So Much Harder Than It Needs To Be
If you take your dog or cat abroad with you in a car on a ferry your life can’t get much easier (I say this tongue in cheek!). Trying to return to the UK when you take them on a private boat is a whole other ball game.
Getting out of the UK is so unbelievably simple.
Put your dog on board. Throw the lines and sail off to another country. Easy. Simple. Done.
But bringing them back? Oh no!
You are not allowed to bring your dog back into the UK on the same private boat that you left on.
Wait. What?!
Scrappy can leave but can’t come back on our (or anyone else’s) sailboat? Yup. You read that right.
To bring him back to the UK is an absolute pain in the arse.
So What Do You Have To Do Then?
Dogs can ONLY enter the UK by an approved route.
The only approved routes are by ferry, rail or by plane… and in nearly all cases by sea, the dog MUST travel in a car (obviously not on the plane routes…).
OK, so not only do we now have to PAY to go on a ferry, plane or the Eurotunnel… we must also now hire a car or be very, very nice to our friends and family and ask them to come across in their car (and still pay for it) to take Scrappy back.
AND…
You must also visit a vet abroad for them to treat your dog for tapeworm and sign your pet’s passport to say they’ve had it.
This must happen between 24 and 60 hours before you travel back to the UK.
No more, no less.
They are very specific and will deny you travel, refuse entry or put your dog into quarantine if it is anything else.
Anything Else I Need To Know?
There are a few exceptions to the rule about the tapeworm treatment… if you are travelling directly from Finland, Ireland, Malta or Norway you don’t need to treat your dog for tapeworm.
Your dog must also be at least 15 weeks old to travel to the UK. (They must be 12 weeks to have their rabies jab and then wait three weeks before they’re allowed to travel.)
Your pet’s details will probably be checked before you board and also on arrival to the UK.
You MUST, MUST, MUST have a Pet Passport for your dog before you leave the UK or you can guarantee your dog will have to go into quarantine upon return. I hate to think what any other consequences might be so go and get one, BEFORE you leave in the first place!
This is highly likely to change following Brexit so use this as a guide and do your own research before taking your dog back to the UK.
Sailing Back To The UK
So basically, sailing back to the UK from a foreign country with your dog is not an option (unless you go via Ireland! I’m sure I’ve heard this being called the ‘Dublin Dodge’ before now!).
You can, however, sail to the UK with your dog from the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly or Ireland without needing to get your dog treated for tapeworm.
I understand the reasoning behind all the rules… Britain is rabies free and wants to stay that way.
Dogs have been subject to quarantine since 1897 when travelling from abroad and the introduction of the Pet Travel Scheme has allowed the UK to reduce the amount of stress and expense pet owners used to have to endure.
It still blows my mind though that you can sail away without any issues but returning is such a pain in the arse!
Surely asking owners to visit a Vets to have the tapeworm treatment before departing from the foreign country, sailing back and then sailing to a major port for you to check your dog back in and have another Vet check up is not such a bad thing?
What do you think?