Take a stroll down any high street in the UK or across Europe, and it’s clear that the pet dog population has boomed since the pandemic. With more people welcoming a furry friend into the family, holidays are starting to look a little different. Whether you’re a couple or a family with children, chances are you’ll want to bring your four-legged companion along for the adventure.
Lorraine Worsley Carter sat down with well-travelled pooch, Melo Baudelaire Smith, a rescue dog adopted from the Uniao Zoofila animal rescue centre in Lisbon, Portugal, to explore what canine travel really looks like.
Melo, you have quite a following on social media, your family travels with your human pawrents and your sister have already been extensive. For the readers who don’t know you, would you like to introduce yourself and your sister?
Hello everypawdy! My name is Melo Baudelaire, and I am a proudly Portuguese mutt. My humans adopted me in January 2021 from a shelter near to Lisbon. Everyone tries to guess what breed I am – they ask if I am a mini whippet or greyhound, or even a pinscher. I like being unique! I am pretty small, around 7 kg. I came along first, and then the humans thought they might like to welcome a second doggy into our home. My big sister Aisha (even though she was adopted second, she’s older than me) moved in with us in August 2022. She was a poorly pup and so we thought she would only be with us for six months – but nearly three years later, she’s still here! We believe that tons of love and adventures has made her stronger.
You and your sister have become seasoned travellers in a relatively short time. There has been such a rise in Pet Family Travel why do you think this is happening?
Our humans say they are lucky, because we are well-behaved, quite small pups – we make it easy to travel with us. I think that pets are becoming a closer part of the family than ever before! Also, a lot of humans are seeing themselves as “pet parents” these days, rather than owners, so they enjoy having us with them on trips. And our pawrents work from home anyway, so they can work from anywhere – even when we go on our adventures!
Do you & Aisha have passports and how easy are they to obtain?
Yes, we do have European pet passports. Mine is Portuguese but Aisha’s is from the Basque country, after a mix-up in Bilbao once! I don’t know how easy they are to obtain in England, but for us they were very easy to obtain – if you are planning to take your pet on a trip, your vet will swap the usual vaccine book for a snazzy pet passport.
I believe one of your pawrents is taking a doggy first aid course?
Yes, that’s right! My human dad and I did a doggy first aid course together. We learned all sorts of cool things, like how to measure our vital signs, caring for all sorts of wounds, what to do if a dog is drowning – even dog CPR. I was dad’s practice model!
Would you share your various modes of transport and the some of the places/countries you have visited?
We usually go in the car. The humans have a small car, but there is plenty of room on the back seat for us. I go in a small travel box, and Aisha sits on the backseat using a special dog seatbelt. There has been trial and error, but that’s how we’re both at our happiest! We went on the ferry once to Spain… but none of us enjoyed it, especially not the humans – they were seasick!
So far, as well as England, we have visited Portugal, Spain, and France. This summer we’re also planning to add Wales and Belgium to that list! We always find Spain to be surprisingly dog friendly. Lots of bars and restaurants allow dogs inside.
Do your pawrents do a lot of research before they take you both on holiday?
I think they do a lot of research, yes. They spend lots of time looking on their funny phone things! Accommodation is the most important thing, so we’re all comfortable. They try to get us an outside space if they can, but we live in an apartment, so we’re using to being taken for walkies to do our business. Some places now publish dog friendly travel guides, so it’s worth asking tourist information centres before you travel. Mum was surprised to find that San Sebastian, in Spain, and Tours, in France, had them!
You say you have travelled by ferry, how was that and how could that experience have been improved. What tips do you have for furry family travellers and for the ferry industry?
We travelled from Bilbao to England on the ferry. We had a pet friendly room, so we could all be together – to get one of these, you must book very far in advance (at least six months), as they sell out quickly. Once these are gone, pets must travel in the kennels, and owners can only go and visit them. There were lots of humans who had booked a room, but they were so worried about their pet being alone in the kennels that they ended up sleeping on the kennel floor, just to be with them!
Our crossing was very rough. We were OK, but our humans didn’t feel well at all. To do our business, we had to be taken to “the poop deck”, where the humans would then collect our poop and throw it away, then hose down the area. Because it was so rough, waves were crashing onto the deck, and it was scary. I don’t think we will travel like that again! The humans also said it was very expensive – almost £1,000 for the four of us to do the crossing.
You haven’t ventured into air travel yet, why is that?
