First trip to France with seven month old puppy

[WelshGas]

I should add neither my wife or I (both in 60's) have caught it yet; I'm especially amazed as wife was vaccinating 7 days a week at the height so we have no idea how we will fair - my holiday insurance does however cover any and all eventualities includig the dog!

But there are 2 of you and the liklihood of both simultaneously being struck down is possible but slim. Now just make it one of you with a child and puppy to look after.

 

[pluc99]

Fascinating thread! Commonsense is the rule IMHO. Our 2 year old Goldie loves the van and has been on every UK holiday with us since we got it. She travels really well and we have the D anchor in the seat rail and a shock absorber leash connected to her harness.

Hi @GrahamB, can you please provide more info on the shock absorber leash and harness you use?

 

[Calimili]

I also travel with a young child (8 years old) and a Puppy (Cavalier). In Europe you can't take dogs to supermarkets, nor can you leave dogs (or children!!) in a closed car in the sun.
The advantage of the Cali is that it is 2m high. Look for a supermarket with an underground/covered car park. Otherwise shop very early in the morning when the sun is low and the shades produced are bigger. temps a bit lower too. I mean 7:30 - 8 and be quick. Ideally you'd check how long a parking spot would remain in shade the day before.
You can leave your child in the car locked with the windows an inch down in the shades unless you are in a dodgy neighborhood.
You can buy the hook for the tailgate in order to leave it slightly opened but locked as well. buy a usb ventilator too to move the air inside.
Test the setup a day before with a thermometer before you get the hang of it.
And I would leave the dog inside the van in a fabric kennel. safer for your dog and your van.
Of course nothing replaces good judgement.

 

[GrahamB]

Hi @GrahamB, can you please provide more info on the shock absorber leash and harness you use?

Sure no problem. The harness is by Ruffwear - its the Flagline one which is great for outdoors and has a handle for helping the dog on tricky bits (like steep stiles) if she needs it and a clip on the back which is great for the car. The anti-shock leash is by Ezy-dog, I got it from Pets at Home.

Ruffwear - Flagline Harness

Lightweight and multi-use Ruffwear harness. Features a handle and chest/belly panel. Reflective trimming. Multiple sizes and colours. Dog harness UK.

www.mountaindog.uk

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/ezydog-zero-shock-short-dog-lead-black-64cm

Some pics attached including the leash attached to the D anchor. Hope this helps.

 

[AMH70]

We've had labs for years and now have a very special Drakeshead black lab - long legged, very very clever and weighs 35kg. The previous dogs never went away with us but I said this one would - wow, quite a shokc to the system!! He is now 5 and travels totally relaxed - we can go for 5 hours at least and all he really wants is a biscuit but he will have been for a good long walk prior to travel so my only concern for you is making sure your dog gets enough exercise before travel. Now with a young dog you'll need to be careful they are young and bones still developing and you won't have benefit of a garden for exercise - not leaving them in van means they'll be walking further. If we are going on trips with ferries involved he goes in kennels - we've done this from when he was 6 months old so he got used to kennels (just happens our kennels use our vet and know his breeder) for this reason and also should there be a famiyly crisis where you need to go but dog cannot go with you?? Finally you might want to consider upping his dose for worming treatment i.e. lung worm prevention from 3 months to 1 month interval. We use Droncit for this and Nextguard Spectra for other worm and flea/tick prevention. Never had any issues with ticks and we visit Scotland frequently - oh yeh don't forget to talk to your vet about pet antihistamines - just in case snakes about - our narrowly missed a strike from an ader in Scotland this May!!!

Really interesting - thank you. He will be up to 50 minutes exercise by then so we will do that before we travel and then no much when we arrive.

 

[AMH70]

Fascinating thread! Commonsense is the rule IMHO. Our 2 year old Goldie loves the van and has been on every UK holiday with us since we got it. She travels really well and we have the D anchor in the seat rail and a shock absorber leash connected to her harness. In my view there is a world of difference between leaving her in the van on a cool campsite in, say, Snowdonia, with zero chance of overheating, compared to the south of France in 30c + temperatures. Near to home, unless it is extremely hot, I confess I sometimes leave her in the van for a few minutes while I pop into a shop - why wouldn’t you? Sometimes the wife and kids are left in there too and they don't seem to complain if I come back with the right sort of treats

