When
our boys were young we spent most summers in France in trailers tents then
caravans whilst our dog or dogs were looked after by family members. A new
border collie and ageing grandma brought an end to our France
trips and anyway our children may have been familiar with Brittany,
the Vendee, Les Landes, the Loire
Valley, the Gers, and even North West Spain but their
knowledge of Britain
was sadly lacking. For the last fifteen years therefore, first as a family
then as a couple with dogs we have toured Britain.
Lucy in the Cotswolds Telfie March 2007
In
2007 we acquired a young rescue Springer. Telfie is a typical Springer, friendly,
boundless energy, always eager to hunt and pulls like a train. We had bought
a motorhome and continued to tour England
and Wales
but the summers of 2007 and 2008 meant the motorhome had an aroma of wet dog
wherever we went. In 2008, now sadly down to one dog we met a couple at a
campsite in wet Worthing who had for the last few years taken their dog to
Spain for the winter and an idea was born to visit France again but this time
with Telfie.
On our return home in September
2008 it was time to start planning. The first step was the DEFRA website
to find out about how to obtain a pet passport. We then had a visit to the
vet who checked the microchip details and gave the rabies injection. A month
later, or in our case 28 days, (the significance of this difference will be
revealed towards the end of this travel log), we returned to the vet and found
the dog was now ok to travel and were given our passport. We could take the
dog to Europe the next day but would have been unable to return for 6 months
as that is the time span you must leave after a successful vaccination before
re-entry to the UK.
In
January 2009 we started to look at options for getting to France. We had always enjoyed going
by ferry, especially the longer crossings as it meant the driver could have
a relaxing time before driving in Europe.
With the dog however we thought there was only one option for us, the tunnel.
We would stay in the vehicle with Telfie which must be much less stressful
for him, (and us) than him being left alone on a noisy vehicle deck on a ferry.
The tunnel is more expensive, but save up Tesco vouchers, (4 times their face
value when transferred for travel tokens), and you and the vehicle can virtually
go for free. Unfortunately we only found this out after we had paid the full
amount. There is no charge for the dog to go to France but there is a fee,
about £40, for the return journey, to cover customs costs when checking the
passport; this cannot be paid for by the vouchers.
We
had booked our crossing to give us just over three weeks in France but had made no firm plans
as to where our journey would take us. I wanted to visit the Alps,
as I had never seen them in summer. That
was as far as our initial plans went. As
our departure date came closer however, I started to get more and more concerned
about another requirement of the pet passport scheme. In order for the dog
to be accepted to re-enter the UK
you have to visit a vet in France
between 24 and 48 hours of the return journey. The vet must check the passport,
check the microchip, check the dog is in good health and fit to travel and
administer approved tick and worm treatments. The vet then has to stamp, sign
and date the passport in three places. Unless this has been done you don’t
get your dog back in to this country.
I
wanted to get this all organised before our departure as I knew if I did not
I would be worrying about it all around France and this would spoil my enjoyment
of the holiday. I started looking on
the internet for French vets in an area of around one day’s drive of Calais. I found telephone
numbers for many vets but what I was really searching for were email addresses.
My reasoning was that my wife and I knew we could put together an email in
French to make our request and would be able to understand the reply. On the
phone, although we could script what we wanted to say we were unsure that
we would understand the reply. Email
addresses were not however forthcoming. I did find several sites in England which,
for a fee, would arrange a vet appointment but I was reluctant to use them
if at all possible. I was just about to pluck up courage and phone a vet when
by chance I came across a campsite near St Omer in Northern
France where they advertised that the owner’s wife worked at a
local vet and could organise the vet visit if you stayed at their site. This
really put me at ease so we arranged to stay there for our first night in
France to check
out all the arrangements and the last two nights in order to see the vet.
With
all this organised, and the dog treated for worms and ticks and fleas a week
before we were due to depart, we decided there was only one more thing to
do before departure, have Telfie professionally groomed. He had never experienced
this before and we had not done so with any of our previous dogs but we thought
a trim would be a good idea before taking him to the, hopefully, warmer temperatures
of France.