Aisha and I are too big, even at 7 kg and 9 kg respectively, to be allowed in the cabin in Europe – plus, the UK doesn’t allow dogs to depart or arrive in the cabin. So, we would have to travel in the hold, and separately to our humans. Lots of people do this, but Mum and Dad haven’t tried it yet as they worry, we will be scared on our own.
My friend Bobby took a flight once. He is a nervy soul, so his pawrents got him used to his air crate, which they kept in the living room. Because they were travelling long haul, he was not allowed to fly in the cabin, only in the hold. He wasn’t allowed anything in his crate – no toys or treats. All he could have was a water bottle that was attached to the outside of the crate. I think it is a safety issue, but it must be pretty horrible seeing your beloved little dog having to go in a bare crate, with only a water bottle for company! I think some humans visit the vet to give them a sedative. The humans had to drop him at the cargo depot about four hours before the flight, and then they had a fair wait to get him once they arrived at their destination. He had to have a ‘Fit to Fly’ visa, which they could only get from the vet (and only certain vets are allowed to give them ) and that was the day before the flight.
Obviously different airlines and different countries will have different rules. My humans suggest having a look on the government website about taking your pet abroad and bringing your pet to Great Britain. There’s a whole list of the airlines that will fly dogs, cats and even ferrets! Aisha and me don’t know what a ferret is though.
Are you a hotel or Airbnb Mutt?
Both! Both can be pawfect for different occasions. It’s nice when the humans can cook their own meals and let us have a bit of time in a garden. But we also love being pampered pooches in hotels, too! When we are on the road, Accor hotels like Ibis are really good and inexpensive. In Spain, we love Petit Palace and Casual Hotels. They even give doggies special treats and toys for their room!
What tips have you for pawrents on what they should look for in a hotel or Airbnb?
As long as the place allows doggies, it’s all personal preference. It is impawtant, though, to check if there is an additional cost, and what that might be. Also, some places don’t allow more than one dog, so be sure to ask. And sometimes there is a weight/size limit.
What do your pawrents pack so that you and your sister feel at home?
They pack TONS of blankets! That’s the most impawtant thing for me, especially. We have our own travel bag, ready to go when we’re heading off. Mum puts extra poop bags in there, as well as our travel bowls. She also packs some toys for me to play with – Aisha doesn’t really play, but I like to have a ball and a soft toy or two.
Have you ever disgraced or trashed a room?
Hehehe, that would be telling…! No, we haven’t, although we did go away once and Aisha was shedding a LOT, so there was fur everywhere. Accommodations usually include an extra cleaning fee for reasons like this, but Mum will often pack a lint roller and a dustpan and brush to help out a bit. And so we will be allowed to go back again!
Do establishments allow doggies into their breakfast rooms.
Mostly, no. Which is a shame. And because many places won’t allow dogs to be left in rooms on their own, this can be difficult. Humans should always ask, as sometimes hotels are happy for dogs and their owners to sit slightly away from the main breakfast room. If in doubt, the humans will sometimes book a hotel on a room only rate, and then we’ll go to a brunch place instead. Those are usually doggy friendly, so we can all go together.
How do you and your sister cope with the no doggies on beds rule in establishments.
Mum and Dad will often arrange our blankets for us on the floor, so we are nice and comfy. It’s difficult because at home we sleep on the humans’ bed, but we know we can’t always when we are travelling. Some hotels will provide dog beds, which is a nice touch!
Obviously, style is important do you have a range of outfits?
Yes, of course! We always travel with a selection of bow ties and bandanas, catered for where we are traveling. I usually need a jumper or t-shirt as well!
Have you any other tips for humans to bear in mind when travelling with doggies?
Your humans should checked with your vet before you travel, to make sure you are up to it, and also to see if there are any requirements for the countries you are visiting. For example, many will want you to have been recently wormed, and will certainly want you to have had a rabies vaccine in the last three years. If you’re traveling to a country with mosquitos, it is worth mentioning this to a vet, too, as there are certain collars and treatments that can repel them. They can carry horrid diseases.
Which are your fav haunts so far?
In UK
Puss in Boots www.almond-pubs.co.uk/pubs/puss-in-boots/
Acoustic Lounge Poynton –
John Lewis
Any dog friendly pub!
In Portugal
Casual Hotels Belle Epoque hotel (Lisbon)
Canil – dog friendly bars in Lisbon
In Spain
Merida – walkable city with lots of dog-friendly restaurants
Galicia, north west Spain – lots of dog friendly beaches, even in summer.
In France