Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

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Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #1

Hubby and I have spent the last 2 hours deliberating (that's if restrictions are lifted and we have some sort of normality back in 2021) about whether we should take our dog on holiday from Ireland to France next year.
She's a small but quite nervous dog but she does love the motorhome and adventures.
I'm not a fan of leaving her at all in an overnight kennel as she'd be traumatised.
But there doesn't seem to be a dog friendly cabin option for travelling.
What is everyone else's experience?

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #2

No dog friendly cabins on the Irish/french routes.
No option other than kennels with Irish ferries.
With Stena You can leave your dog in the motorhome and you will get 2 or 3 supervised visits to see the animal on the crossing or opt for kennels.
Brittany ferries to Spain have pet friendly cabins but they sell out quickly as they’re limited.

We’ve done all 3 options with our Jack Russell dog(s).
We find the onboard kennels to be the most stressful for the dogs and prefer to leave her in the van if that option is available.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #3

Brittany Ferries have dog friendly cabins on their Santander route, Not sure if any Ferry Companies have them going to France though. In future we intend to go to Europe via Rosslare or Dublin to UK and then Chunnel to France and mainland Europe. We have travelled through the tunnel before and its the best way for us with 3 dogs as it's the least stressful for pets.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #4

Thank you

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #5

Quote by panda

This option may get messy with Brexit although it's one I'd like to try myself

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #6

Quote by eirebus

Quote by panda

This option may get messy with Brexit although it's one I'd like to try myself

I think because it's a very frequent passenger service....It may not be affected too bad with delays, The Ferry services would be more likely to suffer due to the huge volumes of trucks and freight.

From a travelling with pets perspective....They are with you in the van at all times and the tunnel crossing takes about 25mins from memory. They also allow you take the next available train if you arrive earlier than scheduled....Should there be space of course.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #7

The one thing about the kennels on Stena is that you can access them any time and bring the dogs to any of the open decks. With Irish Ferries or with Stena and the dogs travelling in the van, you are time limited. Standard kennels are limited in number on Stena but no additional charge, they do have a premium 'Dog Lodge' option that costs extra, IF charge for everything.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #8

Don’t think I’d be interested in that route. An extra 500km driving each way to cross britain plus an extra 2 hours each way to head south for Spain. I like driving.... but I wouldn’t want to put that on myself on a 3-5 week holiday

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #9

Great for Northern France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy etc Dave.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #10

We brought ur dog overseas, to France just the once so far. It was on Irish Ferries back in 2019. She was traumatized in the kennels. I couldn’t figure out why she had such a badly grazed nose for the first few days in France. On the ferry back home the mystery was solved. As soon as she was put back into the cage on the homeward route, she started banging her head routinely against the floor and her blanket. That’s what skinned her nose on the outward journey. Distressing stuff.

We loved having her in France and vowed to bring her on Stena next time and leave her in the van. Of coarse Covid got in the way, but next time, we will go with Stena.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 15.11.2020 · #11

Quote by The Rambler

Poor thing! No - we've agreed we won't be doing this. Stena it is. Thank you!

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 16.11.2020 · #12

We've been taking our dogs (four at one time) to France and Spain for years. Coming from Belfast we go Befast/ Cainrryan or Dublin/ Holyhead then ferry from Dover to Calais and bobs your uncle.

Always walk the dogs at the docks before we board and as none of those journeys is more than a few hours they are perfectly happy sleeping in the van. Tunnel is quiet expensive compared to ferries but obviously quicker.

For us though we are never in a hurry. The minute we leave the house the holiday begins and whilst we always have a final destination the journey is part of the fun..............

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 16.11.2020 · #13

Quote by eirebus

Quote by panda

This option may get messy with Brexit although it's one I'd like to try myself

We've done both, and would never do Rosslare Cherbourg again. We do Belfast Cairnryan and the chunnel. The mileage to Calais on both routes are very identical. Dublin or Rosslare to Wales would be our choice if we lived down that way though.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #14

Quote by <BM>

The one thing about the kennels on Stena is that you can access them any time and bring the dogs to any of the open decks.

