The (In)Complete Guide to Taking Your Dog to Europe

by Gigi Griffis

I’ve written a lot about jaunting around Europe with my dog and this week I decided that it might be useful to toss all those writings, all those resources into one place for your reference. So if you’re taking your fuzziest friend with you on your European adventures, here are all my tips, tricks, inspirations, and so forth.

Getting ready to take your pooch overseas
How to pack your pooch for a round-the-world adventure
How to Take Your Dog to Italy
Taking a dog to the UK
What if you don’t want your dog to arrive as cargo?

Once you get to Europe…
How to find dog-friendly rentals
Couchsurfing with your fuzzy friend

Places to take your pooch in Europe!
Dog-friendly Edinburgh, Scotland
Dog-friendly Belgium (Ghent, Antwerp, and Brugge)
Dog-friendly Germany (Freiburg)
Dog-friendly Switzerland (Basel, Zermatt, and the Bernese Oberland)
Dog-friendly Paris & Catalunya
The Small Dog’s Guide to Perugia, Italy

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11 comments

Kerry A December 13, 2012 - 9:32 pm

see now this, THIS, is a useful blog post. fantastic, i am saving this one to the bookmarks. how about a guide to taking your dog across the country? when he gets carsick.. and has crazy anxiety.. and there’s no way he’d go in the bottom of a plane and come out without even more trauma in that tiny head.. hm. i’m going to figure it out someday! thanks again for sharing!

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Gigi Griffis December 13, 2012 - 10:21 pm

We haven’t done as much travel within the U.S. (just the one road trip from CO to CA), so I can’t speak as much to that. But http://www.dogjaunt.com or http://www.montecristotravels.com might do more overland travel.

Poor guy, getting car sick! I know they make sea sickness meds for dogs, so perhaps there’s a car option? Luna luckily handles car rides pretty well.

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Doug Harris November 16, 2013 - 2:24 pm

A quick google search (car sickness pills for dogs) https://www.google.com/search?q=car+sick+pills+for+dogs&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS549US549&oq=car+sick+pills+for+dogs&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.5411j0j1&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8 revealed there are, in fact, various meds dogs can take (or be given) for car sickness.
BTW, I was pleased to learn that it now is possible to take other-than-a-show-dog into the UK (without needing to have it quarantined for months) so long as it is a certified ESA. Our Gina is the same breed as Luna, and would, I’m sure, enjoy trying to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s corgis. ;)

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gigigriffis November 16, 2013 - 2:31 pm

Yep. You can actually take any dog from the US to the UK with no quarantine as long as you follow the PETS scheme (the only difference with an ESA is they can ride in-cabin with you on the airline, but the paperwork and quarantine are the same for both ESAs and pets). :) I was so excited when they changed the rules in 2012.

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Gigi Griffis December 13, 2012 - 10:23 pm

Also, since your dog is really little, many airlines will let you take him as a carry-on…so air travel is probably a good option for you. Dog Jaunt (the blog address below) has loads of info about which airlines allow dogs and what the size policies are.

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Ordinary Traveler December 17, 2012 - 4:59 pm

Awesome post. I don’t have a dog, but I would be all over this if I did. I think it’s awesome that you are taking your dog around the world. :)

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Gigi Griffis December 17, 2012 - 6:19 pm

Thanks! She’s an excellent travel buddy. :)

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Christine January 25, 2013 - 6:21 pm

My daughter and I are planning a trip to Italy, and I’ve told her to find a sitter for her 3-lb chihuahua. Are you saying this may not be necessary and we can take her along? How does that work while we travel through Italy? Can we take her to museums? Restaurants? How difficult is it to find pet friendly lodgings? What about city travel? Trains and buses. Please reply if you can, to my email address! Thanks!

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gigigriffis January 26, 2013 - 1:27 am

Hi Christine,

Yes! I am emailing you presently.

Gigi

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Beth October 9, 2013 - 10:43 am

I have a 9 month old Shih Tzu puppy. My plan is for him to become my travel companion for both business and pleasure since he’s little enough to fly in the cabin.

What do you do with your little one when visiting tourist type places that are not pet friendly? When traveling on business (US) what would you recommend for my boy while I’m working during the day?

So glad I found this site. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts. Thanks so much!

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gigigriffis October 9, 2013 - 12:12 pm

If I’m going to a museum or cathedral (usually not pet-friendly), I usually leave Luna at the apartment. That’s one of the reasons I prefer to rent apartments instead of staying in hotels.

When I have business meetings during the day or can’t be with Luna for some reason, I either A. leave her at the apartment (assuming I’m not going to be gone more than 8 hours) or B. have someone watch her. When I was in London attending a conference, I rented a room in a house and my roommates were kind enough to take care of Luna. When I was in Mexico, I hired someone to watch her. So it all depends on what you are doing and what kind of people are available.

Hope that’s helpful!

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