I'm a lifelong traveler. So is my little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dazzle. She's been traveling since she was 12 weeks old, and all of my dogs before her were travelers too. She's flown under the seat in front of me a few times, but she has mostly traveled by motorhome.
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| A recent layover at Boston airport. "Mommy, aren't we there yet?" Dazzle's most recent long journey was riding shotgun on a 3,000 mile trip from Southern California to South Florida in a Miata...securely fastened in an approved carrier, with the airbag turned off of course. |
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| Dazzle's fleet. She's been around much of the USA in the motorhome, and she recently made a cross country trip in the convertible. |
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| Soaking up the sun on a San Felipe beach |
A few years ago, I learned that you can take dogs and cats on the Queen Mary 2, but only on their transatlantic voyages from New York to Southampton or Hamburg. Last spring we managed to book the NYC-Southampton crossing leaving this April, and returning in August. I was over the moon with excitement!
Before booking, I did the research on getting Dazzle into the UK. If I had a dollar for every piece of wrong advice I got, I could pay for a night in a good hotel room! Dozens of "I thought" and "I heard" and "you can't take a pet there" and "but what about the quarantine", but no "here is the official information".
Obviously people need the correct information. Since things could change, instead of giving you instructions on importing your pet into the UK and back home, I'll give you the link to the official UK government website right here and to the official USA government website right here. (If your home is not the USA, use Google to locate your country's official pet travel website.) Just read what is needed and find a qualified veterinarian to assist you with the paperwork. Yes, it is a wee bit complicated but it's a whole lot easier than bringing a dog into Hawai'i while bypassing quarantine...another thing that people don't know is possible, and which I've done successfully.
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| My first Cavalier, Barkley packed and ready for his fourth, and final flight on our move from the USVI to the Big Island in 2012. |
There is a plethora of articles and blogs on how to get a pet into various countries, but I needed to know what to actually do with her for three months once we got there! I started searching for blogs about traveling within countries other than the USA with dogs, but there just aren't very many.
That's why I decided to start this blog. I'll be linking to official information, and I'll be writing about our pre-journey plans, the voyage, and the adventures we have once we get there. Just wait until you read how we are getting from Florida to NYC...you'll be surprised!
If you would like to get updates via e-mail, simply fill out the form below. I promise NO SPAM.
~ Debby and Dazzle
