Moving from Ireland to UK with dog... 21 rabies clearance not complete

Olaf0404

Hello I'm looking for some advice, I'm due to move back to the uk from Ireland on the 12th,
I didn't know about all the new laws etc..but I have my dog getting everything he needs now. Only to be told he would need to wait 21 days to travel that cuts me short 4 days, do you think he would be okay to come with me it's all booked and sorted

Mod note, this thread split away from 3 yr old thread

TopTec

Not once in 7 years, doing 3 trips a year, have I ever been asked for pet passports for my 2 girls. Nor has anyone on board I have spoken to who have traveled with pets. I do the Rosslare-Fishguard with Stena and Pembroke with Irish Ferries.

In your position I would travel.

TT

muddypaws

I travel frequently and have had passports checked a few times. The only thing that they looked at was the date of the rabies vaccination. I have only ever been checked going TO the UK, on this side before boarding. I have been checked in both Rosslare and Dublin ports.

Ms Doubtfire1

Wouldn't risk it with any of mine. I do recall vaguely ( open to correction) that your pet has to stay in quarantine for 6 weeks if your not compliant and would think there are fines too. It's only 4 days....

Olaf0404

Mixed reviews then, the thing is everything is booked. I know it's only 4 days but I can't wait, I'm due to leave on the 12th, he will have passport, microchip etc just short on those few days, I feel so stressed right now.

Olaf0404

I traveling via Dublin swift to Holyhead

Ms Doubtfire1

wouldn't play lotto with my pet.Can you board him for a week and pick up the 16th maybe?

Olaf0404

I don't want to play lotto, what do you mean board him? I'm new to all this Iv never travelled with a pet before

razorblunt

It's hard to give an answer yes or no here.

I've travelled twice at Xmas, passport was never checked.
My friend travelled round the same time and only noticed afterwards he was in the same position as you, he was short a few days. Again they never checked.

ED E

Olaf0404 wrote: »

I don't want to play lotto, what do you mean board him? I'm new to all this Iv never travelled with a pet before

Put him in a kennel and return for him is the suggestion.

Ms Doubtfire1

Olaf0404 wrote: »

I don't want to play lotto, what do you mean board him? I'm new to all this Iv never travelled with a pet before

Sorry - put in into a kennel for the 4 or 5 days is what i mean...

Olaf0404

I'll have the passport, microchip it's just the rabies vaccine that's the problem I didn't know it was going to take 21 days otherwise I wouldn't have booked the boat or the van for all my things.
If I do get stopped I'm stranded as the van needs to be back in England on the 13th.
So I'll be stranded in Dublin with a dog and my daughter and all my thins in the way to England lol

Ms Doubtfire1

you won't be stranded in Dublin with the dog.The dog will be quarantined.They will not let him enter if you are caught.Just book him into a boarding facility in england for the 5 days and return as a passenger :rolleyes:

Olaf0404

Ah okay I see what you mean sorry (blonde moment)

Thanks for your help

muddypaws

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

you won't be stranded in Dublin with the dog.The dog will be quarantined.They will not let him enter if you are caught.Just book him into a boarding facility in england for the 5 days and return as a passenger :rolleyes:

I think the op is going from Ireland to the UK, so would need boarding in Dublin.

I can't advise you whether you should chance it or not, it is a legal requirement. What I would say is, there is a garage in Dublin port that is a good place to walk dogs before boarding, has grass and trees, not huge but just enough for wees before the journey, or clontarf sea front is also good. You don't have to book a dog onto the ferry, and when you arrive to board, if the dog is in a crate in the vehicle and doesn't come out for a toilet break, the staff wouldn't know that you had a dog. It's sometimes a good idea to cover the crate to keep the dog cool and quiet. If you are in a van, they may want to check the back. If that happens and they see the dog, they may just ask if you have a passport, which you obviously have.

Olaf0404

I have spoke to Irish ferries and all my dog needs is a passport, no injections.
So all is good, thankgod Thankyou so much for all your help panic over

Inexile

I would get that in writing from them as they are incorrect. Dogs travelling to and from the UK should be vaccinated against rabies. Also remember that its 21 days plus one... ie the day the dog is vaccinated isn't included in the 21 day count as the count starts on the next day.

Its a gamble to take the dog but whether its worth the risk is something for you to decide.

andreac

As Inexile has said, that info you have been given is incorrect. They definitely need the Rabies vaccination. It was brought in a couple of years ago.
It's the dept of agriculture that are enforcing it, not the ferry companies.

