BlueScottyGirl

We're moving from the north of Scotland to Dublin at the end of February. Does anyone have anything to offer by way of advice when it comes to making that journey with a dog?

Ryanaire won't fly her, we've decided we'll have to use the train (7hours) to Stranraer, cross the water and then travel down on public transport from Belfast. Seems like a horrendous way to go (I might send hubby overland and sea and fly ) Will she even be ALLOWED on public transport in Ireland?

I'm checking out ferry crossings but a lot don't seem to operate at this time of year. We're not taking our car and our goods are being shipped seperately so it's just us and the dog I have to move....although that in itself is a bit of a nightmare to put together as it is! *L*

Thanks for any input, I think I'm going round in circles here!

windyw246

Hello,
Hope I am not too late in reply to help you. We just came back from a trip to Ireland. The Ferry is excellent. You can leave your pets in the vehical or a kennel available to anyone who wants to use ata very low fee. 3 pound 50 I believe. We left ours in the car. It was very stress free. It was thier first cruise holiday, hahaha and as they are both rescue's we didn't know how they would do. But it was lovely and very nice to be able to take your pet comfortably. We just advised the ferry that we would be bringing them and not a problem at all. Ireland has no immigration or any problem at all with pets being brought in. Hope this helps.....

BlueScottyGirl

Thanks Windy

I read your reply and it was useful, except when we went to book onto the ferry we were told that the dog could only travel on an 8pm ferry since we were going on foot (well my husband was, I was flying). Anyway, long story short we ended up booking her with Air Lingus (sp) from Glasgow to Dublin at a cost of around £20. Tickets for my husband and daughter totalled another £120 which, while not as cheap as my own ryanair ones (£25 total for second daughter and I and £23 of that was taxes and charges!) it was still, we thought, a very good price, especially for the dog. Granted we had to buy a crate and wheels (total £90) but we'll get use out of that again.

I don't understand what happened with the ferries though, everyone we spoke to, even the ferry companies said the dog wouldn't be a problem, then we went to book it and we can't take her without a car

Still, alls well that ends well, *fingers crossed* I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for your input

BSG

crazydaisy

I was just wondering how it all went in the end? I guess the ferry companies don't all accept dogs with on foot passengers as they don't like dogs on the main deck so they have to stay downstairs with the cars. Having said that some ferries do supply kennels which I guess could be used by 'on footers' so that maybe why some say yes and some say no depending on kennel availability! I noticed that you mentioned getting a crate with wheels for the flight - do you know if the wheels is a requirement or was that just for ease of moving around in the airport itself? I guess the wheels are detachable or lockable to prevent fido flying around during the flight (pardon the pun!). I know that most airlines tie down the cages anyway but its quite a funny thought imagining the dogs freewheeling during take off!!! Which type of crate did you buy? We have a crate in 2 parts so the top comes off for easy storage but it clips back together with about 8 very strong clips. However the pet agent who's arranging for us to fly our dog from Canada has mentioned that collapsible cages are not permitted. I'm now getting nervous that we have the wrong type. Eeks!!

BlueScottyGirl

First thing I'd say is check with the airline about that crate. We have a similar one, the top comes off for easy storage and infact, the top is now in the shed and the bottom part makes for a cosy bed in our daughters room...for the DOG I hasten to add! We had no problem using it for the flight.

So...how did it go? very well, all things considered. The self advertised "dog friendly" hotel that we overnighted in before our flights was anything BUT dog friendly so I was a bit stressed by the time we left in the morning...the owner kept getting ansty about the dog making a mess of her cream carpets (she didn't, we wiped her feet every time ), worried our dog would get out and upset her cats and heaven forbid, I took the dog out for her last "nightly" and then couldn't find her business so the woman..with much tutting and deep sighing said it was okay she would just have to pick it up in the morning since we were leaving so early..........but I digress.......

We bought the detachable wheels to make it easy to move her, I don't recall any rules about having them. She hated it though, on the train down to Glasgow I had planned to let her out of her crate but in the end decided it would be easier on us both if she was left in there and accepted her lot. When I had to move her and drag or push that crate she howled like she was being tortured, it was heartbreaking....I was surprised she actually went back in the thing on her second day of travelling.