Telfie
just after grooming
Telfie
is very much an outdoor dog and loves nothing more than chasing through the
fields, dashing through bramble thickets, putting up pheasants or chasing
rabbits and can often be seen rolling in fox poo or carrying a dead and decaying
pigeon. It was strange seeing him look so smart and even smelling beautifully.
All
preparations complete, the motorhome packed, it was time to get Telfie in
to his travelling crate and begin our journey. Telfie has never been one of
those dogs who as soon as they see a car door open jump in. Whether it’s the
car or the motorhome you want him to go in we always have the same ritual.
When called to get in he runs around to the front where he can’t be seen,
we then walk the opposite way and get him in view. He will then walk as slowly
as possible to the door and reluctantly jump in.
Just
over four hours later we arrived at the first of the fifteen sites we were
to stay at, this being Black Horse Farm near Dover,
about forty minutes drive from the tunnel. One of the site wardens had a young
female Springer, the last we were to see for over three weeks, (Telfie likes
all dogs but is particularly fond of other Springers). There were also lots
of rabbits around the site that really attracted his attention.
Telfie
relaxing after the drive to Black Horse Farm
The
next day after a good walk in Reinden Woods we set off to the Tunnel. Checking
in went without a hitch but once through the barriers the signage was very
poor. We and others were unsure which way to go to
find the trains. Once this was sorted the rest was easy, just a slow drive
over cameras to ensure you weren’t carrying anything illegal under the vehicle,
a check that gas bottles had been turned off then on to the train. This was
a new experience for all of us but very relaxed. Once our engine was turned
off it was quiet and when the train started Telfie didn’t realise we were
moving as there is no vibration unlike when we are travelling on the road.
Thirty five minutes later we were off driving on the right towards our first
campsite in France.
An
hour and a half later, (it would have been less than an hour if we had taken
the correct route), we arrived at our first French campsite. We were met by
the owner, a man who would not have graduated in first place at a French charm
school. He was wearing then, as on every other occasion we met him a t-shirt
with Bouvier des Flandres emblazoned across it. The restaurant at the site
was called Grange des Bouviers and as you may have guessed there were two
bouviers wondering slowly round the site. The bouviers didn’t seem to mind
a series of unfamiliar dogs coming on to their territory but Telfie did not
really know what to make of these two bear- like creatures when first he saw
them but soon realised they were dogs and that was ok. The site was beautiful
with flowers everywhere, surrounded by fields, footpaths and quiet roads where
we could exercise the dog. There were doves in a cage and ducks wandering
freely. There would have been nothing Telfie would have enjoyed more than
to have wandered round the site with a duck in his mouth but we thought that
would not have gone down too well with the owner and we were to be returning
in three weeks time.
So
the next morning saw the start of our tour through France. Whenever possible we travelled
on the smaller roads rather than the peage motorways as they were much quieter
but still perfectly good main roads which went through lovely countryside
and villages and were free. It was great to be driving along straight tree
lined roads with no vehicles in front, none coming towards you and nothing
in the mirrors. The only time we were in a queue of traffic in the whole time
we were there was in the Alps when we got
stuck behind a slow moving, large circus lorry which was towing a trailer
and a caravan on twisty mountain roads approaching a small town on market
day.
We found no problem at all travelling
with a dog; in fact it was a bonus. People would come up and speak to us because
of the dog. When travelling with a
dog in France you do have to consider which places are
suitable to visit but that is also the case in Britain. You would not be allowed
on the tourist beaches for example but that is the same here. This was not
a problem for us as we had done beach holidays in the past with our boys and
now wanted to visit regions of France
we were not familiar with. We visited medieval towns and historic sites, lakes,
rivers and walked in the beautiful and vast French countryside.
