Guide Dog – Pre Holiday Checklist:
Guide Dog team Spencer and Terry
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PLEASE NOTE: I am not a Travel Expert. The information here is as a result of my Personal Experience, and therefore to be used as a guide only. I would always recommend that you do your own research also.
Please note, this is what I do when travelling with my amazing Guide Dog, Spencer. We have travelled quite extensively on Ships and aeroplanes, visiting many different countries far and wide, and we have the best time ever whilst doing so. It can feel daunting, and overwhelming, however, as long as you pre plan, well in advance, it’s not that difficult. It sounds a lot more than it actually is, and once you have done it several times, it becomes second nature.
FOR ME – I feel that my Guide Dog, Spencer gives me so much freedom, allowing myself and my partner to travel and appreciate our travels as a couple, rather than my partner also having to be my carer. My white cane is great at finding obstacles ( I know an obstacle is there when I happen to hit/tap it with my cane ). However, my Guide Dog totally avoids obstacles that I don’t see, so this alone is huge to me, and makes travelling feel so much safer, as well as giving me more confidence and independence.
Always be mindful of the climate of the country you are planning to visit, and together with your Guide Dog Mobility Specialist, discuss what, if any additional precautions would be beneficial. The usual rules apply with me, for example, not going out at the hottest part of the day, ensuring I have a cool jacket for my Guide Dog, testing the pavement frequently by placing the palm of my hand onto it, and if it is too hot for my hand, it is definitely too hot for your dog to walk on. I always carry cool water for Spencer, and if possible, I have a frozen bottle of water and a cold water bottle, this way, the frozen water will slowly defrost, and stay colder for longer.
Rules and Regulations change frequently – so I would use this information as a guide to help inform you, but would also always check, as stated below with the authorities/government, links below.
I hope you find this information useful in helping to plan your fantastic travel adventures:
This information will be updated as and when I find things have changed.
Your rights as a Guide Dog User abroad may be different to your rights here in the UK. So, I always research the Country we will be travelling to in order to familiarise myself with their laws on assistance dogs.
BEFORE making any travel arrangements with your Guide Dog, I would always first mention that you are thinking of taking your Guide Dog on holiday with you to your Guide Dog Mobility Specialist (GDMS). They can give you guidance and offer support, even possibly accompanying you and your dog to an airport visit to get them used to this unusual environment, and make sure they are comfortable in these surroundings. This will also give you more confidence and reassurance for your upcoming travel. Guide Dogs UK also have information on their website with regard to travelling with your dog ( Details in the useful links section of this document ).
THE BEST AIRLINES THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE FOUND, BY FAR WHEN TRAVELLING WITH MY GUIDE DOG, SPENCER ARE: EASYJET, BRITISH AIRWAYS AND AMERICAN AIRLINES. All three of these airlines have been very helpful and attentive, I feel much less anxious when travelling with these, and reassured. My WORST experience so far has been with JET2
The Civil Aviation Authority say that “airlines must accept all assistance dogs for air travel without charge”. The USA also have similar regulations. However, I would advise to ALWAYS check which airlines are registered in each country so that you know what your rights are, and what to expect on your flights. Some airlines for example don’t guarantee extra seats or leg room for guide dogs
What you need to be aware of and Plan for well in advance of your trip
- Inform Travel agent that your Guide Dog will be going. Details of your dog, e.g: Black Lab/Golden Retriever Cross 32kg.
- Make sure any hotels are made aware of your guide dog and agree to accept him, via the travel agent
- Make sure the Airline is made aware of your guide dog, Via Travel Agent. Once received Travel Confirmation details and booking numbers: Contact the airline – Special Assistance and reserve Bulk Head Seats and confirm any details to them. ENSURE YOU HAVE A TRAVEL/CAR HARNESS, as this will be required once onboard the plane before take off, and attaches to your seatbelt, whilst allowing your guide dog to lay on the floor/footwell in front of your seat.
We have found EasyJet to be the most amiable airline and most accommodating. If bulk head seats are not available ( Extra Legroom ) they will usually allocate you an extra seat so that your guide dog can lay down comfortably ( e.g three seats in a row for two passengers plus your guide dog ) They will also give you an extra cabin bag allowance for your guide dogs food. They do not charge you extra to accommodate your guide dog. HOWEVER, some airlines do charge for extra legroom seats and will also charge for any additional cabin bags. For example, JET2 charged us the regular price for reserving extra legroom seats and an extra cabin bag to take my guide dogs food. - Book your guide Dog a Vet appointment no more than 10 days prior to departure This is for his/her Animal Health Certificate (AHC) You will need to advise the vet at the time of booking which country your guide dog will first be in. As the AHC needs to be in the language of the first country you enter. One AHC is required for each international travel, so if you travel again later in the year, a new AHC will be required.
- Make Sure Your Guide Dogs Vaccinations are up to date ( Annually for his/her regular Vaccines and every 3 years for Rabies ).
