Help needed to see the family
Discussion
We currently have a problematic situation>
Our summer holiday plan is to drive down to Spain for a week or so. The route involves: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany (stop off at Nurburgring), Switzerland, France, then to the south coast in Spain.
Now for the problem: I live/work in Norway, and my fiance and dogs are in London. How do we get the dogs to Norway to start our hols?
a) Ferry, dogs left in car for 19hrs (not acceptable)
b) Fly commercial airline, dogs in cargo (not acceptable)
c) Channel tunnel, then OH drives. 1,700miles (along way to drive when we are planning a circa 6000mile road trip shortly after)
d) Charter a plane
e) Charter a boat
So in all of your wisdom does any PH'er have any idea how much it would cost to charter a plane or boat that would let us carry 2 small dogs with us? Any help would be great as I think it is starting to get quite stressful.
Our summer holiday plan is to drive down to Spain for a week or so. The route involves: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany (stop off at Nurburgring), Switzerland, France, then to the south coast in Spain.
Now for the problem: I live/work in Norway, and my fiance and dogs are in London. How do we get the dogs to Norway to start our hols?
a) Ferry, dogs left in car for 19hrs (not acceptable)
b) Fly commercial airline, dogs in cargo (not acceptable)
c) Channel tunnel, then OH drives. 1,700miles (along way to drive when we are planning a circa 6000mile road trip shortly after)
d) Charter a plane
e) Charter a boat
So in all of your wisdom does any PH'er have any idea how much it would cost to charter a plane or boat that would let us carry 2 small dogs with us? Any help would be great as I think it is starting to get quite stressful.
Let me say that one of the dogs is a little bugger, who can not be left alone unsupervised! The proof of which was teeth marks in all the leather in my new Disco3, and ripped interior of the O/H's TT. In the 7 years that we have been together we have only been away together for one long weekend due to not wanting to leave them on their own. We have finally got their passports sorted out so the dogs will be going on holiday with us.
How about this for a daft idea... 
Find someone to take the ferry from Plymouth to Santander... the crossing is 18 hours or so but they have kennels on board and they allow you to take the mutts out and give them some exercise to stretch their legs.
http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/pet-friendly-hol...
Find someone to take the ferry from Plymouth to Santander... the crossing is 18 hours or so but they have kennels on board and they allow you to take the mutts out and give them some exercise to stretch their legs.
http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/pet-friendly-hol...
Edited by bigandclever on Wednesday 5th May 20:42
bigandclever said:
How about this for a daft idea...
Find someone to take the ferry from Plymouth to Santander... the crossing is 18 hours or so but they have kennels on board and they allow you to take the mutts out and give them some exercise to stretch their legs.
http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/pet-friendly-hol...
Excellent idea, but if we did that I would get the car brought from Norway to UK, then take the ferry. Drive back to Norway for a OH to stay for another month or so, after which we still need to get the little ones back to the UK from Norway. There in lies the problem.Find someone to take the ferry from Plymouth to Santander... the crossing is 18 hours or so but they have kennels on board and they allow you to take the mutts out and give them some exercise to stretch their legs.
http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/pet-friendly-hol...
Edited by bigandclever on Wednesday 5th May 20:42
Have you used that ferry with dogs, if so how was it?
I haven't used it myself, but know a man who has. He took 2 ridgebacks, so not exactly the smallest of dogs. If I remember correctly, the exercise bit was on the deck and separated from the 2 legged passengers, plus there was an attendant who stayed with the kennels.
ETA In fact, tada! http://www.dogsaway.co.uk/in_our_opinion/photo_gal...
ETA In fact, tada! http://www.dogsaway.co.uk/in_our_opinion/photo_gal...
Edited by bigandclever on Wednesday 5th May 20:50
HowMuchLonger said:
We currently have a problematic situation>
Our summer holiday plan is to drive down to Spain for a week or so. The route involves: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany (stop off at Nurburgring), Switzerland, France, then to the south coast in Spain.
Now for the problem: I live/work in Norway, and my fiance and dogs are in London. How do we get the dogs to Norway to start our hols?
a) Ferry, dogs left in car for 19hrs (not acceptable)
b) Fly commercial airline, dogs in cargo (not acceptable)
c) Channel tunnel, then OH drives. 1,700miles (along way to drive when we are planning a circa 6000mile road trip shortly after)
d) Charter a plane
e) Charter a boat
So in all of your wisdom does any PH'er have any idea how much it would cost to charter a plane or boat that would let us carry 2 small dogs with us? Any help would be great as I think it is starting to get quite stressful.
I'm confused; you can't put them on a plane for a couple of hours, but it's ok to coop them up in the back of a car for 6000 miles? Our summer holiday plan is to drive down to Spain for a week or so. The route involves: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany (stop off at Nurburgring), Switzerland, France, then to the south coast in Spain.
Now for the problem: I live/work in Norway, and my fiance and dogs are in London. How do we get the dogs to Norway to start our hols?
a) Ferry, dogs left in car for 19hrs (not acceptable)
b) Fly commercial airline, dogs in cargo (not acceptable)
c) Channel tunnel, then OH drives. 1,700miles (along way to drive when we are planning a circa 6000mile road trip shortly after)
d) Charter a plane
e) Charter a boat
So in all of your wisdom does any PH'er have any idea how much it would cost to charter a plane or boat that would let us carry 2 small dogs with us? Any help would be great as I think it is starting to get quite stressful.
