Bringing a dog from NI to Crufts

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TurtleToo

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I have done my research and as far as I can see, no vaccines etc are necessary (although normal vaccines will of course be up to date), and just wanted to double check it here. Has anyone taken a dog to the mainland before and is there anything else we need to be aware of?

Also, what were your experiences of kennels on the boat? Is it necessary to arrive a couple of days earlier to let the dog settle, or would the evening prior to mid-day competition be sufficient? The dog in question is competing in a YKC obedience event and is a fairly chilled out (for a collie :o ) dog.

Any help/words of wisdom would be great. Thanks.
 
Leave your dog in the car, the kennels on the boat are either going to be dirty and noisy or dirty and cold or both! Much better in their own environment!
 
Will the boat allow us to leave the dog in the car? She won't bark, so i suppose they shouldn't notice her, but she's quite big and even in our people carrier, if she sits up in her crate she will be seen through the window.. Also what about the heat in the car section of the boat, do they tend to be very hot/cold? Ie would it be safe to have her here? Depending on which port we go to, the journey could be up to ten hours (and unfortunately this won't be my decision, as we will be going for whichever is cheapest as funds are very limited).
 
They've recently updated the boat so I'm not sure what the new kennels are like but the old ones were always clean but v noisy for the dog. We now just leave her in her crate in the car as it saves time. They don't mind them being left in the car, presumably as long as they don't knowck the handbrake off...!
 
Re heat- its colder if anything but never feels an extreme either way, I leave the windows open a bit and she's always fine. Our journey takes 10-12 hours each time depending which way we go and our dog just snoozes the whole way with 1-2 pee stops.
 
We left our dog in the camper on the ferry, he was fine, fast asleep and chilled. I would never have put him in the kennels on the ferry because he would have found that far too stressful. I left him with his water bowl and food. He never even noticed.
 
I used to do the reverse and travel to NI for shows. We always left the dogs in the car, a friend used the kennels and the dog escaped and joined us on deck.:eek: This was a very long time ago and I am sure the kennels are much improved but I would always travel my dogs in the car. We used to go to agility competitions in Jersey, the ferry journey was around 9 hours and the dogs were fine, we used to give them a mild sedative and they used to just curl up and go to sleep.
 
I used to regularly travel Holyhead <> Dun Loaghaire for shows and the only problem was getting the dogs to empty themselves before boarding (about 7 hours in the car.)
2g glycerine suppositories became part of the travel kit.

The only time I've used ship kennels was on an overnight crossing to Sweden but they were not part of the car deck.
 
i regularly bring my dog as a foot passenger through dublin on the boat. the cages on the stena boat are large and clean and she is always happy but the boat is only 3 hours and shes not allowed on deck. if i had the car i would leave her in it though as it would be more comfortable. my friend takes her dog on the boat from belfast to birkenhead. for this one you have to pay for the kennels but as far as i know these arent on the car deck. the owner has access to the kennels and can take the dog for a small walk etc. (unlike if the dog was on the car deck or the kennels on the other boats.) hope this makes sense!
 
TurtleToo said:
I have done my research and as far as I can see, no vaccines etc are necessary (although normal vaccines will of course be up to date), and just wanted to double check it here. Has anyone taken a dog to the mainland before and is there anything else we need to be aware of?

Also, what were your experiences of kennels on the boat? Is it necessary to arrive a couple of days earlier to let the dog settle, or would the evening prior to mid-day competition be sufficient? The dog in question is competing in a YKC obedience event and is a fairly chilled out (for a collie :o ) dog.

Any help/words of wisdom would be great. Thanks.
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You don't need any pet passport for animals from Ireland (North or South) I travel between Holyhead and Dublin for shows with my borzoi, the crossing is only an hour and the hounds are fine in the car. I walk them before we board and then when we dock. I don't leave the windows open because of fumes but I use a fan to keep them cool, even in winter it gets a bit warm on the car deck.
 
Thanks for that, we will be much happier leaving her in the car then, will we be able to go down for toilet breaks if we're on the 9 hour sailing (Belfast-Liverpool)? We would have room in the crate to put down paper if needs be, we can fit three of her in it, but obviously she'd be bored. I'm considering a few Kong's frozen and stuffed with healthy, not stomach upsetting things (she likes stewed apple and pear, and is well used to this, so wouldn't be heavy on her stomach), but would rather toilet breaks as she might flood the crate in 9 hours and I really don't want to be restricting water so close to the competition.
 