Having said all that, we recently planned our summer holiday to France in August and reluctantly decided that it was going to be too difficult all round to take her all the way south. Too hot for comfort really and added to this I read that although the French love their dogs, you can’t take them on the beach in most places! This would make life miserable for her and our 13 and 6 year old kids! So we were looking to change the itinerary and head inland to lakes and mountains (maybe Auvergne region) where it would be cooler and she could get wet. But in the end, parents have come to the rescue and will house/dogsit while we are away so she will be spoilt rotten. Although we will miss her, its the best compromise for everyone to be safe and happy. Plus it will save all the hassle and expense of the extra vet bills for jabs and checks. Mind you they can get into enough trouble all by themselves - I just took her to the vet today to see about a limp and its looking like a damaged cruciate and a massive bill if surgery is required

Only you know what’s best for you and your pup. Have a great trip - and if he doesn’t go on this one, there will surely be plenty more for him to enjoy.

I hope she’s okay and you’re covered by insurance! Thanks for the post - good to know others are having similar dilemmas.

 

[AMH70]

98 posts about taking a puppy to France and no one has mentioned the Elephant in the Room.
A single adult, a child and a puppy travelling abroad in the middle of a pandemic. Cases are rising in the UK and we have one of the best Covid surveillance systems in the west. So if they are rising here they are rising in Europe. So who is going to look after the child , let alone the puppy, when the adult is knocked for six by Covid. Infection may not be as serious for the vaccinated as it was but you still get knocked for 6. I hope you have adequate travel insurance and a Plan B if you you do catch it whilst in France.

I was camping in Norfolk the other day and woke up feeling really sick and through ‘oh no what will I do if it’s a stomach bug’ - the worst place to be! I didn’t fortunately and was fine but it did make me feel worried. I’ve had Covid twice and my daughter once (both of us recently) so I’m more worried about sickness bugs/food poisoning. Who would walk the dog and stuck in a van too!!

 

[Calimili]

98 posts about taking a puppy to France and no one has mentioned the Elephant in the Room.
A single adult, a child and a puppy travelling abroad in the middle of a pandemic. Cases are rising in the UK and we have one of the best Covid surveillance systems in the west. So if they are rising here they are rising in Europe. So who is going to look after the child , let alone the puppy, when the adult is knocked for six by Covid. Infection may not be as serious for the vaccinated as it was but you still get knocked for 6. I hope you have adequate travel insurance and a Plan B if you you do catch it whilst in France.

Cases are definitely rising in Europe and quickly. But nobody knows or bothers. Not a single article on the main german news sites. It's all about the war and how we'll cope once Vladi shut the gas tap off. Corona? Forgotten.
But you point could be valid also in times without corona. If the single adult, breaks his (right) foot, gets an allergic reaction to an insect bite, eats something foul etc.. there is still a need to recover child +dog (puppy or adult) and bring it back home. Either insurance or relatives on standby.
I also travel now with a child and a puppy, but I can't give up life/holidays. We are both vaccinated, but it doesn't have to be corona that ruins your hols.

 

[WelshGas]

Cases are definitely rising in Europe and quickly. But nobody knows or bothers. Not a single article on the main german news sites. It's all about the war and how we'll cope once Vladi shut the gas tap off. Corona? Forgotten.
But you point could be valid also in times without corona. If the single adult, breaks his (right) foot, gets an allergic reaction to an insect bite, eats something foul etc.. there is still a need to recover child +dog (puppy or adult) and bring it back home. Either insurance or relatives on standby.
I also travel now with a child and a puppy, but I can't give up life/holidays. We are both vaccinated, but it doesn't have to be corona that ruins your hols.

Too true. In my past I ran an ICU and was involved in a number of repatriations and that bought home the importance of good travel insurance, especially if the rest of the party are depending on you.

 

[Norfolk Jim]

Sure no problem. The harness is by Ruffwear - its the Flagline one which is great for outdoors and has a handle for helping the dog on tricky bits (like steep stiles) if she needs it and a clip on the back which is great for the car. The anti-shock leash is by Ezy-dog, I got it from Pets at Home.

Ruffwear - Flagline Harness

Lightweight and multi-use Ruffwear harness. Features a handle and chest/belly panel. Reflective trimming. Multiple sizes and colours. Dog harness UK.

www.mountaindog.uk

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/ezydog-zero-shock-short-dog-lead-black-64cm

Some pics attached including the leash attached to the D anchor. Hope this helps.

