IF YOU HAVE A CANINE COMPANION, CHANCES ARE THEY ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND. THAT MEANS THAT WHEN YOU GO ON VACATION, YOU WANT TO TAKE THEM WITH YOU! WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR BEST FRIEND AT HOME?
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT TAKING YOUR DOG ON VACATION WITH YOU IS POSSIBLE, DEPENDENT ON YOUR DESTINATION AND YOUR INDIVIDUAL DOG, OF COURSE. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO KNOW THE REGULATIONS AND PLAN AHEAD. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS YOU WILL NEED TO CONSIDER.
TRAIN TRAVEL IN THE US
GREAT NEWS FOR DOG OWNERS, AMTRAK’S POLICY IS THAT IT WILL ALLOW DOGS AND CATS ON THEIR TRAINS FOR JOURNEYS THAT ARE LESS THAN 7 HOURS. THE ANIMAL IN QUESTION MUST BE 20 POUNDS OR LESS, AND THEY MUST TRAVEL IN A CARRIER FOR THE DURATION OF THE JOURNEY.
THERE ARE SPECIFIC ROUTES, HOWEVER, THAT DO NOT ALLOW PETS, SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW YOUR ROUTE IN ADVANCE AND HAVE CHECKED WITH AMTRAK THAT BRINGING YOUR PET ONBOARD WILL BE ALLOWED.
BEFORE BOOKING A LONG TRIP, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO TEST OUT TRAVELING WITH YOUR PET ON A MUCH SHORTER JOURNEY TO SEE HOW THEY REACT TO IT. SOME ANIMALS DON’T LIKE BEING CONFINED TO A CARRIER OR MIGHT GET MOTION SICKNESS, AND IT’S WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS BEFORE PLANNING ANY TRIPS.
IF YOU ARE TRAVELING INTO A DIFFERENT STATE, YOU WILL GENERALLY NEED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR PET’S VACCINATIONS ARE UP TO DATE. IT’S ALSO A GOOD IDEA TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE A MICROCHIP IN CASE THEY GET LOST ON THE JOURNEY.
IT’S ALSO WORTH PLANNING YOUR JOURNEY WITH PLENTY OF BREAKS SO THAT YOU CAN GET YOUR DOG OFF THE TRAIN, ALLOW THEM TO STRETCH THEIR LEGS, AND GO TO THE BATHROOM IF THEY NEED TO.
YOU CAN FLY DOMESTICALLY WITH YOUR DOG
FLYING WITH YOUR DOG ISN’T EASY, BUT IT IS POSSIBLE. BEFORE CONSIDERING FLYING WITH YOUR DOG, IT’S WORTH THINKING ABOUT THEIR TEMPERAMENT. HOW ARE THEY LIKELY TO HANDLE FLYING? WOULD THEY ACTUALLY BE HAPPIER LEFT IN A KENNEL CLOSER TO HOME WHILE YOU GO ON YOUR TRIP?
IF YOUR DOG IS SMALL ENOUGH, IT CAN TRAVEL IN A VENTILATED CARRIER IN THE CABIN WITH YOU. IT WILL NEED TO BE STOWED IN THE OVERHEAD STORAGE COMPARTMENT OR UNDERNEATH THE SEAT IN FRONT OF YOU, JUST AS CARRY-ON BAGS NEED TO BE. YOUR PET WILL COUNT AS YOUR CARRY-ON, SO THIS WILL NEED TO BE CHECKED IF YOU NEED EXTRA LUGGAGE.
IF YOUR PET IS TOO LARGE FOR THE CABIN, IT WILL NEED TO TRAVEL IN A CARRIER IN THE HOLD. YOU WILL NEED TO ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT EARLY ENOUGH TO CHECK THE CARRIER, AND YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND THAT THIS WILL ADD TO THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT YOUR DOG SPENDS IN THE CRATE. IT’S ALSO WORTH BEARING IN MIND THAT YOUR ANIMAL MAY BECOME DISTRESSED WITH NOBODY THERE TO COMFORT IT.
YOU’LL NEED TO CHECK WITH YOUR AIRLINE WHICH TYPES OF CRATES THEY ACCEPT INTO THEIR PLANES. IT’S ALSO WORTH BOOKING WELL IN ADVANCE IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO TRAVEL WITH A PET BECAUSE THERE IS NORMALLY ONLY LIMITED CAPACITY FOR PETS ON FLIGHTS. FINALLY, BE AWARE THAT THERE WILL BE EXTRA COSTS INVOLVED.
YOU CAN FLY INTERNATIONALLY WITH YOUR DOG (DEPENDING ON THE DESTINATION)
A SURPRISING NUMBER OF COUNTRIES WILL ALLOW YOU TO BRING YOUR PET WITH YOU WHEN YOU VISIT. EACH COUNTRY WILL HAVE ITS OWN SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY.
THESE MIGHT BE THINGS LIKE WHICH VACCINATIONS YOUR PET HAS TO HAVE HAD AND WHEN, WHETHER OR NOT A QUARANTINE PERIOD IS REQUIRED, AND WHETHER THERE ARE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON YOUR BREED OF DOG.
WHEN PLANNING YOUR TRIP, DO YOUR RESEARCH ON THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COUNTRY YOU ARE VISITING WELL IN ADVANCE. IF, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU NEED TO HAVE HAD A CERTAIN VACCINATION, THESE CAN SOMETIMES TAKE A FEW MONTHS TO BE EFFECTIVE, SO YOU MUST ALLOW TIME FOR THIS.
BEFORE BOOKING YOUR TRIP
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO BEFORE BOOKING YOUR TRIP IS TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR VET. YOUR VET WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WHETHER THE BREED AND AGE OF YOUR PET MAKE THEM GOOD CANDIDATES FOR TRAVEL AND ADVISE YOU OF ANY VACCINATIONS OR MEASURES YOU NEED TO TAKE BEFORE TRAVELING.
IT’S IMPORTANT THAT YOU ENSURE THAT YOUR VET IS USDA APPROVED, AS MOST AIRLINE AND TRAIN COMPANIES WILL REQUIRE THAT AN APPROVED VET SIGNS OFF YOUR PET FOR TRAVEL.
WILL YOU NEED TO QUARANTINE YOUR PET?
DESPITE WHAT YOU MAY THINK, IT’S NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY TO QUARANTINE YOUR DOG ON ENTRY AND EXIT FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY.
WHETHER QUARANTINE IS REQUIRED IS MOSTLY DEPENDENT ON THE RABIES STATUS OF THE COUNTRY YOU ARE VISITING. COUNTRIES THAT ARE RABIES-FREE WILL OFTEN REQUIRE A QUARANTINE PERIOD IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT YOU AREN’T BRINGING RABIES INTO THEIR COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO THIS ARTICLE, 9 FACTS ABOUT RABIES PET OWNERS SHOULD KNOW, OUTSIDE THE US, DOGS ARE THE MOST COMMON CARRIERS OF RABIES, WHICH IS WHY COUNTRIES ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT ALLOWING YOU TO VISIT WITH YOUR PET. INSIDE THE US, THE DISEASE IS MORE COMMONLY CARRIED BY WILD ANIMALS.
FINDING PET–FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION
FINALLY, WHEN YOU’RE BOOKING YOUR TRIP, IT’S WORTH RESEARCHING HOW PET-FRIENDLY YOUR DESTINATION IS AND WHETHER THERE IS PET-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE.MANY COUNTRIES WELCOME WELL-BEHAVED DOGS AT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND IN THEIR RESTAURANTS TOO!
