Dogs and Northern Ireland

[asteven221]

The search engine isn't bringing up an results, hence this post.

Thinking of heading to Northern Ireland from Scotland in the next two weeks and we have a small dog? He is chipped, vaccinated and healthy and all vet checks are up to date, but we don't have a pet passport or anything similar in that regard.

We are most likely to visit Rathlin, Ballycastle, Port Rush, although we might fancy a wee trip the other direction going to Glenarm, Bangor, Carrickfergus, Belfast.

Would the advice be not to bother as we need paperwork and probably have left it too late to get it? I don't fancy getting into trouble from the authorities?

Or should we just go as the reality is that the authorities are not interested in folk like us, sailing around on our summer holidays with our wee dug?

 

[asteven221]

Further to my port above I did some more googling and found BelfastLive says:-

No pet passports to be needed for travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain
All grace periods and easements relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol are to be 'extended indefinitely'

Which is great and then on the next bit of googling, the uk gov says:-

Your pet will need a new animal health certificate for each trip to an EU country or Northern Ireland. Your pet will not need a repeat rabies vaccination so long as its rabies vaccinations are up to date.

 

[SteveGorst]

Further to my port above I did some more googling and found BelfastLive says:-

No pet passports to be needed for travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain
All grace periods and easements relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol are to be 'extended indefinitely'

Which is great and then on the next bit of googling, the uk gov says:-

Your pet will need a new animal health certificate for each trip to an EU country or Northern Ireland. Your pet will not need a repeat rabies vaccination so long as its rabies vaccinations are up to date.

Its Belfast that are administering it. They aren't enforcing the EU rule so there is no need to have a passport unless you want to enforce yourself. You must have read about the disputes in the papers, this is just one of the things been contested.

 

[asteven221]

Thanks for the response. Glad to read your comment.

Ta.

 

[geem]

Thanks for the response. Glad to read your comment.

Ta.

Just for future reference. It's worth getting a European Pet Passport if you get to Southern Ireland. The subsequent trips will then be easier since the dog will be European. We had our UK pet passport info put onto a European Pet passport in Portugal for €20

 

[awol]

Just for future reference. It's worth getting a European Pet Passport if you get to Southern Ireland. The subsequent trips will then be easier since the dog will be European.

But won't it then need a pet visa to get back into GB?

 

[geem]

But won't it then need a pet visa to get back into GB?

No. There are no pet visas in UK anymore. It was always a (UK) European Pet Passport. We are no longer entitled to them. We are told that we must have a very expensive vet paperwork to visit Europe. Once you have the new European Pet passport your dog can travel to Europe on that. You also travel back into the UK with your new European Pet Passport

 

[awol]

No. There are no pet visas in UK anymore. It was always a (UK) European Pet Passport. We are no longer entitled to them. We are told that we must have a very expensive vet paperwork to visit Europe. Once you have the new European Pet passport your dog can travel to Europe on that. You also travel back into the UK with your new European Pet Passport

Do I understand correctly? Any EU mutt can swan into our sceptred isle with a scrap of EU paper - no quota, no financial checks? Do the Ag & Fish mob know about this or maybe it's Priti's bailliwick?

 

[[3889]]

Just for future reference. It's worth getting a European Pet Passport if you get to Southern Ireland. The subsequent trips will then be easier since the dog will be European. We had our UK pet passport info put onto a European Pet passport in Portugal for €20

Yes, EU passport is the way to go but as I understand it you, or your pet at least, needs to spend 21 days in an EU country between Rabies vax and test for anti-bodies. This was my understanding when I looked last year but things change ....quickly.

 

[sailingmartin]

Also remember that your pet cannot enter the UK from the EU on a private boat, only on a designated carrier, ie a ferry. And ferries don’t take walk on pets, only those in cars. You can however enter Britain from Ireland on a private boat with your pet. So A Coruna to Cork to Falmouth is perfectly legal on your own boat (with EU pet passport) but not Cherbourg to the Solent.

 

[dslittle]

Also remember that your pet cannot enter the UK from the EU on a private boat, only on a designated carrier, ie a ferry. And ferries don’t take walk on pets, only those in cars. You can however enter Britain from Ireland on a private boat with your pet. So A Coruna to Cork to Falmouth is perfectly legal on your own boat (with EU pet passport) but not Cherbourg to the Solent.

