Bringing your dog or cat to the UK has never been easier. But once you comply with the regulations, what are the practical realities of getting there and staying? These resources will help.
The UK has been virtually rabies free for a long time. The last recorded case of dog-transmitted rabies in the UK was more than 100 years ago. According to the UK Health Protection Agency, “the last human death from indigenous classical rabies occurred in 1902, and the last case of rabies from indigenous land animals was in 1922.”
To protect itself from allowing rabid animals in from other countries, the UK once had draconian policies for traveling with pets. If you wanted to bring your pet to the UK, before 2001, you had to transfer it to a specialized quarantine kennel, for six months, which is difficult for your pet, you and your bank account.
Everything changes with PETS
It will probably still be very difficult for your bank account to bring a dog to the UK, especially from outside the EU. Transporting a dog, long distance from North America, Australia or New Zealand, safely and in accordance with all appropriate rules and regulations, will likely cost considerably more than your own ticket. Therefore, unless you are traveling with an essential assistance animal, such as a guide dog for the blind, bringing a pet on a short vacation from North America or further afield is probably not practical.
But if you are visiting from Europe, traveling with your family pet is now a real option, and quite easy. And if you’re coming to the UK to work or go to school for a while, bringing Fido no longer has to involve a harrowing 6-month stay in a quarantine kennel.
Needed information
Before considering bringing a dog to the UK, make sure you know and comply with all the regulations required to bring your pet back to your own country. Then check out this practical information:
- PETS Learn about the Pet Travel Plan and how to bring a dog, cat or ferret to the UK.
- accommodation
- Dog friendly UK hotels Wallace the Westie gives you its own 1 to 5 leg rating of dog friendly accommodation you have visited. It’s a growing list, so check back every now and then to see what’s new.
- Visit Scottish Borders The official tourism organization for this region, south of Edinburgh, has launched a dog friendly charter, awarding 1 to 3 legs to dog lodges listed in their current ‘Getaway Guide’. Visit their website to see it. In 2016, Scotland even named an ‘Ambassadog’: George, a gold recipient from Glasgow. Take a look at his video here.
- Pet Travel.com can search for dog-friendly accommodations in specific regions, cities and towns in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Dog travel assistance Taking care of all the paperwork, finding information and veterinarians involved in international travel with your dog can be tricky. Do something wrong or do it in the wrong order and your pet might have to stay in a foreign kennel. These companies offer services that range from offering advice and information to taking care of everything:
- PetAir UK This UK based service is run by veterinarians and transports pets around the world. They have experience bringing pets and service animals to the UK from North America and the Pacific Rim, but they are expensive.
- PBS International Freight Shipment are agents to ship dogs under the PETS scheme on various international airlines. They can provide advice and a quote online.
- British Airways – Transporting Your Pet British Airways operates many of the routes authorized under the UK pet travel scheme. This informative website has a lot of useful information. They even provide information on other airlines and have a Paris to New York subsidiary (Open Skies) that allows you to bring small pets in the cabin instead of the cargo hold.
- Finding a Veterinarian in the UK The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has an online Find-a-Vet service.
- Also, the PETS scheme has been around for over 15 years and most vets can give you advice.
