Getting a passport for the sea dog
The sea dog became just a little bit saltier last week when
he picked up his first passport.
Some of you will be aware that Britain has very strict rules
about the import of animals and of course we do not know yet what will happen
in the future as anything everything to do with us and mainland Europe is
currently ‘under discussion’ because of Brexit. Passports can be obtained for
dogs, cats and ferrets; other animals have different guidance. Horses have a
similar scheme but I’m yet to meet a cruiser with a pet horse on board.
Getting the passport done in Plymouth
– an ocean city with a constantly changing population - was easier than last
time having it done in a small Somerset
village. It is important to check with your vet before booking the appointment
as not every vet does passports. It may also have helped that this time we had
more idea what was needed from experience rather than just internet research. Our
vet is part of a group with practices dotted around the outlying towns and a
main animal hospital in the city itself so we were sent there to make sure that
it was a correctly certified vet who carried out the vaccinations. Apparently
the dog was slightly reluctant to go in. Maybe he remembers the last time that he
went there and left feeling rather sore in a delicate place after a minor op.
You really need to start planning as early as possible. The
dog needs to be at least 15 weeks old and be microchipped. Rabies and tapeworm
treatment are the two biggies that they are mostly worried about and the timings
of the vaccination followed by the blood tests to check it has taken have to be
right. You have to have the original document to show on demand but it’s a good
idea to have a photocopy or scan just in case something happens to the
original. Whilst the rules can be a pain I’d also rather not see rabies in this
country which sort of makes it more reasonable jumping through the hoops. For
tapeworm treatment it has to be done at least 24 hours and no more than 120
days before (re)entering the country. The tapeworm treatment has to be approved
for the country you are coming from.
Having a passport for the dog means that we will be able to
take him to mainland Europe without too much
hassle. Coming back is slightly trickier. All animals have to be imported
through an official channel such as an airport or ferry terminal. This means
that we couldn’t just pop over to France for the weekend on the boat
with the dog without him then having to go into quarantine when we got back. If
travelling with someone else through an official entry point whilst you move
the boat, they have to get to the country no more than 5 days before or after
you and have your written permission.
We’re not shipshape enough for popping
anywhere for weekends at the moment anyway but its nice to have another thing
ticked off the list moving us towards throwing off the ropes for some more
trips on the water.
I wrote before about travelling with our old
dog, you can find that blog here
There is a pet travel scheme helpline 0370
241 1710 (available Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm UK time (closed Bank Holidays))
There is also loads of information on the
Government website: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/pet-passport
Update: this was written back in 2017, Brexit may change things. Or it may not. Or it may not happen. Or...who knows, best to check before travelling.
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