This year, we went for a holiday with our dog for the second time. With a dog who hates water and summer. And so we went about 1700km by car to Greece. Well, fortunatelly he loves going anywhere by car and he really enjoys the ride .. What are the things you have to get ready for when travelling with a dog?
note: This post is about travelling around the Europe.
Accomodation
Since we discovered booking.com we haven't been looking for accomodation anywhere else. You can also find there many hotels/apartments which allow you to take your pet with you. But even if they allow pets, it's always good to ask the hotel staff through email, if they have some special conditions - sometimes they for example allow only dogs under 5kg.
Destination
From my experience I can say that Poland or Greece are great countries to choose. In Poland, most of the beaches don't have any rules and if you come there with a dog, nobody cares. The weather is not very hot there in summer but you can sill swim in the sea .. so it's a great option for dogs, who don't like hot weather.
In Greece, it's also not a problem to go to the beach with a dog, but obviously it's better not to choose beaches where there are a lot of people and a lot of parasols - it would only make your dog confused and anxious.
Also, you should be aware of the stray dogs that you'll probably meet in Greece. There are a lot f them and sometimes these dogs actually have families, but the people just let them go into the streets and in the evening the dogs come back home. Some of the dogs lost heir home and some of them were born in the street ... So basically tis leads to two things - Greeks are used to dogs and so you can take your little friends almost anywhere. O n the other hand, the stray dogs may be aggresive or sick, so it may be a risk for your dog. We haven't met any dog like this yet, the dogs which were walking around our apartment were quite friendly and they just wanted some food or company. The only problem was, when our dog (Teddy) was trying to protect his pack (us) from the other dogs and so he was barking on the beach, when any other dog came to us.
Beaches
Before you leave, check if you can take your dog to all the places you plan to visit - for example some particular beaches, historical monuments etc. do not allow dogs.
In terms of beaches, there are countries where people are more tolerant to pets and you can take your dog almost anywhere - for example in Greece, Germany or Poland. But of course you have to follow the rules of the beach and watch your dog.
In Italy or Croatia, there are usually only few beaches where dogs are allowed. In Croatia you should be also aware of the fact that flexi leads are not allowed.
Heart worms
Before the vacation, I highly recommend getting a vaccination against heartworms. This disease is often transmitted by the insect in the Mediterranean area. The consequences of this illness are mostly fatal to the animal, the treatment is very demanding and not completely reliable.
Documents and examinations
If you go to the countries outside the European Union, you also need special serological examination for rabies. A lot of people don't care about this examination at all and they're lucky enough that nobody cares at the customs as well. But this may not always be the case. You can meet someone - for example at the customs office in Serbia - who can get you into a serious trouble.
When we went to Greece, nobody even wanted to see Teddy's passport. But according to the
online discussions, if you don't have the right examinations, they may put your dog into quarantine, they let you pay thousands of dollars and if you don't have enough money, they may even put it away.
Hot weather
If you are planning to spend your vacation on a sandy beach, you may consider buying neopren shoes to your pet. You can use them during the rest of the year as well - they protect dog's paws against ice, frost and salt.
If your dog hates hot summer days, you may also try self-cooling pad and for dogs who are afraid of water may benefit from a swimming vest.
We survived without all of these gadgets, but if you want to make your pet as comfortable as possible, you may pack these things to your vacation.
Dogs and cats are overheating faster than people so you should always make sure they can hide in the shadow and they have enough water to drink. Choose beaches with trees or take a parasol with you.
Also don't forget to take a water bowl. I also recommend taking an extra lead and a collar so you have one for the water and one for the beach. Also be aware that you'll maybe throw away the lead and the collar after the vacation because the salty water and the sand damage
the metal carbines, which are then hard to open or not able to be fully closed.
Frequent water stops
There are dogs who are always calm in the car and they sleep all the time. Our dog is different. He is standing on his paws all the time and he doesn't want to sit at all. He's watching the road from the right window, then from the left window .. to be sure he doesn't miss anything.
And because he doesn't sleep, he also needs to pee much more often.
note: This post is about travelling around the Europe.
Accomodation
Since we discovered booking.com we haven't been looking for accomodation anywhere else. You can also find there many hotels/apartments which allow you to take your pet with you. But even if they allow pets, it's always good to ask the hotel staff through email, if they have some special conditions - sometimes they for example allow only dogs under 5kg.
Destination
From my experience I can say that Poland or Greece are great countries to choose. In Poland, most of the beaches don't have any rules and if you come there with a dog, nobody cares. The weather is not very hot there in summer but you can sill swim in the sea .. so it's a great option for dogs, who don't like hot weather.
In Greece, it's also not a problem to go to the beach with a dog, but obviously it's better not to choose beaches where there are a lot of people and a lot of parasols - it would only make your dog confused and anxious.
Also, you should be aware of the stray dogs that you'll probably meet in Greece. There are a lot f them and sometimes these dogs actually have families, but the people just let them go into the streets and in the evening the dogs come back home. Some of the dogs lost heir home and some of them were born in the street ... So basically tis leads to two things - Greeks are used to dogs and so you can take your little friends almost anywhere. O n the other hand, the stray dogs may be aggresive or sick, so it may be a risk for your dog. We haven't met any dog like this yet, the dogs which were walking around our apartment were quite friendly and they just wanted some food or company. The only problem was, when our dog (Teddy) was trying to protect his pack (us) from the other dogs and so he was barking on the beach, when any other dog came to us.
Beaches
Before you leave, check if you can take your dog to all the places you plan to visit - for example some particular beaches, historical monuments etc. do not allow dogs.
In terms of beaches, there are countries where people are more tolerant to pets and you can take your dog almost anywhere - for example in Greece, Germany or Poland. But of course you have to follow the rules of the beach and watch your dog.
In Italy or Croatia, there are usually only few beaches where dogs are allowed. In Croatia you should be also aware of the fact that flexi leads are not allowed.
Heart worms
Before the vacation, I highly recommend getting a vaccination against heartworms. This disease is often transmitted by the insect in the Mediterranean area. The consequences of this illness are mostly fatal to the animal, the treatment is very demanding and not completely reliable.
Documents and examinations
Before any foreign travel, you need a passport for your dog and cat. Your pet needs to be vaccinated against rabbies and has to have a chip.
When we went to Greece, nobody even wanted to see Teddy's passport. But according to the
online discussions, if you don't have the right examinations, they may put your dog into quarantine, they let you pay thousands of dollars and if you don't have enough money, they may even put it away.
Hot weather
If you are planning to spend your vacation on a sandy beach, you may consider buying neopren shoes to your pet. You can use them during the rest of the year as well - they protect dog's paws against ice, frost and salt.
If your dog hates hot summer days, you may also try self-cooling pad and for dogs who are afraid of water may benefit from a swimming vest.
We survived without all of these gadgets, but if you want to make your pet as comfortable as possible, you may pack these things to your vacation.
Dogs and cats are overheating faster than people so you should always make sure they can hide in the shadow and they have enough water to drink. Choose beaches with trees or take a parasol with you.
Also don't forget to take a water bowl. I also recommend taking an extra lead and a collar so you have one for the water and one for the beach. Also be aware that you'll maybe throw away the lead and the collar after the vacation because the salty water and the sand damage
the metal carbines, which are then hard to open or not able to be fully closed.
Frequent water stops
There are dogs who are always calm in the car and they sleep all the time. Our dog is different. He is standing on his paws all the time and he doesn't want to sit at all. He's watching the road from the right window, then from the left window .. to be sure he doesn't miss anything.
And because he doesn't sleep, he also needs to pee much more often.
Do you take your pets to your summer vacation? :)
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