View attachment 95434

View attachment 95435

View attachment 95436

View attachment 95437

I have that Flagline harness and found it excellent especially on walks where there are stile - an aide to getting over them. Same colour as mine. I also have the Waw shock absorber which is fantstic.https://snowpawstore.com/products/waw-basic?variant=36548110483619&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2020-07-01&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn4qWBhCvARIsAFNAMii_VbEcINl9KTKdHPL6ft6atJCpvhPwLMEF7sOh1HGTFGBQnMylMkYaAmH0EALw_wcB

 

[Norfolk Jim]

I was camping in Norfolk the other day and woke up feeling really sick and through ‘oh no what will I do if it’s a stomach bug’ - the worst place to be! I didn’t fortunately and was fine but it did make me feel worried. I’ve had Covid twice and my daughter once (both of us recently) so I’m more worried about sickness bugs/food poisoning. Who would walk the dog and stuck in a van too!!

Hope worst place to be wasn't Norfolk! _ We're nice here and have an excellent hospital

 

[Calimili]

I also travel with a young child (8 years old) and a Puppy (Cavalier). In Europe you can't take dogs to supermarkets, nor can you leave dogs (or children!!) in a closed car in the sun.
The advantage of the Cali is that it is 2m high. Look for a supermarket with an underground/covered car park. Otherwise shop very early in the morning when the sun is low and the shades produced are bigger. temps a bit lower too. I mean 7:30 - 8 and be quick. Ideally you'd check how long a parking spot would remain in shade the day before.
You can leave your child in the car locked with the windows an inch down in the shades unless you are in a dodgy neighborhood.
You can buy the hook for the tailgate in order to leave it slightly opened but locked as well. buy a usb ventilator too to move the air inside.
Test the setup a day before with a thermometer before you get the hang of it.
And I would leave the dog inside the van in a fabric kennel. safer for your dog and your van.
Of course nothing replaces good judgement.

I just would like to improve on my answer, after the experience I made yesterday.
I went to a lake 20km from where I live. It was 30° C and sunny here. After 1/1.5hrs the dog needed her food and nap. Fine, parked the Cali in the shade, opened all windows/tailgate and waited the inside temp to come down from 40+°C to 30°C before putting the dog in to eat. With the tailgate partially opened locked with the airsafe hook and one window an inch down, I shut the van while we went for a pee before the nap. Returned to the van 5mins later temps already risen to 35° despite being in the shade and windows open. That's because the dash was still hot and acting as a heater, same as the engine.
It took another 1.5hours with the van cooling off in the shade for the temp not to rise inside once the doors where shut. Only then I could leave my dog inside napping alone.
Therefore arriving at a supermarket with a hot dash+engine, park in the shade and go shopping 10mins... it won't work!

 

[AMH70]

Hope worst place to be wasn't Norfolk! _ We're nice here and have an excellent hospital

I’m a Suffolk lass so I will say no more

 

[Norfolk Jim]

I’m a Suffolk lass so I will say no more

Ohhhh a little rivalry then although I did live in Suffolk for nearly 4 years working in Bury.........

 

[AMH70]

Ohhhh a little rivalry then although I did live in Suffolk for nearly 4 years working in Bury.........

That makes

I also travel with a young child (8 years old) and a Puppy (Cavalier). In Europe you can't take dogs to supermarkets, nor can you leave dogs (or children!!) in a closed car in the sun.
The advantage of the Cali is that it is 2m high. Look for a supermarket with an underground/covered car park. Otherwise shop very early in the morning when the sun is low and the shades produced are bigger. temps a bit lower too. I mean 7:30 - 8 and be quick. Ideally you'd check how long a parking spot would remain in shade the day before.
You can leave your child in the car locked with the windows an inch down in the shades unless you are in a dodgy neighborhood.
You can buy the hook for the tailgate in order to leave it slightly opened but locked as well. buy a usb ventilator too to move the air inside.
Test the setup a day before with a thermometer before you get the hang of it.
And I would leave the dog inside the van in a fabric kennel. safer for your dog and your van.
Of course nothing replaces good judgement.

Thank you. I’m going to opt for local markets/butchers to get my provisions and stock up as much as I can before I leave. I bought the tailgate hook a couple of weeks back - looks fiddly but I will have plenty of time to work it out. I’ve yet to meet a single person travelling with child and dog so will look out for you on my travels

 

[AMH70]

Ohhhh a little rivalry then although I did live in Suffolk for nearly 4 years working in Bury.........

I will just add that Norfolk has some wonderful places to camp. The North Sea is a bit cold though