Dogs on Irish ferries

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herewego

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We are hoping to go to Ireland in the summer with the caravan and take the dogs, two labs and a westie. We dont want them to go into the kennals on board but see that dogs are allowed to be left in the vehicle. This would be fine, but the journey is over 3 hours so we would want to go and check them. Has any one been on the ferries? if so can we do this, would welcome any advise.
 
Use the Holyhead - Dublin route regularly with dogs. You can ask to check on them during the journey and a member of staff will take you down to the car deck to see them.
 
In the 70s we used to travel to Belfast Ch Show, I used to leave my dogs in the car but a friend put his dogs in the kennels. One year we were sitting on deck and there was a lot of consternation, and then his GSD bitch appeared amongst us, she had escaped from the kennel and somehow managed to make her way up, they travelled in the car from then on.
I also used to go to shows in Jersey, it was an 8 hour crossing and the dogs were fine, I used to give a mild sedative just before sailing and although we were allowed to check during sailing, with a crew member, I never went right up to the car, just checked from a distance they weren't stressed. There used to be about 15 vehicles going over for the show (it was a holiday week too), and there used to be a mad dash off the ferry the other end to the nearest open area so the dogs could have a wee etc, it always used to amaze me they were never bursting, but would play around for a while first, and if we happened to be on the beach the sea was always the first attraction. Maybe they were like little kids and weed in the water.:D
 
If you take the fast ferry they will only be on there for a couple of hours anyway:) We took Barney, left him in the car with a mild sedative and he was fine - in fact, he was completely spaced out (we opened the boot up and he fell out!), so we didn't sedate him at all on the way home and he was still fine:)
 
We go P+O so it may be different, but we are not allowed to go down and see them. However, a member of staff did offer to go and check on them (must have spent ages looking for the car poor bloke!) and could describe the dog and said she was still alive ;)

Another time Tink managed to scam her way up onto deck with us, she had been spayed a few days earlier so was complete with cone and painkillers/sedatives for the journey so she was very dopey and they took pity on us! :o :D

We now leave her the whole journey, sometimes 3+ hours depending on which route and she is fine, stays in her crate and sleeps. There is plenty of time for toilet/drink stops before you board, and easy to pull over somewhere once you get off. They should be fine. :) Have fun!
 
Like MM said, you're better checking from a distance so as not to upset them again. If they're good travellers in a car then you'll have no problems, they'll be asleep most of the time but do remember to leave good ventilation for them as it can get quite hot on the decks. We used to undo all ramps and tie them ajar with rope, even with all the windows open, the horses could sometimes get hot in there. You will only be able to go down with a staff member
 
I would rather leave them unsedated I have to say than risk them having a reaction with nobody nearby to help.
I have travelled by ferry many times and never had a problem, they normally just seem to curl up and go to sleep! Irish ferries are better than the birkenhead (overnight) ferry as on that you are a lot of the time leaving the car on the top (open) deck all night.
It's only a couple of hours so unless your dog is a bad traveller/destructive shouldn't be a problem.
 
It is always better to travel dogs in vari kennels or cages inside your car,dog show folk always do this. It is also so much safer on motorways should you have an accident,no loose dogs on the M6..not a great idea.
 
I sail from stranraer to belfast annually with Skye and she tends to just sleep in her crate for the 2hrs 10min crossing after eating the contents of her kong. One of the people we meet whilst walking has a lab who was left to roam in her brother' car for the crossing and chewed the cover of the hand brake (eek!) Luckily the handbrake stayed on but brother was not impressed. Would definitely recommend crate! We also put a blanket over the top of the crate to black it out and it seems to prevent her getting stressed. The car stays well ventilated and the car deck is quite cool (even in summer) so you don't need to worry too much about overheating.
 
Tara used to stay in the car quite happily, I would check her once from a distance, the crew would normally be happy to take me down to check. A couple of times on night crossings when the ferry was fairly empty or the weather was bad they let me bring her up in to the lounge - this was a good few years back though.
 
About 20 years ago we took the ferry to Ireland with our JRT. I didn't want him in the car as the fumes of petrol on the car deck were really strong, so I took him to the kennels. The kennels were wet and windy and had insecure locks on them. I tried him in there but I couldn't settle :( so I snuck down with a holdall, put him in and took him back up to our cabin where he stayed for the duration quite happily :D. If you promise not to turn me in I'll admit that he did do a wee in the shower :eek: but we did clean up after him...
 
Be very careful about leaving them in a vehicle on a ferry in the summer, the last thing you'd want is for them to die of heat exhaustion. If there are proper kennels on board, I would use this facility.
 
We've travelled dogs and horses without problem. Prefer to use a crate for dogs as they seem more secure in their own bed. Only problem with horses is getting stuck at the port for hours, waiting for the weather to settle before they will allow horses on. Not a problem for dogs though.
 
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