As you can see from the link from Irish Ferries themselves, it states they need the Rabies vaccination.

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/pets/

https://www.petethevet.com/tv3-vet-spot-ireland-pete-gives-advice-travelling-pet-uk-now-tough-eu-regulations-enforced/

https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/rabies-vaccination-boosters-and-blood-tests

http://www.irishferries.com/ie-en/frequently-asked-questions/top-10-faqs/pets-ireland-britain-routes/

Springwell

Change your booking to Belfast ferry, no vaccination required.

Olaf0404

I'm on the Dublin swift to Holyhead...I have been told I'm okay to travel 😊
Thankyou

Olaf0404

And yes as regards to the link it says to enter Ireland I'm already in Ireland

shaunr68

andreac wrote: »

As Inexile has said, that info you have been given is incorrect. They definitely need the Rabies vaccination.

To clarify, the OP stated that the dog will have had the vaccination but the required 21 days would not have elapsed and this is important.

"You must wait 21 days after the vaccination (or the last of the primary course of vaccinations) before bringing your pet to the UK from:

an EU country, or another country the UK accepts pet passports from a listed country"

Olaf0404 wrote: »

I'm on the Dublin swift to Holyhead...I have been told I'm okay to travel ��
Thankyou

Irish ferries don't get to decide whether your dog is allowed into the UK, that's down to the UK Border Agency and the link above does seem to suggest that the information you were given was wrong.

In my experience, having travelled to around 30 countries with our three mini poodles, including to several unlisted countries outside of the pet passport zone, notably through the Balkans, Turkey and Russia. Generally speaking on the continent and in particular in the less developed countries nobody cares, you might as well have a bull elephant in the boot and they wouldn't raise an eyebrow.

All those dozens of border crossings and not once were our pet passports subjected to more than a cursory glance, not that is until we returned to the UK at Dover where all documentation was scrutinised, dogs microchips scanned and cross-checked with the passports, vehicle VIN plates inspected and so on.

Having said that on crossings between the UK and Ireland (we use P&O Liverpool-Dublin) they don't seem to be as strict, not sure I'd take the risk though to be honest. Going via Belfast as suggested above may be an option.

andreac

Olaf myself and a lot of friends travel to uk for dog shows all the time and the info you were given is incorrect, trust me.
It is the dept of agriculture and border control that will stop you, not the ferry company so they will tell you anything to get you on the ferry.

Fratton Fred

How new is this regulation? I have been traveling to and form the UK two or three times a year for the past ten years and only found out about this last week.

We too are in the same boat, dog is vaccinated but will not have had the 21 days elapse before travel. I'm going to risk it, but obviously I am now worried.

Is this a recent thing, as I always thought passports were only needed in bringing a dog in to Ireland or the UK from outside of the Common Travel Area.

muddypaws

Fratton Fred wrote: »

How new is this regulation? I have been traveling to and form the UK two or three times a year for the past ten years and only found out about this last week.

We too are in the same boat, dog is vaccinated but will not have had the 21 days elapse before travel. I'm going to risk it, but obviously I am now worried.

Is this a recent thing, as I always thought passports were only needed in bringing a dog in to Ireland or the UK from outside of the Common Travel Area.

It was announced that it would be enforced in 2014, although, as you can see from this thread, enforcement is a very loose term.

There are very often big announcements about puppies being found at Dublin port by customs and the DSPCA, they can only be seized because they don't have the passport and rabies vaccinations, no other reason to stop them travelling.

I haven't heard of any pet dogs being refused travel and being seized, obviously that doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but I get the feeling that the enforcement is a tool used to stop puppy trafficking and the movement of stolen dogs, and that they aren't interested in pet dogs going on holiday.

Fratton Fred

muddypaws wrote: »

It was announced that it would be enforced in 2014, although, as you can see from this thread, enforcement is a very loose term.

There are very often big announcements about puppies being found at Dublin port by customs and the DSPCA, they can only be seized because they don't have the passport and rabies vaccinations, no other reason to stop them travelling.

I haven't heard of any pet dogs being refused travel and being seized, obviously that doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but I get the feeling that the enforcement is a tool used to stop puppy trafficking and the movement of stolen dogs, and that they aren't interested in pet dogs going on holiday.

I wondered if that was the case.