We
never stayed in one place for more than three nights, often for only one,
and dogs were welcome everywhere. If we went to a bar, or for a meal Telfie
would be with us, at my feet under the table and without exception the waiter
would bring a bowl of water without being asked. Telfie, who, when at home
will often go for weeks without seeing a lead, as we live surrounded by fields
and woodland, took to being restrained really well. I took just two of my
large collection of different leads, (I must have tried virtually every type
of lead and harness to stop him pulling) and he was fine. In the countryside
and around campsites I would use an extending lead to give him a little freedom
but around towns I would use a spaniel lead and put in a twist around his
muzzle. (This arrangement stops him pulling and he walks perfectly well but
he hates it.)
We took
Telfie virtually everywhere we went He was even allowed in a very nice air
conditioned car on a tour of the vineyards in Chablis. In towns if we were
looking in shops or churches one of us would go in whilst the other looked
after the dog but that is something we always do. In the smaller shops such
as the boulangerie the dog would be invited in unlike here. The only times
we left him was when we visited the hypermarkets and once in Cluny
when we both went to visit the abbey. The motorhome is very good for a dog
as at times when it would be too hot to leave a dog in a car we are able to
open up the roof vents, close all the blinds at the side and roof, put the
curtains around the cab and put a damp towel over his travelling crate. This
way the inside is cool and as a bonus the towel gets dried.
Audrey and Telfie
in Chablis
Me and Telfie in
Troyes
The
most unusual character we met was at a campsite in Beaune in the Burgundy
region. We were just beginning to prepare our evening meal when a black cocker
spaniel appeared at the side of Telfie who was fastened to the motorhome by
a long lead. Moments later a man with a strong Australian accent came round
calling for Ella, explaining that she was a hoover on legs. That was the start
of a long conversation and a late meal. It turned out that Paul, an Englishman,
had been living in Australia for thirty years but a break up in his marriage
and being made redundant from a highly paid job had led to a mid- life crisis.
He decided he would move back home to England but had a slight problem,
his dog. In Australia his
dog had not had the rabies injection which would allow him to bring her to
England. As a
result he had left the dog with friends in Australia
whilst he came to England
and bought an old left- hand drive motorhome. He then took the motorhome over
to France and arranged
for his dog to be flown at great expense to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris where he met her.
He then began the long process of obtaining a pet passport which meant he
had to spend around seven months touring in France
until he would be allowed to take his dog back to England. That is a true dog lover!
Telfie relaxing in the
shade at Lac d’Aiguebelette in Savoie
After
three weeks of great experiences, mixed weather and good drives we returned
to the St Omer site and made our way to the vets. Telfie had picked up a tick
in Chablis despite being treated before we went, although when we found it,
it was not engorged with blood so it is possible the Frontline had done its
job. He had suffered from a runny eye and a pharmacist in Hauterives came
out of the pharmacy to look at him and sold us some drops which cleared up
the problem. We thought therefore everything would be fine. The young vet
who spoke very good English got me to put Telfie on a low and very shiny stainless
steel table which could be raised at the push of a button. Telfie was terrified;
he curled all his paws round trying to get a grip. The vet said the table
had to be shiny in order to ensure it was clean. I was thinking back to the
tables used in my vets which are padded and have a leatherette type covering
but are wiped down between each consultation. I got the feeling this vet was
looking down his nose at us. This
was not helped when he looked at Telfie and said “What’s that?” I looked and
there on his shoulder was a flea. I have never seen a flea on him before,
I’m sure it must have been a plant. I grabbed it between finger and thumb
and the vet shouted “don’t let that go in here, make sure it’s dead”. He then
explained that Frontline was an old drug and not very effective anymore and
that our vet should be using some of the newer treatments that are available.
He
then administered the flea and tick treatment and the wormer and started to
fill in the passport.
He
told us that our vet had not completed it correctly as there should be a full
calendar month between the injection and the blood test and ours had been
just four weeks but that it would not be a problem. With that we paid him
his forty Euros and left.
