Taking the dogs on holidays- france or UK?

fifib

hi guys, were thinking of going on a little holiday next month to either UK or france with 2 dogs. We had them on the ferry to Aran Islands few weeks back and they were great and they're brill in the car generally. getting their rabies shots tomorrow for the pet passports.

Any advise on which might be more suitable UK or France for a pet holiday? are all ferries to France overnight? also which would we find easier for accommodation and pet friendly activities?
For the UK the first place we thought of was the lake district, we've heard its very pet friendly but can be €€€ for accommodation. In France we've no idea. I suppose we wont be driving all the way down south. are there nice beaches along the west coast that would be dog friendly...they love the water!

were total newbies to all this bringing pets on holidays so any advise at all would be great

JoeySully

Never did France but the UK is excellent. Download an app and it will show you all the dog friendly pubs ,restaurants and hotels. Generally a small charge for doggies.

No need for any paperwork or passports to take a dog to the UK too!

Alun

One lovely area in the UK that's very close by ferry (Rosslare - Fishguard) is Pembrokeshire. Lot's of lovely beaches and not too expensive especially in September. If you're into walking there's a coastal path the whole length of the coast, all of which is a National Park.

See http://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/holidays-breaks/dog-friendly-holidays/

muddypaws

JoeySully wrote: »

Never did France but the UK is excellent. Download an app and it will show you all the dog friendly pubs ,restaurants and hotels. Generally a small charge for doggies.

No need for any paperwork or passports to take a dog to the UK too!

Not true anymore, passport and rabies vaccination is needed, and the vacc has to be done at least 3 weeks prior to travelling. They do spotchecks, so you may not get asked, but if you do, and you don't have the paperwork, your dog can be seized and quarantined, for which you have to pay, and you can be prosecuted.

OP, what breed, as there are some banned breeds in the UK, and from another post on here from someone else, also some in France.

fifib

yes muddypaws just asked in vets today and need to be vaccinated 21 days before travel.
one is a terrier (parsons terrier we think) and other is dashund x staffie

Rommie

Is the staffie part of the dashund obvious? As the pitbull is banned in the UK and basically anything that looks blockheaded and vaguely pitbull shaped can get labelled as a pitbull and seized >: (

DBB

Alun wrote: »

One lovely area in the UK that's very close by ferry (Rosslare - Fishguard) is Pembrokeshire. Lot's of lovely beaches and not too expensive especially in September. If you're into walking there's a coastal path the whole length of the coast, all of which is a National Park.

See http://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/holidays-breaks/dog-friendly-holidays/

Oooh, I had been about to recommend this area:).
Rosslare is quite a dog-friendly port, it's a short crossing, and a short journey on the far side to get to some fantastic walks, dog-friendly bars and pubs, and dog-friendly people! Lovely place.

Mince Pie

I lived in the UK for a long time and have taken the pooch all over. There is a much more relaxed attitude and you will find even a lot of pubs that serve food will have certain area's indoors where you can take your pooch to settle beside you while you eat.
There are a lot of walks as you have use of the land and public footpaths. Were you planning on camping or looking for somewhere to stay? Theres a brilliant campsite in Porthmadog that is dog friendly, north wales which is right beside the beach. You are also a minutes drive from Port Meirion which is totally amazing (where Prisoner was filmed)

Anyway some useful sites for pubs/accomodation and also the signs you will see around the country side to give you an idea if its ok to walk there and if you are likely to come across horses etc.
I would also highly recommend the Lake District. Stunning countryside and it says it all when one of motorway services has a dog walking spot for your pooch to stretch their legs as well with poo bins available.

http://www.dogfriendlybritain.co.uk/results.asp?Search=42&County=0&Keywords=Keyword+Search&PopularArea=0&Submit=search

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/access/rightsofway/prow/default.aspx

fifib

Rommie wrote: »

Is the staffie part of the dashund obvious? As the pitbull is banned in the UK and basically anything that looks blockheaded and vaguely pitbull shaped can get labelled as a pitbull and seized >: (

no wouldnt be that obvious i dont think cos shes very short legged. this is her here.. Dog pics

Alun

fifib wrote: »

no wouldnt be that obvious i dont think cos shes very short legged. this is her here.. Dog pics

Awww, she'll be fine.

BTW One thing I should point out about Pembrokeshire is that in late August / early September there are lots of seal pups on the beaches, especially the smaller ones, so make sure she's on a lead if there are any around.

Rommie

fifib wrote: »

no wouldnt be that obvious i dont think cos shes very short legged. this is her here.. Dog pics

Ahh she's gorgeous. Shouldn't have any problems with her then