Does your dog love jetting with you across the United States, flying and sleeping first class? Has the glitz and glamour of New York and Los Angeles become trite? Is your pup searching for a canine lover with a European bark? Hop across the Atlantic with your pooch to festive, beautiful Dublin, the jewel of the Emerald Isle, for a vacation filled with both luxury and quaint antiquity. Follow Animal Fair’s travel tips below and tailor your Irish getaway from farm to Fashion Avenue. Let’s explore Dublin!
Traveling with your pet between the United States and Ireland just got easier thanks to the United Kingdom’s “Passports-for-Pets” program. A visit to dog-friendly Dublin is filled with limitless opportunities for you and your pet to enjoy exploring the Irish city and countryside. Dublin is Ireland’s largest city – over 1.1 million people call it home. The city is perhaps best known for housing over 1,000 Irish pubs, but its theatrical, musical and art festivals, and events, rival any other European city! Dublin is the thriving, modern pulse of Ireland’s cultural center, including a vibrant nightclub and pub scene, yet, Dublin is also ripe with historical attractions, museums, and castles. It’s not surprising that Dublin was recently voted one of the top ten cities in the world in which to live. In addition, Dublin’s mild climate enables citizens and visitors to enjoy outdoor activities all year long. High temperatures in the summer average around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and winter temperatures drop only to the mid-30s. If you and your pet love to play outdoors, hike, and shop, then Dublin may provide the perfect escape. Follow the tips below to create your dream vacation!
Transporting Your Pet into Ireland
As of December 2002, dog and cat guardians can now travel with their pets in Ireland without submitting their animals to the six-month quarantine that previously prevented pet guardians from exploring Ireland. The quarantine was established in 1901 to prevent the proliferation of rabies, but recent changes to the United Kingdom’s pet immigration laws have made traveling with a pet less restrictive. The program, dubbed “Passports-for-Pets”, allows animals to enter Ireland through the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). PETS is handled by the UK’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Pets must first be inserted with a microchip and then vaccinated against rabies. Take care to ensure that the pet’s microchip can be read by an International Standard Organization (ISO) scanner. Pending the results of a blood test revealing that the animal is rabies-free, pets must receive a PETS certificate from an authorized veterinarian. Blood tests must be completed six months prior from the animal’s entry date into the UK. Pets must be examined for ticks and tapeworms by a veterinarian between 24 to 48 hours before the animal’s entry into the UK. Don’t forget to ask your veterinarian to issue an official certificate of treatment that you must present upon arrival.
Your travel arrangements must be made on a PETS-approved carrier to the UK; dogs must be stored in the cargo section of the airplane (no pets allowed on board). Some of the approved carriers and routes into the UK are American, Northwest, Virgin Atlantic, and Continental Airlines. Not all trans-Atlantic flights will meet with approval; the UK must approve special routes and airlines equipped with the manpower and tools to inspect the animals. Pet guardians must sign a declaration that their pet has not been outside of a PETS-approved country within the last six months once in the UK (called a PETS 3 form). Pets must then spend their first two or three nights in holding kennels while their paperwork is verified. When traveling with pets in the UK, you should bring your pet’s vaccination record and a copy of its blood test result with you for re-entry into the UK from Ireland. Ferrets are able to enter Ireland through the UK.
Please note that your pet will not be able to enter Ireland if it does not meet the PETS requirements. In addition, certain dogs are considered dangerous and are not allowed to pass through or reside within the UK. These breeds include Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero breeds.
If you plan to fly directly to Ireland with your pet, then the animal must remain in a six-month quarantine facility, either public or private. There is only one public pet quarantine center in Ireland, so reservations for quarantine must be entered well before the travel date to ensure your pet a space to stay.
For more information contact: Lissenhall, Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland, P: 011 353 840 1776 or F: 011 353 840 9338. The cost for keeping the animal differs according to the animal’s size. If you wish to keep your pet in the private quarantine option, your pet can undergo a one-month public quarantine in Lissenhall and spend the remainder of the six-month mandatory quarantine in an approved private residence (send details of the proposed site at least six weeks in advance of importation). Whether you are traveling directly to Ireland with your pet or traveling with your pet through the UK to Ireland, your pet must have been vaccinated against rabies.
According to the online source Movetoireland.com, dogs will soon be permitted to enter Ireland directly without having to go through the UK or six-month quarantine if they meet the same requirements used by the UK’s PETS program. This date is set for October of 2004; however, as the date has already been pushed back by authorities once before, travelers should consult their travel agents or the General Consulate of Ireland before making these arrangements.
www.movetoireland.com offers up-to-date information on pet travel laws.
www.irishanimals.com supplies a variety of links to veterinary, animal club, and pet-friendly hotel information.
www.irelandby.com provides travel and activity information.
Pet Laws in Ireland
Animals are not welcome on buses, trains, or other forms of public transportation. However, if your pet is small, you may be able to travel with it by concealing it in a purse, bag, or backpack. According to the Irish Rail, pets are not allowed on the DART or suburban rail trains but are permitted to ride on intercity trains. In addition, dogs are not permitted in restaurants. Small animals are allowed to ride in taxis, but guardians may be charged a special fee.
Dogs do not have to be leashed on the streets of Ireland, although it is highly recommended, and in most parks, pets are permitted to roam freely unless otherwise noted. If you are traveling in the countryside around the farmland that occupies most of the country, be aware that farmers will take whatever precautions necessary to protect their livestock. While they do not dislike dogs (most employ the use of dogs to tend their livestock), farmers will not hesitate to shoot dogs that appear to be threatening their property. If your dog has a fondness for chasing farm animals, then it is best to keep the dog on a leash.
Hotels in Dublin that Welcome Pets
Four Seasons Hotel Dublin (5 Star)
Doggie Digs: Situated 45 minutes from the Dublin Airport, the Four Seasons has the most rooms of any hotel in Dublin. The hotel is of the highest quality, featuring luxurious, spacious rooms, two restaurants, spa services, massages, twice-daily housekeeping services, an indoor pool, and is minutes from several golf courses and tennis courts. Dogs less than fifteen pounds are permitted to stay in the hotel with their guardians. Please pre-arrange you and your pet’s stay before arrival.
From Dublin Airport: Head for the M1 city center. This road will bring you onto Drumcondra Road. Continue going straight onto Dorset Street. Turn left onto North Frederick Street to O’Connell Street. Cross O’Connell Bridge onto D’Olier Street. Turn right keeping Trinity College on your left-hand side. This will bring you to College Street and then Nassau Street. Head to Lower Mount Street and Northumberland Road. The Four Seasons Hotel is located at the junction of Angelsea Road and Merrion Road. Prices range from: $290 – $900 USD.
Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin: 4 011 353 665 4000
www.fourseasons.com/dublin/index.html
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