Vacation with dogs
No family can wait for the Summer to finally arrive and spend their well-deserved holidays. Some prefer to spend their leisure time actively, whereas there are those who could spend the whole day lying on a sunbed.
But what can we do with the four-legged member(s) of the family? The answer is simple, take them with you!
What's the secret behind a good and relaxing vacation with dogs? Be prepared!
Searching for a dog-friendly holiday home
We use a well-known accommodation search interface. We set the filter to dog-friendly accommodations. Do not worry, nowadays there are a plently of pet-friendly hotels or apartments that are not only pet-friendly in the name. Regarding the type of the accommodation, everyone can choose according to one's ideas and needs. With 1-2 dogs, the hotels are also an option, from 3 dogs, you had better reserve an apartment or a house, maybe a garden-connected room. We usually travel with four dogs, so we prefer those accomendations where we can be more free. It’s worth writing to the holiday home that you’d like to know the local customs. For example, when we were in Italy, we went to a not too famous city, called Pineto (and after that we went to the mountains) and we didn’t find any dog-friendly beaches. However, we asked the hotel where we were and we were told that the human’s beach can be used by dogs from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. This is the most ideal time for bath in the sea with dogs, because it's extremely hot on the beach during the day, the dogs feel better in the air-conditioned house anyways.
Documents
According to the general EU laws, a puppy can only travel abroad after it turns 3 months and 21 days, so if you get the puppy in summer, do not reserve foreign vacation.
An EU Pet Passport is needed for travelling abroad. This can be issued by any veterinarian if you don't have it already. The passport's fee is usually around 40 euros.
Dogs need a valid vaccination against rabies for the travel, which must be indicated in the dog’s passport. It’s crucial to be checked by a vet that the chip is transferred to the owner’s name and whether the data in the system are valid. If something happens and anyone needs to read the chip, it’s great if the phone number on the chip is actual.
In case of a few countries outside the EU (for example, Serbia), be prepared, because they allow you to enter the country without any problems, but the dog can only come home if it has a Titer test. Serbia, for example, is classified as high-risk due to rabies, which is why this test is needed to return home (it shows the amount of anti-rabies antibodies (“titer”) in the blood to see whether it reaches the prescribed limit.). Be sure to do this before you travel, it may take a couple of weeks for the Titer test's result to arrive.
Medicines
A first aid kit can come in handy anytime. Bandage, wound disinfectant (e.g. betadine), probiotics (this can even be a human product), charcoal tablets (salt water can cause diarrhea) and if the dog takes any medicine on a daily basis, you shouldn’t leave that at home either. If the dog hasn’t received before the trip, it's highly recommended to take some kind of a protection against ticks and mosquitoes. If you want to be prepared for every scenerio, you can look for a nearby veterinarian in advance and save its number just in case something happens.
Travel insurance
Pet insurance can be taken out for the dog as well. When insuring the family, you can take out travel insurance for the dog at many providers, and this is also available in several packages. It’s everyone’s own decision whether one considers it necessary, but it’s good to know that it’s available too.
Travelling in car
We travel a lot with the dogs, so all of them are used to travel long distances. If the dog has never travelled in a car, you have to make it used to by training. If you can’t do it alone, you can ask a trainer for help.
It’s important to fix the dog in the car well. The best solution is a dog transport box that fits in the car. This can be plastic (like the dogboxes on airplanes) or it can be an aluminium box which is more secure than the plastic. If you get in an accident, it can save your dog’s life.
It’s a general EU rule that the dog must be secured in some way in the vehicle. According to this rule, a dog safety belt that can be attached to the harness is sufficient. Relying on our experience, this is the least safe solution, so our dogs travel in crates, safety comes first.
For the trip itself, have a collar (it's good to have a tag with the owner’s current phone number.), a leash, water, a water bowl and some treats within easy reach. In case of ball-crazy dogs, a ball can also come in handy if we are somewhere where they can move around a bit.
If you are thinking of a longer trip, it's recommended to plan the itinerary to contain a little outing so the dog can stretch out its stiff limbs.
Dog box
It’s useful if the dog knows what the dog box is and you can leave the dog in the accommodation for a few hours. If the dog knows what the box is, it can be set up so the dog knows that it is a safe place. Of course, before and after the dog box time you have to take your dog for a walk, trip or bath in the sea. However, when the weather is really hot, you should neither go with your dog for sightseeing nor to the beach.
Feeding
If the dog eats dry food, the easiest is measure the daily dose before the vacation, and you won’t need to measure in the accommodation. You should bring the dog food with you because it’s not sure that you’ll get the same food in the city. A change of diet can hold unpleasant surprises (e.g. diarrhea), so it’s better to avoid it.
It’s a bit more difficult if someone feeds raw or Barf, but there are solutions for that too. It can be switched to dry food during the holiday (this should be done 2 weeks before the holiday so that the dog’s body can adapt to it). Another solution is to use pre-packaged ready-made food, but this requires refrigeration.
If we consider the above in advance, we can enjoy a flawless holiday with dogs. It’s a different experience than all-day wellness and pampering, but it also has its advantages.
If the family decides to travel without a dog, there are solutions for that, but you have to decide in time who would take care of your pet while you are on your holiday. Relative, dog sitter? Can the dog go back to the breeder?
The choice may not be easy, so you have to start organising it in time if you want a dog-free holiday/trip.