incoming visitors and their dog

Kewreeuss

So your friends from Europe cant hop on a plane to visit you in Dublin and bring their dog with them, even though they can hop on a plane and fly around mainland Europe?
I have checked the Dept of Ag site and unless you are coming from Germany, poland and Czechoslovakia on local airlines or for some reason with Thompsons you are stuck with the ferry, which is fine if you are travelling to/from westernish europe for a month.
Will be checking with Aerlingus tomorrow, but in the meantime, has anyone had European visitors and their pets? Thank you

suziwalsh

Try Aer Arann....but you would have to fly to UK first and then get flight from UK....

Kewreeuss

Oh, for god's sake!!
Aerlingus don't allow dogs at all, except guide dogs.
Lufthanza will but only in the hold.
Then when they get here they have to go to some place called Lissenhall, where apparently it costs a lot to do whatever they do.
I mean, why bother with vaccines, passports and microchips? What's the point if the dog (or cat) is still kept separated from their humans and go through a whole load of tests again here? The anti rabies either works or it doesn't.
It is easy for some people to leave their pets in kennels or with other people but not everyone wants to. I suppose it's the same as leaving the baby with your mother while you go away for a long weekend. Some can, some can't.
Anyway, thanks everyone for the interest.

Aru

We have quarantine controls to protect the animals of this country.Its not just an exercise to inconvenience people.

There are a number of diseases that are found on the continent that we do not have here as being an island nation has protected us.Though as the law is about to change this may be about to become a bigger issue in the future.
It isn't just rabies.There other diseases as well particularly those carried by tick's and flea's.Some of these can cause some nasty and potentially dangerous to human diseases as well as animals.

While you friends dog may be healthy or it may be carrying disease through parasites that they are not aware of or be harboring a subclinical viral infection that could make a lot of dogs over here very ill if it was passed along as none of them would have any immunity to it.A vet check in Lissenhall is so that ill animals cannot enter and spread infection here.The animals up until January must also be treated for ticks and fleas before they leave their counrty and this confirmed in customs/lissenhall.

Kewreeuss

More information

From 1st Jan, any pets coming in from authorised countries with their passport, their chip, their flea and tick shot will no longer have to go to lissenhall for the checkup. The country of departure should look after that now, probably the airline, and only spot checks will be carried out in Dublin. From what I understand that rabies blood test that needs to be done 6 month before is no longer necessary, just the vaccination.

Aru, I realize that we have to protect our animals. But we are only protecting them against rabies and whatever is passed on by the ticks and fleas. If they are carrying other virus (virii?) or infections no one will know because they aren't being tested for. All lissenhall does is check the documentation for those coming in from the authorised countries.
I see where a problem might be in trusting documentation coming in nextyear, but it will probably be a part of the check in process at the departure airport. If the pet passport isn't in order they dont fly, same as for humans.