Your vet MUST make sure the following is completed correctly AND in the right place, as any small error, e.g info in the wrong place, can stop your guide dog from being allowed to travel and there are some VERY strict officials! Believe me, I know! 😊 Your Guide Dogs Date Of Birth, Microchip Number, Date it was put in, or read and where it is placed on your guide dogs body, Vaccination Date, plus manufacturer and product name ( e.g Nobivac ), Vaccine Batch Number, Date the vaccination is valid until. The vets signature, official stamp and contact details - RABIES: Your Guide Dog MUST have a Rabies Vaccination. The rabies vaccination must have been administered at least 21 days before travel
If travelling to an “Unlisted Country” ( Unlisted countries change all of the time, for example, Turkey is now an unlisted country ) , then your Guide Dog will ALSO need a Rabies Blood Test done.
A blood sample must be taken at least 30 days AFTER the rabies vaccination. ( if going to an unlisted country )
Your vet who has taken the blood sample MUST send it to an EU approved blood testing laboratory. ( I have fallen foul of this, the test was sent to a lab not listed as Government EU approved list, and therefore the certificate was null and void!! )
You will need to wait for the results, and to allow travel, your guide Dog Blood Test result show that the vaccination was successful ( Rabies Antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml ). Don’t assume because your Guide Dog has had a rabies vaccination, that he/she will get a successful result. My Guide Dog had his rabies vaccinations, and when tested for travel, he failed the required level of antibodies, so, had to be re-vaccinated, we had to wait the required 30 days again, have the rabies blood test repeated and then wait another 3 months after that before we could travel..nightmare )
You MUST wait three months from the date that the rabies blood sample was taken BEFORE you travel.
The vet must give you the results test certificate ( DO NOT LOOSE THIS original document, as copies will not be accepted ). He must also enter the date the blood sample was taken onto your animal health certificate.
The blood test will remain valid as long as your Guide Dogs Rabies Vaccinations are kept up to date, with no lapses ( every three years in the UK currently. )
- BEFORE YOU TRAVEL ABROAD, also Book an appointment with a vet in the country you are visiting for them to administer your guide dogs worming treatment and also complete, Sign and stamp his Animal Health Certificate. It is advisable to ask to have the wrapper of the medication administered ( Usually in the form of tablets ). YOU DO NOT need to treat your dog for tapeworm if you are coming directly back to the UK from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway
The tapeworm treatment must be approved for use in the Country it Is being given in ( eg in our case , the UK. It must contain Praziquantel or an equivalent proven to be effective against the Echinococcus Multiloculans Tapeworm )
The vet appt abroad must be NO LESS THAN 24 HOURS AND NO MORE THAN 120 HOURS ( FIVE DAYS ) BEFORE LANDING BACK INTO THE UK. This step is crucial, and there is no margin of error with the timings. Be very careful that you take into account any time zone differences between the country you are receiving the tapeworm treatment and when you land back in the UK! Your Guide Dog will be taken off of you, and may be quarantined when landing back in the UK.
- Send copies of the completed Animal Health Certificate and your guide dogs Yellow ID Book, along with his up to date vaccination cards to the airline Via Special Assistance / or via your travel agent. ( Details can be found on their website ).
- Contact the Animal Reception Centre for the Airport from which you will be flying, with as much advanced notice as possible.The staff are exceptionally helpful, and will run through what you need to enable your Guide Dog to be able to come back into the UK after your vacation. They will set up a folder for you and your Guide Dog. They will require copies sending of your Guide Dog ID ( Yellow Book ) , Animal Health Certificate, Vaccination cards, Rabies Blood Test certificate, Details of your flight. I ALWAYS email them and check that I have everything they require, just in case. I can then get anything additional I need that I may have forgotten. ESPECIALLY IF TRAVELLING TO THE USA. I tell them what I have in terms of paperwork already, what I have planned to get before I travel, flight details, country (ies) to be visited etc. They usually reply pretty quickly. They will also need you to send them another copy, or confirmation before you fly back that you have seen a vet abroad and your guide dog has had the required worming treatment.
( See Below for worming requirements for entry back into the UK ). They will then issue you with a letter (Via E-mail ) authorising the airline to carry your Guide Dog back to the UK. The animal Health reception staff will be waiting for you when your plane lands back into the UK. Usually, they will either meet you at the door of the plane and check details on the plane, or more usually, will escort you to a quiet area just off the plane, and then check all of your original documentation against what you have sent them, as well as scanning your guide dogs Microchip number. Once they are happy that all is in order, you can then proceed as normal, through baggage claim, passport control/customs etc
- Book your amazing Guide Dog in for his/her pre holiday groom and pamper, to make them feel like a million dollars and as always, they will receive as much attention as a celebrity walking on the red carpet when you go away, so, they need to look their amazing best haha
- Remember to pack all you will need for our Guide Dog, including their food. I take pre-weighed meals/kibble in zip loc bags and put them into Spencers suitcase. I always take enough for the duration of our vacation, plus a couple of days extra, just in case. I also take a small doggy first aid kit with me, and destination dependant, I will take things like a cool jacket. I also take a few of his favourite toys and treats to make him feel at home. REMEMBER: Your guide dog will not be insured abroad, so you may wish to consider looking for/taking out pet insurance for him/her whilst away. Costs abroad can be astronomical. Also, Guide Dogs will not pay for Any of the above travel requirements ( e.g rabies vaccination, animal health certificates, worming treatments at the vet abroad, paperwork etc )
- IF your flight is over EIGHT Hours, you will also be required to complete a DOT form and return it to the airline.