BM....Have you done that on Stena? I've looked everywhere on their website and can find no mention of being allowed bring dogs out on open deck? If it was the case I'd be looking to go that route next year.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #15

Quote by panda

Quote by <BM>

The one thing about the kennels on Stena is that you can access them any time and bring the dogs to any of the open decks.

If you leave your dog in the MH you only get supervised walks on the vehicle deck. If you have your dog in a kennel you can walk your dog when ever you chose on an open deck area that is designated for dog walking.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #16

Quote by StrandcampingDoonbeg

Quote by panda

Quote by <BM>

The one thing about the kennels on Stena is that you can access them any time and bring the dogs to any of the open decks.

That sounds perfect then....I would much prefer to be able to visit and walk them whenever I wanted than leave them in the van. Looks like it will be Stena next year for us so ( Brittany would be better but too un-reliable )

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #17

Quote by panda

Quote by <BM>

The one thing about the kennels on Stena is that you can access them any time and bring the dogs to any of the open decks.

I have done it. The kennels are accessible from one of the open decks at all times. I asked about toileting and exercise, thinking I had to arrange time slots but I was told I could come any time and that I could bring her out onto any of the open decks for exercise, but not into any indoor spaces apart from the kennel area.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #18

We went Cairnryan last year and our wee man came with us into the lounge. He was supposed to stay in his carry cage but I had him out a few times. A kindly hostess said it wasn't allowed but there was nobody about to give off so she turned a blind eye. Thats the benefit of a shorter crossing.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #19

Maisie the sailor dog, I knew I had a picture of her out on deck. Sadly passed away a few months later.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #20

Maisie looks a beauty BM.... Sorry to hear she passed.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #21

Being able to walk your dog as often as you want and to bring on deck sounds great. But our little girl was so distressed being put into a cage on IF. I think it was the whimpering of the other dogs that set her off. In her mind she was going to the gas chambers. I don’t think I could risk it again. I think she would be more at ease left in the van.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #22

Quote by panda

Maisie looks a beauty BM.... Sorry to hear she passed.

She was a beauty, passed suddenly a few weeks before her 10th birthday, we were heartbroken. We have two Jack Russel crosses now, absolute maniacs in comparison but in a good way.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #23

Quote by <BM>

Maisie the sailor dog, I knew I had a picture of her out on deck. Sadly passed away a few months later.

Gorgeous wee dog

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #24

Quote by The Rambler

Our Daisy would be exactly the same.
I think if your dog is crate trained/used to a kennel it might be easier on them (my last dog was used to a crate and was so chilled - she would have been fine)
You'd hear Daisy up on deck if we had her in the kennel area

🤯

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #25

Quote by daisyduke21

Quote by The Rambler

🤯

Yes I think you are right about not being crate trained, although she is used to kennels and day care. I also think the ship engine hum played a factor.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #26

I've only ever travelled with Brittany Ferries with our dogs....First time they were in kennels and apart from us sleeping, We spent every minute with them outside on the deck. They were actually fine in the kennel anyway but there were some poor doggies pretty distressed....No owners to be seen either

Last time we travelled we had a pet friendly cabin.....different ball game....so relaxing having them with us.

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 19.11.2020 · #27

Quote by panda

...there were some poor doggies pretty distressed....No owners to be seen either

Yep, saw that too John. There was a couple who dropped off their 2 dogs into the boarding kennels on the IF sailing, the same time as us and they weren’t to be seen again until it was time to disembark. We had 4 visits to the kennels in that time. Hence their dogs were completely stressed and noisy. Did they think the ship staff were going to bring their dogs for a pee and some fresh air?

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 20.11.2020 · #28

We brought the dogs over once in the kennels on Stena, but always leave them in the van now, their just must happier in familiar surroundings of our van, with familiar smells, bedding, food water etc but that's our choice for our dogs

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Re: Best way to travel to France with a small dog?

· Posted: 20.11.2020 · #29

If Stena is still using the ship they bought Celtic Horizon, we thought the kennels were awful. Plus the escalator up to check in was a challenge.
We changed to Brittany Ferries Portsmouth Bilbao pet friendly cabins. Our dog loved it. Hang the cost.

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