I know many of you have taken your dogs over to BG by car, and I have been trying to find out what different regulations for different countries there are. Unfortunately, not being very good on a computer, sometimes things defeat me. Apart from the obvious, passport, chip and vaccinations, information seems a bit scetchy.

With regards restraints (or not) all I have managed to find out is that each country have their own ideas, but no details For example, do dogs need a harness? Travel crate? Wire guard? We usually use harnesses on the back seat, attached to seat belts. They travel fine in the boot, but the older lab is getting a bit creaky for jumping in, and the other is a bit small, but also I have been reluctant to use the boot since a taxi ran into me years ago and crumpled the boot in. Don't want to use travel crates as the girls take so much comfort from each other in the inevitable scary and noisy situations.

The other question is...how easy is it to find a quiet place to stay overnight with two dogs? There is no way we would leave them in the car on their own. They are both rescues and have a bit of an issue with noise and lights, (lots of valerian helps) and I think it is going to be difficult enough for them without leaving them alone in a strange place. We are looking into a bigger car so if necessary we could maybe sleep in that and take more breaks.

I know it seems a bit early to be thinking about a drive over, but if I can find things out early enough i can get used to things so that they are not an issue. (bit of a worrier)

Thanks for your time.

Mrs Eq

Well we came over with a cat in the back of my truck so we had the Pet Passport done for him. What a waste of money apart from the rabies shot, we drove straight through the borders and were stopped once in Romania and Bulgaria just to check our passports. The truck wasn't looked at and they never knew we had a cat in the back which I found to be a bit concerning because I could think of a number of things to carry if I had been a terrorist!We slept in the truck with the cat as he was an indoor cat and very nervous outside so whether you can be accommodated over night with your dogs I don't know perhaps someone else can answer that.

We drove over with our German Shepherd from France. We needed the usual jabs, chip, etc., but also a rabies jab which then has to be tested at the Vet's again before we left.

Also you'll need an 'EU pet passport' to allow cross-border travel without quarantine.

Please note that these rules only apply for EU member countries and I would strongly advise against taking your animals through non-EU borders!

The P.E.T.S. Travel Scheme is the best place to look for up to date regulations:
[url:31o3wxqw]http:
//www.
defra.
gov.
uk/[/url:31o3wxqw]

PS. Forgot to mention ... we drove through France, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria and never had a problem finding a hotel that would let the dog stay in the room with us. We also had a 'pet-friendly' cabin on the overnight Italy-Greece ferry so she could stay with us rather than in the hold.

All in all it was a very hassle free journey.

Although we had all our 'pet paperwork', we were never asked for it once!

When we came over in 2011, we flew but our German Shepherd was driven over by a guy in Varna who runs a kennels. He was great with her, spent a few hours at our home getting to know her before he took her. He has a custom built transit to transport pets in comfort. He's a bit grumpy with humans but great with dogs. Reasonable cost as well. If you want to PM me I will send you his details. He is very reliable and our dog who is very standoffish with strangers took to him really well.
Ray

We drove over with our springer spaniel harnessed in the back, and our min dachshund on my lap in the front. Naughty I know, but she's small and was perfectly alright. No problem staying overnight, like you we wouldn't have dreamed of leaving them in the car. Both had their pet passports and were never asked for! When we crossed over into Bulgaria at Ruse, only the dachshund was seen!
Unfortunately our beloved spaniel Robbie died the day we got here, but that's another story that I wrote about elsewhere on the forum.
Nothing to do with the journey. We stopped regularly, walked them and they only got bottled water to drink. Spoilt or what? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Scunnered wrote:

Both had their pet passports and were never asked for!

When we got to the border between Greece and Bulgaria, a rather 'stroppy' looking customs official asked if he could open the back door to our 4WD (I'd removed the back seats and thrown them away, giving our German Shepherd the whole of the back to lie around in).

I agreed that he could open the back door if he wished.

Customs official got his hand on the back door and the dog woke up ... stood up to her full height and yawned (I think that he thought she was snarling or something!) and immediately waved us through!

Dog fell asleep again within 500 yards but it was another 'hassle-free' border crossing [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi
We have drove across 3 times with our dog, The only things you need are the the pets passport,which includes rabies jab,chip ID etc. No problems going through the borders, but returning to the UK the dog must be treated by a vet for tick and flea treatment between 24 hrs and 5 days before getting on the ferry or train.
Good luck on your journey,cheers jock

Chris wrote:

Scunnered wrote:

Both had their pet passports and were never asked for!

When we got to the border between Greece and Bulgaria, a rather 'stroppy' looking customs official asked if he could open the back door to our 4WD (I'd removed the back seats and thrown them away, giving our German Shepherd the whole of the back to lie around in).

I agreed that he could open the back door if he wished.

Customs official got his hand on the back door and the dog woke up ... stood up to her full height and yawned (I think that he thought she was snarling or something!) and immediately waved us through!

Dog fell asleep again within 500 yards but it was another 'hassle-free' border crossing [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Love it!

we drove over with our two dogs 6 years ago, no problem at any of the borders. drove to spain for christmas and had no problems. when we return to bulgaria their passports are still valid, but they must be wormed within 5 days of travel and recorded in their passports. having said that their passports have never been looked at. as long as you comply with the document requirements there are no problems.

Thanks for your replies. Luckily they are both good travellers and settle quickly in new places as long as we are around. But I will definitely harness them because if anyone opens the door they might like to go walkabout, though I don't think anyone would feel threatened by either of them.

Mrs Eq