I don't think you can go down on to the car deck once the doors are sealed. Why don't you drive down to Dublin and get the ferry to Holyhead, that way your dog will only be in the car on board for an hour. This stops all the worry about your dog being made to wait to toilet for so long. This is the route I would do, in fact it is the route I do, do when travelling to Ireland
 
as far as i know you can only go check on the dog if they are in the designated kennel area not the car deck sorry if i confused you.(i dont think the kennel area is on the car deck for the belfast - liverpool boat?) its worth emailing/ringing stena to clarify as i always find them very helpful.
 
You cannot take a dog out of a vehicle onto the car decks. And it depends on the ferry operator if you can take dogs out of their on board kennels it you take that option, some let you, some do not, but even then it is only in the confines of the kennel area which is the size of a small kitchen on average.

The Dublin to Holyhead sailing is not 1 hour. It is minimum of 2 hours via the fast ferry. And remember if you book on the fast ferry that Irish ferries have the Dublin Port to Holyhead route but Stena Swift goes from Dun Laoghaire. The larger cruise ferries for Irish and Stena lines both are the Dublin Port route and take just over 3 hours.

The journey from Holyhead to the NEC is about 3.5 hours. Or you have the Belfast - Stranraer route to consider.
 
Hi there - I saw your thread about taking dogs between Ireland and England/Wales and have a question!

My dogs had their rabies jab yesterday but we plan on coming to REPUBLIC of ireland next week which isn't good as you're meant to wait 21 days... but I thought Ireland didn't need a pet passport hence why I've done it so late...

My questions is whether you guys have heard of people having problems getting back into the UK or being stopped? I know the standard info from Defra, i.e. I may get stopped and the dogs may get quarantined but I wondered if you had more "on the ground" info?

Many thanks

Emma
 
Emma UK said:
Hi there - I saw your thread about taking dogs between Ireland and England/Wales and have a question!

My dogs had their rabies jab yesterday but we plan on coming to REPUBLIC of ireland next week which isn't good as you're meant to wait 21 days... but I thought Ireland didn't need a pet passport hence why I've done it so late...

My questions is whether you guys have heard of people having problems getting back into the UK or being stopped? I know the standard info from Defra, i.e. I may get stopped and the dogs may get quarantined but I wondered if you had more "on the ground" info?

Many thanks

Emma
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going back and forth to Ireland weather north or south is not a problem, you do not need a passport for dogs with in the United Kingdom and Sth Ireland
 
As above, you don't need a PP...what breeds do you have though, just be aware there are restrictions on some breeds under the RoI's DDA act.
Where are you going?


And - How did you get on TT?
 
They are small terriers - cross between Cairn and Border - surely with a name like Border Terrier they shouldn't get stopped and searched? ;)

We are going to Brandon Bay - windsurfing competitions!
 
you're absolutely fine, they may ask as you're boarding if you've dogs but its because you can't go in the bottom hold as its too warm.

brandons lovely - make sure you eat at spillanes - can be busy but good food
also you can walk from opposite there on the beach for about 10 miles- dogs love it!
 
Wasn't expecting to see this thread pop up again! Thanks for asking CC, we didn't go as with exams in school I didn't have the time to get her ready, and I decided that if we went, it wouldn't matter whether I was expecting little from her as she was unprepared, she would know herself that she hadn't gone well. As a very sensitive dog we decided this wasn't the best thing for her, there's always next year though! :)
 
g16 - we are staying at Spillanes! So I'm looking forward to some top notch grub!

Would you recommend the Holyhead/Dublin crossing or the Holyhead Dun Laoghaire? I am guessing I pick the shortest route possible and leave the dogs in the car?

Many thanks

Emma
 
dun laoghaire is quicker but the only thing is its much more likely to be cancelled if the weathers bad. i always get the dublin port one for that reason - i leave my dog in the car and shes quite happy. i thought i was going to find piles of sick because it was quite rough last time but she was fine. altenatively depending where you are in the uk you can go from fishguard or pembroke to rosslare.
 
I always do Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, but the one to Dublin is just as good because the both ports are very close together, Dublin gets really busy, but the crossing is basically the same timings.

You have to leave your dog in the car in the car deck, you have no choice, get a battery power fan to keep the inside of the car cool, I would not leave the windows open because of petrol fumes.
 
Thanks a lot - yes I've booked the Holyhead-Dublin as the HSS only goes once a day and is more pricey so my little babies will have to be brave and sit tight!
 
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