International Canine
It's always been my dream to take my dog Gatsby to France, and in Dec 2024 we did it. I wanted to write a bit of a guide as to what we experienced, to help you familiarise yourself. Please if you have any questions use the contact form or the Social Media links
Flo & Gatsy x
Getting ready
First off Gatsby has to be Microchipped, he was since he was a puppy so that was all sorted.
Then at least 21 days before you apply for your Animal Health Certificate (next Step) you need to get a Rabies Injection. <G dog here on the right after his - to be honest he was pretty good :)>
​
Finally you have to get your Animal Health Certificate. You MUST get this less than 10 days before you travel. The Vet will also check and record the Microchip. You get handed the AHC.
​
Shout out to NewGrange Vets near Bingham, Nottingham for looking after Gatsby
​
EuroTunnel Dover
Having never travelled Eurotunnel before, when you drive up to the automated barriers, it recognises your number plate. It also recgnises that you have a pet. So it prints out an instruction to go to Pet Reception. There is quite a large car park and you will find the Pet Reception, which is clearly marked to the left of the main bulding. You honestly cannot miss it.
Getting the Dog Ready
Gatsby is a nervous dog. We were very concious we were taking him into a new environment, with lots of dogs and people.
So we used a Muzzle Movement muzzle. They are brilliant. They create a tailored muzzle for your dog.
We used Muzzle training before we left to train Gatsby to like his muzzle. We used Trixie paste to entice him ;) Here he is, and also here are some real life videos of us training him :)
​​
Dover Check in
We took Gatsby in, and to be honest there was not much of a queue and we were quickly called over. Gatsby was not reactive at all really. The lady gave us a scanner to scan his microchip, which we did, she then said Gatsby could go while we finalised Check-in. She then said that if he is really nervous next time we can stay outside and they will come out to see him, which i thought was lovely. They just need to see the dog, so you can keep a distance from them. They were brilliant!!! We had a slight panic as we were on day 10 after our AHC was issued but all good!!
On our way back- Calais
So to come home you have to find a Vet who will watch you administer a Worming tablet. Now we stayed near Macon and used the wonderful Bonnefoy Jean-Michel vet. You need to take the AHC to them to provide the evidence of the Tapeworm tablet.
​
Calais Eurotunnel Pet Reception is more stressful than Folkestone. Its a Portakabin and quite cramped, but we put the muzzle on Gatsby and sat in the corner.
​​
One thing we learnt is you DONT need to check in first, you take the first exit before the check-in area to go to Pet Reception first. But dont worry, if like us you go to check in first, it tells you to exit and leave!
​​
It was more stressful the Calais side, but with the Muzzle we felt safe.