Travel with animals

In the spring, even die-hard couch potatoes feel a desire to visit new places and get fresh impressions.

What to say about those who go on a journey every holiday, or fanatics-cottagers, counting the days before the gardening season!

Many of them have dogs or cats. And some of them are afraid to acquire pets just because they do not know what to do with them when traveling. But the true nature lovers travel with their four-footed friends!

Although traveling with them may generate some problems, you never regret that you travel together.

Having a dog beside creates a wonderful sense of emotional comfort.

I remember, my toy poodle Lolita scampered on pure sand of deserted beaches of Cold Lake Issyk-Kul, the local kids shied away from it. It was the only consolation of the death spoiled vacation in a poor country with zero service.

I fully understand sailors of the past and present, who always took with them an animal as a mascot – whether it was dog, cat or parrot.

It is interesting not just to see something new, but also to see how your pet reacts to it.

What is required to travel with pets?

First, it is required for them to have all vaccinations done at least one month before the trip.

Vaccination against rabies is particularly important: your dog, walking with you through the woods, or a cat, playing on the infield, may stumble on the ground squirrel or a mouse, carrying a terrible disease in a latent form.

You should patiently and slowly accustom the dogs to travel in the car or commuter train, and the cats to be transported in special containers, bags or baskets.

They need not only fresh air, but also the sector of review: them behave calmly, if they see what is happening around them.

My clever Lux hid under the bench in the train, rather than lying in the aisle where someone could step on its paw and where it would bother other passengers.

And, of course, it never whined and barked. I taught it to the crowd when it was a puppy, and it has no fear.

In addition to take a dog in public transport, a muzzle should put on it.

(We know that 99 out of 100 dogs do not bite, but those who are not dog lovers are irrational and fearful people.

You can certainly explain it to them, but it is better to follow the existing rules.

It is permissible to get into an argument only in extreme cases – if stuffiness in the train threatens your pet heat stroke.)

By the way, except the trains, dogs are allowed to be taken to coach buses.

However, sometimes it depends on a driver.

Secondly, if you go somewhere further than your country house, you must obtain vaccinations and health certificate from the animal veterinarians.

Such a transport certificate is issued in any district veterinary one to three days before the trip.

In the long-distance trains within Russia, the dogs are transported in either compartment (with the permission of other passengers or you should buy all tickets in the compartment), or in the first vestibule.

(Of course, there are all sorts of exceptions, you know, you can arrange with a trainman about this …)

On the planes of domestic airlines, dogs and cats sometimes are transported in the cabin “on hands of the passenger”, international airlines – in special containers in cargo compartment.

You should find out everything in advance and prepare accordingly.

Tickets for the animals are bought before the trip and are paid as a baggage, with a particular charge.

And thirdly, you need to figure out the rules of import of animals to the country where you are going and where you will live with your pet.

Say, in Egypt, you and your cat can have holidays in almost any prestigious hotel, if you pay for it.

Most likely, the same rules are applied for the dogs, and in the UAE it is prohibited.

In Europe there are strict regulations for import of animals in the presence of certain vaccination certificates and only in particular (but not all!) hotels, where you can stay with pets.

If you choose to travel some exotic country, inquire at the embassy on local laws, if you choose something simpler, at the travel agency.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 at 1:23 pm and is filed under Advices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.