Advice on taking a dog to Spain on a plane???

Hi, I am planning to relocate to spain next year and want to take my 10 month old dog with me. I don't fancy the long car drive through France/Spain nor the long ferry trip.....so I have enquired about flying and although it will be quicker and easier, has anyone got any advice. I worry that she may panic during the flight, so has anyone taken a pet on a plane and what was it like, the procedure, any advice on the best way to do it....she is a nervous dog and i dont want her barking the place down!! any advice appreciated.etc.
thanks in advance.

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Brittany ferries have dog friendly cabins on their ferries to Santander and Portsmouth. This way your dog is with you for the one day crosing, and you can walk him/her on the dog deck as much as you wish. Only possible problem is the dog has to be muzzled getting from the car to your cabin  but thereafter you can keep the dog with you except when you go to eat The ferry crossing is followed by 8 -10 hours drive depending where you are heading in Spain. Going by air you have to leave the dog at a special compound in England (gatwick) and collect from similar in Alicante or wherever. .

Good luck

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Not done this myself, but met a dog today which had recently arrived in Spain from Florida by plane. All went fine, though they decided to end the journey at Madrid and hire a car from there to Malaga rather than leave him waiting for the connecting flight. But if you're doing UK to Spain it should be fine.

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Be prepared for some major expense... Monarch will fly your dog to Spanish airports that they operate into, but it will cost you around 650 Euros one way... BA will charge around 800 Euros. You cannot make the booking directly with the airlines, it has to be done through an IATA approved freight forwarding agency. You also need to be aware that although you can fly out of the UK with an animal from any airport with a participating airline only Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester are available for animals entering the UK.

This is an extract from the DEFRA website for the rules pertaining to exporting pets from the UK;

What you need to do if you are travelling from the UK to another EU country

• Under the EU pet movement system, all pet dogs, cats and ferrets moving between EU Member States must meet the same animal health rules. All pets travelling from the UK to another EU Member State should be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and accompanied by a pet passport. The length of the waiting period before entry to other EU Member States is 21 days after the first vaccination date.

The dog must be microchipped and have a valid rabies injection and have a PET passport. The rabies shot must be administered after the microchip is injected. There is a mandatory 21 day waiting period before the dog is allowed to travel. There is no longer a requirement for blood tests after the Rabies shot.

Regarding transport... I can put you in contact with a chap who does regular (twice monthly) animal transfers by road and really takes care of them. He has just taken two of mine from Granada to the UK.  Journey time is typically 36 -48 hours, but the animals are fed, watered and walked regularly during the trip. There are several such companies operating but I can only speak for this one. Expect to pay between 250 and 400 Euros for a one way trip depending on the company and start and finish points for the journey. Be aware that there are a lot of cowboy companies jumping on this bandwagon...

Here is a link to a review site for pet transport companies. My recommendation is Alstrays... consistently top of the list.

Good Luck...

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 Thats right , it is not cheap! But its not too much of a problem if you follow the process correctly. 

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 My friend also used pet transport service with some of her goods when she returned to the UK. Foxbat seems to have identified a good person so it would be worthwhile using it rather than someone just from an advert.

We always travel through the tunnel as the dogs are always with us that way. There are lots of dog friendly hotels around and they are allowed into your room.

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aliandk;

Chris Marshall from Alstrays, the guy I referred to, makes use of the Channel Tunnel for his collection and delivery service, it cuts down on the travel time substantially.

A typical trip from Almeria where he is based takes in various collection and drop off points adjacent to the AP7 Mediterranean Highway,  routing via Murcia and the Costa Blanca, Valencia, and Barcelona before heading into France. He has drop off and collection points in S.E, France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland before a final routing to Calais Frethun for the Channel Shuttle.

Beyond being a client of his I have no connection with the company: I would not hesitate to recommend this chap. He has regular clients among the various Animal Rescue organisations both in Spain and the UK and is well versed in the various quirks and sensitivities that can be exhibited by former street dogs and abandonados relocating to new homes in Europe. An all round 'good egg!'

You can contact him through the link in my original post or via Facebook at this link

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