I sent my dog to Spain from South Africa where he does not have to sit for months in a cage in quarantine but is free! I had to use a pet transport company by law.

I would like to share my experience in the hope of helping others in my same situation in future. Unfortunately, collecting him in Spain turned out to be a total nightmare as nobody spoke English and I was sent from pillar to post when asking where the IBERIA CARGO TERMINAL was, I was even sent to Lost Baggage and the trolley desk, eventually the lady at Information only realised what I was wanting when I pulled out my collar and leash!!

I then had to take two different buses to the Cargo terminal, pay the fees then go up the road to Customs Clearance, luckily in walking distance. The problem was once I had collected my dog and got him out his wet crate as quickly as possible, to then discover the buses would not take me back to the Airport with a SMALL dog! Eventually after an hour I successfully begged one bus driver to let me on carrying him, this was a big risk to his job I am sure.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, something I only found out a week after my dog arrived in Spain, he does require ANOTHER rabies injection and blood test THEN a 6 month wait from that date before he qualifies for a PETS Passport to enter the UK, he now has an EU passport and has been placed on the EU database. This has increased his stay in Spain from 6 months to 7 in total before he can go to the UK as he can only have his blood test done on 1st July.

The UK does NOT RECOGNISE ANY RABIES INJECTION / BLOOD WORK carried out in S.Africa (even though it was all done at our world renowned Ondestepoort Veterinary Research Lab. I was quoted this when I phoned a telephone no. given to me by a DEFRA official who could not clarify the situation himself as he understood it was "just 6 months wait from the blood test", luckily I got a second and a third opinion from the telephone no. he gave me for their labs.

This is what is needed once in the EU to prepare for entry into the UK without risking being seized at the border into quarantine for 6 months. Which would have happened to me as I did not know any better despite spending 100's of hours doing research on the internet ahead of our emigration.

wow your poor dog and poor you.

That's not the worst of it. My husband in on a UK Spouse visa and looking after our dog in Spain while he sits out the 'quarantine' period, but the Schengen visa is only valid for 90 days out of the 6 months granted! So either I send them both to Gibraltar, if they can get in, or send my dog to boarding Kennels. From what I have read, my husband may need a Gibraltar visa but this is at the discretion of the border post guard!! I have also been told by vets in Gibraltar that "theoretically" my dog can enter on an EU passport. I wish the bloody laws were clearer!!! OH and DEFRA is changing their laws in December, just when my dogwill qualify for entry into the UK to be with me. Hopefully this does not jeopardise us any further!

holly crap and there is nothing that either of you can do to get your poor dog in to the UK?

We have returned from Oz with our dog to find the Oz government made a mistake on her paperwork which meant her rabies booster was given 4 weeks late. She is now in quarantine and it is awful, she has lost weight and I visit her every day and have to sit on the floor to give her cuddles. The floor is covered with faeces stains and stinks of urine, it is not a pleasant experience for me neither is the sadness on her face when I leave. The laws are changing 31/12/2011 as the UK has to come in line with the rest of Europe and only insist on 3 months quaratine not 6. It stinks for all of us who want our animals with us now and forget about help from DEFRA I wrote them a letter and their reply was just quoting the rules they didn't even comment on the points I raised it was as if they didn't even read it. If the animals will only need 3 months quarantine next year why not now!

What a devasting experience, I could not imagine my dog surviving without me hence I am doing everything I can to avoid quarantine or abandon him to kennels in a foreign country.

It looks like my only choice is to give up my job as my husband cannot stay with our dog more than 3 months on his Schengen visa and even Swizterland which is not part of the EU and IS part of the DEFRA "Listed" countries IS still a Schengen state! The only place they could both be together and not fall foul of DEFRA would be Mauritius! That would cost me 4 months salary anyway. So I may as well sit in Spain with my dog and my husband can wait in the UK for both of us for the remaining 4 months.

I know exactly how you feel. I keep mailing them knowing the rules will change but they have not sorted it all out yet, very disorganised given the new changes take place in December. They could not tell me what the new regulations would be. Still annoys that I could take my dog to France, having had chip rabies and blood test but not the the UK. I hope we come in line with france and hence no need to quarantine

BREAKING NEWS....Abolishing quarantine from 1 Jan 2012! All pets will still need to be vaccinated against rabies. Animals from the EU and many non-EU countries, such as the U.S. and Australia, will no longer need a blood test and will only have to wait 21 days before they travel.

Those from unlisted non-EU countries, such as India, Brazil and South Africa, will be able to enter the UK if they meet strict criteria to ensure they are protected against rabies, including a blood test and a three-month wait.

TOO LATE FOR MY BOY...he still has to endure a further 6 months in Spain until 1 Jan! My husband's Schengen visa expires at the end of August so I will go over to look after him.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=723046