All true except one VERY important thing that we learned, having sailed to France with our dog and not having our car there…

The Dieppe to Newhaven ferry allowed us to travel back as foot passengers with our dog. There were only two places per crossing so in demand but if you book early you could get a mutt back. This was about five years ago so might not till be valid but, back then, it was the only way that we could get back without a car.

 

[geem]

Also remember that your pet cannot enter the UK from the EU on a private boat, only on a designated carrier, ie a ferry. And ferries don’t take walk on pets, only those in cars. You can however enter Britain from Ireland on a private boat with your pet. So A Coruna to Cork to Falmouth is perfectly legal on your own boat (with EU pet passport) but not Cherbourg to the Solent.

We sailed from Azores to Ireland for that reason. Then UK.[/QUOTE]

 

[geem]

Yes, EU passport is the way to go but as I understand it you, or your pet at least, needs to spend 21 days in an EU country between Rabies vax and test for anti-bodies. This was my understanding when I looked last year but things change ....quickly.

Not sure how that's relevant. You get the rabies vaccination in the UK. You can have the titre test after 3 months to prove the vaccine has taken. I am not aware of any other requirement. We have done the EU to UK route with dogs many times

 

[eebygum]

Also remember that your pet cannot enter the UK from the EU on a private boat, only on a designated carrier, ie a ferry. And ferries don’t take walk on pets, only those in cars. You can however enter Britain from Ireland on a private boat with your pet. So A Coruna to Cork to Falmouth is perfectly legal on your own boat (with EU pet passport) but not Cherbourg to the Solent.

For the above reason, this summer when I go sail from Anglesey to France/Spain…. I will sail to Dublin, leave the boat to Dun Laoghaire, walk across the road to catch the ferry to Holyhead as a foot passawnger to return immediately with my dog as a foot passenger (which you can do with Irish Ferries if you book the onboard kennel) with the dogs AHC documentation which I hope to get stamped so his 4 months in Northern Spain. I will come back via Southern Ireland but skip the passenger ferry marlarkey !

 

[geem]

For the above reason, this summer when I go sail from Anglesey to France/Spain…. I will sail to Dublin, leave the boat to Dun Laoghaire, walk across the road to catch the ferry to Holyhead as a foot passawnger to return immediately with my dog as a foot passenger (which you can do with Irish Ferries if you book the onboard kennel) with the dogs AHC documentation which I hope to get stamped so his 4 months in Northern Spain. I will come back via Southern Ireland but skip the passenger ferry marlarkey !

Why don't you just sail to Spain?

 

[NormanS]

By far, the best dog for a boat is a stuffed one. ?

 

[geem]

By far, the best dog for a boat is a stuffed one. ?

Thankyou for your valued contribution to the thread

 

[NormanS]

Thankyou for your valued contribution to the thread

My wife and I were once asked to sail someone's boat from Stornoway to Loch Craignish, taking their dog with us. No matter the weather conditions, the dog had to be taken ashore twice each day, to be emptied. Not only was this potentially dangerous and inconvenient, one cannot always assume that dogs are welcome. Never again.

 

[geem]

My wife and I were once asked to sail someone's boat from Stornoway to Loch Craignish, taking their dog with us. No matter the weather conditions, the dog had to be taken ashore twice each day, to be emptied. Not only was this potentially dangerous and inconvenient, one cannot always assume that dogs are welcome. Never again.

And that is relevant to this thread in which way? Clearly you are not a dog lover. I understand that such people exist but why post on this thread if you have nothing useful to add?
We find having a dog onboard is a pleasure not an inconvenience. Getting ashore and going for a walk twice a day might get some of the very unfit cruisers we see a little more active and fitter. How this is dangerous I am not sure.

 

[NormanS]

And that is relevant to this thread in which way? Clearly you are not a dog lover. I understand that such people exist but why post on this thread if you have nothing useful to add?
We find having a dog onboard is a pleasure not an inconvenience. Getting ashore and going for a walk twice a day might get some of the very unfit cruisers we see a little more active and fitter. How this is dangerous I am not sure.

Presumably where you sail with your dog, there is never weather bad enough to make it dangerous to make a trip ashore in the dinghy. Lucky you.
I do like dogs, and would never willingly subject one to the confines of a yacht.