[NAGDU] International travel with a guidedog

[Miranda]

Hi,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I especially appreciate your note about the cultural considerations, as this is one reason why I would consider leaving my guide dog home with my husband, along with considering short-term trips to countries where quarantines would be about the same length as my trip itself.
I think I will probably wait until I graduate from my bachelors degree to get a guide, but I would still love to hear everyone's experiences about traveling overseas, as this information will be very helpful for future travel.
Thanks again, and have a wonderful week!

Best wishes, Miranda

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 4, 2017, at 5:46 PM, Bonnie Mosen <bonnie at mosen.org> wrote:
> 
> HI Miranda. How exciting. I'm an American living in New Zealand with my
> Seeing Eye dog. My best advice is do your research prior to travel. The
> biggest challenge to taking a guide abroad is, imo, is the mountain of
> paperwork that may be required by whatever country you will be staying in.
> If you may be travelling to different countries during your stay that will
> also need to be taken into consideration. For example, I had to start the
> paperwork for New Zealand six months before I moved, and my dog had to be in
> a home quarantine for two weeks once I arrived. NZ's extreme, but most
> countries have some sort of entry requirement. Second would be cultural
> attitudes and laws. This shouldn't be a problem with most countries but
> something you might want to consider. Years ago when I was to travel to
> Morrocco I could have taken my dog, but because the orientation to dogs was
> different than in other places I left her behind. They also didn't have
> public access laws for guide dogs, and I couldn't force myself in. smile I
> would recommend being with your guide at least a year before doing any type
> of study abroad, as you want to make sure you are a good working team. There
> are many guide dog schools who are members of the International Guide Dog
> Federation, and it may be possible to contact the school in whatever country
> you would be living in. Best of luck.
> 
> Cheers
> Bonnie Mosen -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Miranda via NAGDU
> Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 12:24 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Miranda <knownoflove at gmail.com>
> Subject: [NAGDU] International travel with a guidedog
> 
> Hi,
> I am considering getting a guy dog, but I am also an undergraduate student
> looking at internship opportunities overseas within the next couple years.
> I'm wondering how practical it would be to get a guy dog prior to a semester
> abroad, or if it would be better to wait until I graduate and would only be
> traveling on a less frequent basis for more short-term opportunities (10
> days-1 month). If traveling to a country that would pose undo hardship or
> extreme complications, I have considered leaving the dog at home with my
> husband for more of a short-term trip (10 days or less). In other words, the
> practicality of taking a dog overseas would need to be considered on a
> case-by-case basis.
> If you've traveled overseas with your guidedog, where did you go and for how
> long? What are some other factors to consider when traveling abroad with a
> guy dog?
> Thanks for your help, and have a wonderful week!
> 
> Best wishes, Miranda 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
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