My first idea, since I was leaving alone in a van, was to take a traveling companion. A dog for company, for security, to walk with me on my long solo walks, a little bit of all that.
Traveling in a van means traveling on the road but also spending your time in the great outdoors.
The van being fitted out can be considered as a small house on wheels and offers the animal all the comfort it will need.
He will have a familiar setting, his mattress, his toys.
We will be able to stretch regularly, him his paws, me my legs.
For supplies, I can freeze meat, I saw on the internet that there are water bowls provided for the van.
Here I came up with the idea, I had even planned to make a hatch between the passenger compartment and the hold since certain countries require, when crossing a border, to put the dog in a closed transport cage, I will tell you this further.
But I told myself that not all dog breeds were made for traveling? Each has its specificity, its character, its health.
I found the site Assuropoil.fr which offers a complete sheet explaining the physical characteristics, characters, abilities as well as a health and care summary.
My first personal criteria are:
No | Yes | |
|---|---|---|
Size | small: Bichon, Skye Terrier, Chiwawa or huge: Cane Corso, Borzoi, Mastiff. | average |
Weight | 40kg max | |
Fur | abundant loss of hair: Chow-Chow, German Shepherd, Labrador and need for hair removal: Schnauzer, Jack Russell, Greyhound . | short hair: Basset, Rottweiler, Beauceron |
Longevity | 13 to 16 years old | |
Health | hip dysplasia: Naples Mastiff, Cane Corso, Tosa, Mastiff , ear infections: Poodle, SharPei, Springer, genetic disease: Wolfdog, Welsh, Collie, noise phobia: Australian Shepherd, Border Collie , eyes: Boxer, St. Hubert, Saint Bernard, stomach twisting: Dane, Poodle, Shorthaired Pointer. | Australian Cattle Dog, Basenji, Shiba inu, Border Collie |
Character | noisy: Yorkshire, Fox Terrier, Beagle , too nice: Dalmatian, Greyhound, Labrador, hyperactive: Border Collie, Jack Russell, Fox terrier | Independent, hardy, robust, intelligent, loyal, affectionate and protective |
Price | < 2500 € | Not too expensive |
Legal | Brazilian Mastiff, Tosa Inu, Dogo Argentino, Rotteiller | allowed |
I had remembered:
Irish Setter: independent, docile and affectionate, extroverted, courageous
Bouvier: iron health, does not fear arid climates, lively, needs space and to exercise
Anatolian Shepherd: powerful, short haired, resistant, adapts to all climates
Beauceron: need to exercise, doesn't cope well with the city, solid, rustic
Malinois Shepherd: lively, alert, defensive, great learning capacity, very intelligent
Let's stay chauvinistic, I opted for a Malinois Shepherd .
The next question that comes to mind: what are the obligations, vaccines, air travel, ...
European Union
European passport drawn up by an authorized veterinarian
dog identification by electronic chip
valid rabies vaccination, knowing that a vaccination valid in Belgium may not have the same period of validity in the country of destination
treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis: Malta, Finland, Ireland, United Kingdom
age over 15 weeks
undergo serum anti-rabies antibody titration
make the necessary reminders
accompaniment of the dog by an authorized person
insure your dog to cover emergencies
Out of Europe
all the points above,
conditions set by each destination: health certificate with or without model, sometimes with request for sworn translation
written declaration to certify that the trip is not commercial
blood test for the countries: United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Australia, Aruba, Bosnia, Barbados, Bahrain, .... i.e. around fifty countries.
quarantine depending on destination
Thought(s)
is his well-being not likely to be threatened?
dog's ability to stay alone
different climatic conditions with risks of diseases with contamination by unknown microbes or parasites
sensitivity to hot or cold
travel stress, motion sickness, return by plane with transport in the hold
certain countries prohibit the importation of animals, countries very affected by rabies such as the Maldives or Indonesia prohibit dogs on all or part of their territory, Iceland strongly restricts the passage of animals on their soil, even during a correspondence, others send the dog back to its country of origin and five countries practice euthanasia of the animal including Jamaica, Easter Island, Bali, etc.)
quarantine which can last from ten days to a few months
Ban on certain breeds: Pitbull Terrier, Doberman, Tosa Inu
compulsory wearing of a muzzle may be imposed in public places or on public transport
regulated access to beaches
compulsory sterilization of dogs for Mauritius
additional vaccination: Distemper, Rubarth hepatitis, parvovirus, etc.
No problem traveling in Europe, it gets complicated outside of Europe because when I compare certain quarantine durations and the validity of residence visas, I don't have many days left to stay and visit the said country.
This is the first argument that shook my idea of traveling with a dog.
The second was to calculate the number of titrations to be carried out, required by certain countries, sometimes at the exit of one of them, sometimes at the entrance of another. The dog was going to be regularly punctured, put in a cage for observation, was this good for him, wasn't he going to have too much stress?
The third argument was: and if I fall ill, if I am hospitalized for a week, I take the example of a nomad who was in the vaps for several days following malaria, will we take care of the animal ? Or if I get injured, like a broken leg and I can't take it out, take it for a walk?
The fourth was the examples of heatwaves recently, the van is insulated but if the sun hits the van it will be hot. Not all visits are always authorized or cannot be done with a dog, such as museums, parks and public gardens, shopping, restaurants, post offices, banks, embassies, taxis, etc. leaving the dog alone once half a day or a day in the vehicle, even airy, is not a solution.
After pragmatic analysis of these four arguments, I perhaps and surely opted for the easy way out. I finally decided to travel alone, to have the flexibility of my choices, to go to the countries I want, without any waste of time, without the hassle of having to think about the 4-legged companion who will take care of me. would accompany.
Who knows along the way, I might find a lonely and abandoned dog who needs security and shelter. I will notify at that time.
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