I am HML O/H.
We are unwilling to fly the dogs over as they won't be with us for the journey and as one of them suffers from severe seperation anxiety it isn't really an option. Yes the flight may only be for a couple of hours but the whole procedure would take much longer causing him to become really stressed. He is already on medication to help him deal with his issues but still has a long way to go....
Driving is not really a problem as the dogs aren't what I would call 'cooped up'. There is plenty of room in the car for them and we stop every couple of hours anyway to stretch their legs. However,obviously flying would be far quicker,that's why we are thinking about the idea of trying to get a plane over with them to reduce the s
t-zu's stress level and this is why O/H posted.
We are unwilling to fly the dogs over as they won't be with us for the journey and as one of them suffers from severe seperation anxiety it isn't really an option. Yes the flight may only be for a couple of hours but the whole procedure would take much longer causing him to become really stressed. He is already on medication to help him deal with his issues but still has a long way to go....
Driving is not really a problem as the dogs aren't what I would call 'cooped up'. There is plenty of room in the car for them and we stop every couple of hours anyway to stretch their legs. However,obviously flying would be far quicker,that's why we are thinking about the idea of trying to get a plane over with them to reduce the s
t-zu's stress level and this is why O/H posted.Being honest, it is my fault. I spoilt him as a puppy, as such he does have a problem. He will hyperventilate, salivate everywhere, and his eye goes very red (bursting blood vessels apparently. He has high blood pressure so is on pills for that. The vet also agrees that he has very bad separation anxiety, and prescribed him temazepan. The dosage is similar to that of a human, bear in mind he is only 8kg, and it had no effect on him.
He has a cage, and will go in it while we are at home. He may even let us shut the door if we are still there, but when we leave all hell breaks loose. He is 10years old, so not a puppy that we can train easily. We have tried behaviorists, training, etc.....all to no avail.
He is not happy if we leave him with friends, so I imagine he will be the same in kennels. When he has been to the hospital under sedation the vets will ring up for us to come and get him asap because he acts like he is about to have a fit when he wakes up.
The poor little bugger has had a traumatic life so we don't want to stress him out any more than necessary.
I must add that his sister is as good as gold! (Except in the car, where she has to run back and forth for the entire journey just in case she missing something interesting out of the other window).
He has a cage, and will go in it while we are at home. He may even let us shut the door if we are still there, but when we leave all hell breaks loose. He is 10years old, so not a puppy that we can train easily. We have tried behaviorists, training, etc.....all to no avail.
He is not happy if we leave him with friends, so I imagine he will be the same in kennels. When he has been to the hospital under sedation the vets will ring up for us to come and get him asap because he acts like he is about to have a fit when he wakes up.
The poor little bugger has had a traumatic life so we don't want to stress him out any more than necessary.
I must add that his sister is as good as gold! (Except in the car, where she has to run back and forth for the entire journey just in case she missing something interesting out of the other window).
Edited by HowMuchLonger on Wednesday 5th May 22:49
Nickyboy said:
If the dogs were sedated as they normally have to be for flight then they wouldn't know anything about being seperated from you for a few hours
Planes do not allow the dogs to be sedated (from what we have read)..They also don't recommend snub nosed dogs fly due to their breathing issues.
I have researched the whole sedation thing and a lot of airlines won't take sedated animals as it can be dangerous re cabin pressure etc and the fact that turbulance obviously causes the animals to move around. If they are sedated then their balance is affected which can result in serious injury. Sedating snub nosed dogs on flights is also very dangerous.They're also called shih-tzus 
It does sound like a bit of a nightmare though; one dog that's (apparently) neurotic during a car journey and another with medical and mental issues.
But for the humans in the mix, have you honestly thought what a 6000 mile car journey will be like with stops "every couple of hours"? It will be hellish.
Something in your idea has to give....
It does sound like a bit of a nightmare though; one dog that's (apparently) neurotic during a car journey and another with medical and mental issues.
But for the humans in the mix, have you honestly thought what a 6000 mile car journey will be like with stops "every couple of hours"? It will be hellish.
Something in your idea has to give....
HowMuchLonger said:
Being honest, it is my fault. I spoilt him as a puppy, as such he does have a problem... The poor little bugger has had a traumatic life so we don't want to stress him out any more than necessary.
Do you like being cruel to dogs Sociopath!
HowMuchLonger said:
I must add that his sister is as good as gold! (Except in the car, where she has to run back and forth for the entire journey just in case she missing something interesting out of the other window).
You want to drive 6000 miles in a car with this and Marvin the paranoid tzEdited by hidetheelephants on Thursday 6th May 00:12
Compromise. Let the other half drive the TT to the ring. You rag the TT round the ring whilst she watches/minds tempremental dogs. Leave TT there. Drive disco to Spain for hol. Drive back to ring. Part company; mrs with dogs to blighty, you in disco to norway. You enjoy 2 day road trip/lager sampling session. Plan. Or just go to Butlins in Bognor, I hear it's lovely and very animal friendly...
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