I don't recall everything about her flight or check in because Himself was with her but he said it was all very easy and straightforward...remember though there is no real immigration control between the UK and Ireland and dogs can move freely between the two. She seemed to travel well, Himself was reunited with her soon after he landed.....and promptly thrown out of the terminal because they don't allow dogs in there might have been easier to move her if the airline hadn't broken a wheel but all in all.....it wasn't a bad flight for her.....Himself was frazzled having worried about the dog, argued with the handlers about the broken wheel...been asked to leave the terminal THREE times....people kept stopping him as he was trying to get to the exit and reminding him dogs aren't allowed in the terminal...oh yea...and our eldest child who was travelling with him threw up all over him as they were getting off the plane..and he had no change of clothes.

As for myself and our youngest?...we waltzed onto our flight, drifted off an hour later and went for some breakfast while we waited for their flight to come in.....ho hum.

Ofcourse the fun really started after we all met our landlord who had offered to pick us up and drive us to our new home.......two adults, two kids, a dog, a crate, two suitcases and various backpacks......I don't know how he managed to squeeze us all into the average sized family car he'd borrowed (his own being only two seater).

All in all, she travelled very well, we put a little parka jacket on her for her flight as it was only an hour long so we didn't think the hold would be very warm, didn't feed her befor the flight but again, short flight and she had breakfast in Dublin at 10am. The crate was handy once we got here and she would often opt to sleep in it but over time we took the gate off, then the top and now, as I said...it's an extra bed.

Hope some of that helped...was a bit weird to revisit that day to be honest. Hope you're own flight goes smoothly....holler if you want help with anything.

BSG

crazydaisy

Wow, the other half sounded like he had fun with all that barfing, rickety wheels and stuff! My hubby dislikes our dog so will be very quick to moan about it should anything go wrong - here's hoping for a pleasant flight!! We will be clearing our dog through the UK first, seeing family and friends and then will ferry her across in a car. I'm hoping we won't have to buy a new crate, as we used this one to travel by van from the U.S. to Canada and it's just the right size for her. Having said that it was 1300 miles driving, so we stopped off every 4 hours or so to give her drinks and walks and then placed her back in. By the time we finished the journey she frantically placed all 4 paws against the door as we tried to load her in, as if in protest, so I think it was beginning to traumatise her (a fun task handling a 70lb Lab. plus co-ordinating all 4 paws at the same time - I think it took 3 of us in the end!) Anyways, now we're leading up to our leaving date in June I decided to take the top off the crate and get her used to the bottom part again with her bed inside but so far she has refused to sleep in it! Maybe I'll sneak some treats in there now and then to gain her trust once more.

Thanks for the useful info. I'm just about to fill in 4 lots of forms and send payment for an inordinate amount of money for the pet agent! Unfortunately the airline we're using insists we use the agent but her fees covers the cost of the flight as well as the clearance so I guess it's less for us to worry about. Luckily we have met all the requirements for pet passport so she won't need to go into quarantine or anything. Phew!

All the very best, daisy

john+avie

Hi BSC,How did ya get on moving with the dog? Is it easy renting a place there with a dog? Hope your move went well.

BlueScottyGirl

Hi John, well the moving of the dog is more or less outlined above. It went smoothly enough, especially for me *grins*

Renting with the dog wasn't a problem. I think it might be in the cities..not a "problem" but perhaps a bit harder. Down here though it just wasn't an issue.

Good luck with your own move.

BSG

crazydaisy

Hi there - I was worried too about renting with a dog so I decided to be upfront and mention straight away that we had a Labrador and our new landlady didn't seem put off and hasn't asked for a 'pet' deposit either. I don't know if that's the norm but certainly our experience has been a very good one! We will be taking our dog via car ferry from Wales which shouldn't be too bad but the flight from Canada to the UK is horrendous - it costs as much to fly the dog as it is for 3 humans put together - yikes!