you have to follow the rules, and do as they ask, even if they want to frisk her.
If you travel, do
not
put your dog through the X-ray machine in its carrier on the moving belt! You don’t have to, and it would frighten your dog unnecessarily. You can carry a small dog through in your arms, and then “strip” her when they ask you to. (Her leash and collar or harness—safer for tiny dogs with delicate necks—set off the metal detector.)
Britain has always been more rigid about bringing dogs into the country. For years, they had a quarantine, requiringyou to leave your dog in a government kennel for six months, which kept most people from taking their dogs to England, unless they were moving there. (Elizabeth Taylor once chartered a boat to stay off-dock on the Thames, so she could bring her dogs into the country and not go through immigration or subject them to quarantine.) Recently, they lifted the quarantine but now require an aggressive worming process within twenty-four hours of entering the U.K., and a vet’s certificate saying the worming process was performed.
I recently passed up what sounded like a fun weekend in London with friends because I didn’t want to leave Minnie in Paris with other people, and when I checked out the worming for such a tiny dog, it was likely to make her sick for the whole duration of my stay in London. I didn’t want to put her through it, and make her sick for no reason, so I passed on the trip, and we had a nice weekend in Paris instead.
So England is not on Minnie’s travel map. Although the British love their dogs, they make it just too difficult to enter the country with one. I wasn’t going to make Minnie sick for my London weekend! So sometimes having a puppy or a dog can hamper your mobility, even for a weekend with friends close to where you live. I still think it’s worth it. And we’ve tackled no other foreign countries with her so far, just France, which is very easy, since the French are so hospitable to dogs.
Minnie in her “bumblebee” costume
Samantha Traina
There are of course other alternatives to traveling with your dog, if you don’t want to take your dog with you, or feel you can’t. You can leave them at a dog sitter’s, or with a friend, although friendships have ended over dogs getting hurt or lost while in a friend’s care. And nowadays there are some amazing boarding facilities for dogs. Several of my daughters travel a lot for business and occasionally have to board their dogs when they leave town (or leave them with each other if possible). And there is a whole new market for “dog hotels” in big cities, for young working people who can afford them. (There have always been caring reliable kennels that board dogs. And some you want to be careful of.) But the new breed of dog-boarding facility is mind-boggling.
For “regulars,” they get a badge (like airline personnel) with their photo ID on them. And the owner gets to choose from a dizzying array of options. They ask you if you want your dog to have “group play,” or be exercised, and played with alone. Do you want outdoor walks for them or keep them inside the facility? Do they have “friends” or “relatives” staying at the dog hotel you would like them to play with, and if so how many times a day? Dog bones, chew toys, special diet, grooming? It’s like dropping a kid off at camp. And I know that when my “grand dogs” stay there, they room together, play together, are allowed to sit in the window for a certainamount of time, eat the menu my daughters choose for them, and get their hair done before they come home. Frankly, it sounds like a vacation I think I’d enjoy, and the dogs come home happy and looking very pleased with themselves. I’m afraid Minnie will never know the luxury of camp for dogs, since she travels with me. But it’s also a comfort to my daughters to know their dogs are happy when they’re away.
I am lucky enough to travel with Minnie, who is
If you travel, do
not
put your dog through the X-ray machine in its carrier on the moving belt! You don’t have to, and it would frighten your dog unnecessarily. You can carry a small dog through in your arms, and then “strip” her when they ask you to. (Her leash and collar or harness—safer for tiny dogs with delicate necks—set off the metal detector.)
Britain has always been more rigid about bringing dogs into the country. For years, they had a quarantine, requiringyou to leave your dog in a government kennel for six months, which kept most people from taking their dogs to England, unless they were moving there. (Elizabeth Taylor once chartered a boat to stay off-dock on the Thames, so she could bring her dogs into the country and not go through immigration or subject them to quarantine.) Recently, they lifted the quarantine but now require an aggressive worming process within twenty-four hours of entering the U.K., and a vet’s certificate saying the worming process was performed.
I recently passed up what sounded like a fun weekend in London with friends because I didn’t want to leave Minnie in Paris with other people, and when I checked out the worming for such a tiny dog, it was likely to make her sick for the whole duration of my stay in London. I didn’t want to put her through it, and make her sick for no reason, so I passed on the trip, and we had a nice weekend in Paris instead.
So England is not on Minnie’s travel map. Although the British love their dogs, they make it just too difficult to enter the country with one. I wasn’t going to make Minnie sick for my London weekend! So sometimes having a puppy or a dog can hamper your mobility, even for a weekend with friends close to where you live. I still think it’s worth it. And we’ve tackled no other foreign countries with her so far, just France, which is very easy, since the French are so hospitable to dogs.
Minnie in her “bumblebee” costume
Samantha Traina
There are of course other alternatives to traveling with your dog, if you don’t want to take your dog with you, or feel you can’t. You can leave them at a dog sitter’s, or with a friend, although friendships have ended over dogs getting hurt or lost while in a friend’s care. And nowadays there are some amazing boarding facilities for dogs. Several of my daughters travel a lot for business and occasionally have to board their dogs when they leave town (or leave them with each other if possible). And there is a whole new market for “dog hotels” in big cities, for young working people who can afford them. (There have always been caring reliable kennels that board dogs. And some you want to be careful of.) But the new breed of dog-boarding facility is mind-boggling.
For “regulars,” they get a badge (like airline personnel) with their photo ID on them. And the owner gets to choose from a dizzying array of options. They ask you if you want your dog to have “group play,” or be exercised, and played with alone. Do you want outdoor walks for them or keep them inside the facility? Do they have “friends” or “relatives” staying at the dog hotel you would like them to play with, and if so how many times a day? Dog bones, chew toys, special diet, grooming? It’s like dropping a kid off at camp. And I know that when my “grand dogs” stay there, they room together, play together, are allowed to sit in the window for a certainamount of time, eat the menu my daughters choose for them, and get their hair done before they come home. Frankly, it sounds like a vacation I think I’d enjoy, and the dogs come home happy and looking very pleased with themselves. I’m afraid Minnie will never know the luxury of camp for dogs, since she travels with me. But it’s also a comfort to my daughters to know their dogs are happy when they’re away.
I am lucky enough to travel with Minnie, who is
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