attitudes to domestic animal welfare they see here, yet there are some pampered pooches who are spoiled rotten...the accessories. It is not usual to see well-behaved obediant dogs who have had some basic training. There is some agility here and almost no Flyball unless you go to Normandy. There is a lot of what they call Ring...mostly police dog work with German Shepherds etc. and is competitive.
OTOH animals that will bring in money are very well cared for and abbatoirs etc here are far less stressful and far less "routine" than in GB.

Arrgh...don't start me on dogs in France!!!

dennerlymum

it's the same for cats!

dmu

It's DEFRA!
http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pet...ts/pet-owners/

tells you what's necessary before 31st December 2011 and after 1st January 2012. The European Commission will shortly give info about deworming regulations, and hopefully for all pet-owning travellers, they will be less strict, at least time-wise. But the micro-chips and rabies vaccinations will still be compulsory and French vets' fees are expensive for one animal, let alone seven ....

If you were really keen to come to France, I'd consider coming over more often for shorter periods and leaving your pets in the UK with family and friends!

Etoile de Berger

I got the idea from the OP that Daisey wanted to live in France for 6 months and then 6 months in GB.

Once the pets have theri passsports you can come and go as often as you like. However the initial outlay of money and tiime will be considerable.

Best to chat with a vet.

dmu

I realise this, I was just thinking practical.

Regarding the original query, I found this site
http://www.chiens-admis.be/html/transports.html
which states 2 animals per vehicle on ferries, but no mention of number of animals allowed per vehicle via Euro-Tunnel, although they must be "announced" when booking. The info on this site seems to be valid until 31st Dec. 2011, since the six-month period re rabies is mentioned.

Hope this helps the OPs!

Etoile de Berger

Ah that's news to me...thanks for that.