[NAGDU] International travel with a guide dog

Bonnie Mosen bonnie at mosen.org
Wed Apr 5 21:45:40 UTC 2017


HI Miranda. There are two types of microchips, and you will want to request
the one which is standard for international travel. Your vet or the school
will know which one this is. I forget the actual name of the one I have, but
it is standard tfor countries outside and including the US. 

Hope that helps.

Cheers
Bonnie 
-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Miranda via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2017 9:32 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Miranda <knownoflove at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] International travel with a guide dog

So, for the home and away chip, does this only cover the United States and
Europe? Or, are other destinations also covered such as Asia, Latin America,
etc.? Thank you so much to everyone for patiently answering all of my
questions.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 5, 2017, at 2:36 PM, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> You should have your dog microchipped anyway. The one I have was good 
> for at home and away. Msany of the schools, if not all of them, chip 
> unless you expressly tell them not to. You pay a little more for the 
> at home and away chip, and I don't know who makes it now. You simply 
> want the dog chipped. It is a painless thing and you have more 
> insurance hat if the dog were to become separated from you, you would get
it back.
> Cindy Lou Ray
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Miranda via 
> NAGDU
> Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 1:30 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Miranda <knownoflove at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] International travel with a guide dog
> 
> Ok,? thank you for this information. Is Europe the only overseas 
> destination that would require a microchip?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 5, 2017, at 1:40 PM, David via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> When you get your pup, your guide dog school will microchip your dog 
>> with
> the chip that is used in the U.S.  You can ask them to chip it with 
> the microchip that is used in Europe, as well.
>> 
>> David and Claire Rose in Clearwater, FL
>> 
>>> On 4/5/2017 10:40 AM, Miranda B. via NAGDU wrote:
>>> Hi Alysha,
>>> Thanks for sharing about your recent overseas experience with your 
>>> guide dog. I do have a few follow-up questions.
>>> Who provides the microchip, and what is the average cost? Is there a 
>>> timeframe in which this microchip should be inserted prior to 
>>> international travel? Would it be a good idea to consider this 
>>> microchip for future international trips, even if one is not 
>>> scheduled at the time of getting the chip?
>>> Also, what is the best way to learn about the laws inside the 
>>> destination or layover countries regarding public access, ETC? Does 
>>> the below site detail these laws?
>>> Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, and have a wonderful week!
>>> 
>>> Best wishes, Miranda
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alysha 
>>> via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2017 8:41 PM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Alysha <alyshaj at comcast.net>
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] International travel with a guide dog
>>> 
>>> Hi Miranda,
>>> I just returned from a 9 day trip to Portugal with my guide dog, Xylon.
>>> Overall, it was a good experience, and I am glad I brought him with 
>>> me. Most countries in the EU have the same requirements for entry 
>>> with a dog, although a few of them have additional requirements. 
>>> This is a great website where you can look up the exact requirements 
>>> for traveling with a dog to specific countries:
>>> https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel
>>> For the Portugal trip, Xylon needed to have been given a Rabies 
>>> vaccine while he was also microchipped. Since his last Rabies 
>>> vaccine was given before he got his microchip, I had to give him his 
>>> next Rabies vaccine earlier than I otherwise would have in order for 
>>> him to go
> on the trip.
>>> Also, I had to get an international health certificate filled out by 
>>> my vet within 10 days of entering Portugal, and I had to FedEx it to 
>>> a USDA office to be endorsed. The USDA will waive the fee for 
>>> endorsing health certificates if you submit an ID card showing that 
>>> it is for a service animal. One quick word of warning is that if you 
>>> have a layover in another country, you may also have to meet their 
>>> specific requirements in addition to those of your final destination.
>>> I originally planned to connect in Heathrow, but their requirements 
>>> were kind of crazy, so I got different flights connecting in the US
> instead.
>>> 
>>> When I arrived in Portugal, I met with the vet at the airport who 
>>> reviewed my documentation and signed off on the paperwork. There is 
>>> also a fee to enter Portugal with a dog, but it was waived for us 
>>> since
> he is a guide dog.
>>> I again showed my Seeing Eye ID card as documentation to have the 
>>> fee waived.
>>> 
>>> Overseas flights can be hard on dogs because they must spend a long 
>>> time in very cramped quarters without being able to relieve 
>>> themselves and with restricted access to water. The longest leg of 
>>> my flight was 8 hours, and I'm not sure I would be comfortable 
>>> putting Xylon through anything too much longer than that. Luckily I 
>>> was able to take him out to relieve during my layovers, and he is a 
>>> great plane
> traveler.
>>> 
>>> I had very few access issues in Portugal, and on the 2 occasions 
>>> where businesses were reluctant to let us in, the situation was 
>>> quickly and easily resolved. They have laws in place allowing people 
>>> with service animals the right to enter any public place, similar to 
>>> the US. Everyone seemed to be familiar with guide dogs and was very 
>>> welcoming to us. However, people often tried to pet him in harness, 
>>> and my language skills weren't always good enough to politely tell 
>>> them to stop because he was working. I notified pretty much everyone 
>>> (hotel, tours, meeting facility, etc.) in advance that I was 
>>> bringing a dog. I don't typically do this in the US but wasn't as 
>>> confident with
> the laws in Portugal.
>>> 
>>> There are a lot of considerations that I would take into account 
>>> when deciding whether or not to bring a dog on a trip overseas, e.g.
>>> length of the flight, your dog's tolerance of travel/breaks in 
>>> routine, how easily available your dog's food and safe drinking 
>>> water would be, whether or not the country is known to have a large 
>>> number of loose dogs in the streets, access to veterinary care if 
>>> needed, access laws, cultural attitudes toward dogs, quarantine 
>>> requirements, length of the trip, etc. I don't know if I can give a 
>>> specific age at which I think a dog would generally be ready for a 
>>> trip like this, but I do think it's valuable for you to have 
>>> traveled multiple times domestically with your dog before going 
>>> abroad. I would personally really try to minimize the amount of time 
>>> away from your dog in especially the first year or two of your 
>>> partnership. A 1-week trip would probably be fine, but taking 
>>> several 1-week trips without your dog will likely negatively impact 
>>> your working relationship. The longest
> I have left Xylon is 4 days, and he's now 3 years old.
>>> 
>>> Anyway, just my 2 cents. Hope it was helpful, and best of luck to 
>>> you in whatever you decide!
>>> 
>>> Alysha
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Miranda 
>>> via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2017 8:24 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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