USEFUL LINKS:
GUIDE DOGS UK – General Information and Guidance when travelling with your guide dog
Regularly updated Government list of both LISTED and UNLISTED countries
However, I decided to get the rabies blood test done, just in case, because the unlisted/listed country status changes frequently
Example of Animal ( pet ) Health Certificate that your Vet will complete
Heathrow Animal Health Reception
Heathrow Animal Health reception staff are extremely helpful
Heathrow Animal Health reception E-Mail Address
Animal AirCare ( Servicing both Gatwick and Heathrow
Usually ask you to stay in your seat on the aircraft and they will board the plane to complete their checks, to cause you and your dog minimal distressOnce again, these people are extremely helpful and reassuring.
What do we do when we get to the airport?
We always book assistance, as a precautionary measure, but often, one of the airport staff will see Spencer and myself and approach us, asking if we need help, which is greatly appreciated and significantly reduces my anxiety levels.
We are then usually fast tracked to all of the necessary ports of call – check in desk/bag drop off/security/Gate. Someone usually stays with us or hands us over to another agent for each segment. I ALWAYS ask where the assistance Dog Spending Area is, and I am surprised with the number of airport staff that have no idea what this is! But, for me, it is a priority, as Spencer is my major concern, and his needs come before my own ( in my opinion ). Once I know where the spending area is, I feel much more settled, then once sorted with everything else, I can take Spencer to spend, and then again, just before we go to the gate to board the plane.
I always have all of Spencer’s documentation ( Guide Dogs UK ID/Yellow Book, Animal Health Certificate, Vaccination Cards, Rabies Seriology Certificate ) in a separate folder, so that I can easily hand it over to anyone requiring it. I always ask at check in if they need to see the paperwork, and usually, they do. This can then be checked against the paperwork you have emailed to them previously.
Often, at Security, I will be told to let go of Spencer and walk through the scanner arch, and then they will walk Spencer through. I ALWAYS politely decline, and insist that Spencer stays with me at all times, and I won’t hand him over.
Once through security, we tend to just mull about browsing the shops (Spencer, Myself and my Partner, Dean ) , having something to eat, perhaps a beverage or two 😊 . Ensure Spencer has been given an opportunity to spend. We make ourselves known to the gate staff, and then they are aware, they then usually ask us if we prefer to board first. Personally, I like to board last, as this means that hundreds of people are not walking past Spencer, and being tempted to reach out and pet him, or distract him, when he has settled on his mat. If we board last, then everyone else is seated, and we can then simply be shown to our seat, Dean will sort out our cabin bags, whilst I place a mat/blanket onto the floor in front of my ( Or Spencers reserved seat ) for him to settle onto.
I will remove Spencers Harness, and then attach the car harness, which attaches to my seat belt, ( I got mine from Pets At Home, and they kindly adjusted it to fit Spencer perfectly for me before we left. Spencer then lays down, and usually places his head onto my foot, for a snooze. I will give him either his favourite toy, or a smoked bone to chew on during take-off, just in case his ears may pop, and it also acts as a distraction. However, Spencer will simply raise his head off of the floor and look around when the engine noise goes crazy when we are about to take off, he will sit up, and back up between my legs, where I reassure him with gentle words and stroking his ears. He then, simply lays down, puts his head back onto my foot, and snoozes most of the flight.
Cabin crew always talk me through the safety aspects, as I cannot see them demonstrate, allowing me to also touch and feel the apparatus that they use to demonstrate to passengers prior to take off, and explain where the exit doors are for me.
During the flight, I will offer Spencer ice cubes or small sips of water, which the cabin crew always offer, and provide, to keep him hydrated.
I am never worried about Spencer needing to spend on our flights, AS LONG AS I have been able to allow him to spend before boarding the plane. Bear in mind, your dog doesn’t need to spend during the night when he sleeps at home! However, I have found that there is sometimes NO spending areas available once past security, which can be a problem. If this is the case, I will usually ask airport staff if they will assist us to an area where Spencer can spend, such as a tarmac area. There is usually some resistance to this, because they say passengers are not allowed onto the tarmac areas. However, on occasion, they have agreed if I wear a hi-vis vest and hard hat! And walk with a member of staff.
Depending upon the flight duration, time of day/night, I will adjust Spencers Breakfast and Dinner feeds. Most Guide Dogs will have their Spending routine, so, you know your dog better than anyone. I just remind myself that Spencer goes all night without needing to spend, so therefore, if he has done his spends before the flight, and then give him another spending opportunity at the earliest opportunity after disembarking the plane, we are all good.
Once off of the plane, as well as giving Spencer an opportunity to spend, I will give him a bowl of fresh water, and if it is his mealtime, or if his food was restricted prior to flying, then I will give him his meal. He then feels refreshed, full, and ready to go.