Woof-Woof - Hi all,
I'm going to tell you all about the Pet Passport Travel scheme, because if you want to go abroad with your owners, you will need one. So, I'm going to tell you all how to get one for yourselves.
Well, it all started back in January when my owners decided that we were all going to Spain, once they had finished doing an awful lot of research to make sure that I could go with them, and that it would be safe for me to go.
During this research, they found out that I needed my very own special passport, so that I could travel abroad with them. You don't need one to leave the UK, but you WILL need one to come back to the UK. If you don't have one, then you will have to spend months and months in what my owners call 'quarantine' - I don't understand what that means, but my owners do, and they told me that it means that I would have to be in kennels for months and months without seeing them - and that would break my heart and theirs.
So my owners spent a lot of time and money to get me my very own Pet Passport - it didn't take much to sort it all out, and it wasn't very expensive, but my owners said I was worth every penny of it, which made me very happy, so I gave them both a big lick.
They found the easiest way was to go to my Vet, as they were able to do everything!
Now when you go to your Vet, the 1st thing they must do is to give you special protection called a 'micro chip' - again I didn't understand but my owners told me that it has a special number on it, and that when they match that number with the records, all my details and their details show up. Which means that if I get lost or someone steals me, then they can reunite me with my owners. I had mine ages ago, so they didn't have to do this.Then they put my Micro Chip number on my Pet Passport along with my owners details.
Then comes the nasty bits. They have to give you some special injections against nasty, horrible diseases. These are EXTRA injections to the normal ones that you get every two years. If you are not up-to-date with your normal injections, then the Vet will make sure that you are BEFORE you get the extra ones. I was, so I had the extra ones against what they call RABBIES, this my owners told me is really, really nasty disease and if I ever got it, then I would turn really nasty against them and everyone and also I would really, really, hurt - and they would lose me forever and me them - so I gave them both another big lick for thinking about me and making sure I would be safe in Spain with them.
It does hurt a little when you have these injections, but it's worth it to make sure your safe. Also, I got some really great treats afterwards. Then we had to wait a few weeks and go back for a blood test, to make sure that the injection had worked. Mine hadn't quite passed the test, so I had to have another one and then wait a few more weeks and have another blood test. That blood test passed and they put the details of these injections onto my Pet Passport and also gave me a certificate to show that I had passed.
Once I had my Pet Passport, I could travel abroad, but I wouldn't have been able to travel back to the UK for SIX MONTHS. So, ask your owners to get it done at least SIX MONTHS before you all want to travel, that way you can come back whenever you want to. Also, allow MORE time to get your Pet Passport as my owners and I started all this in early January and we didn't finish until end of March, because of the wait between the injections and blood tests.
One more thing, make sure your owners take you to your Vet and they give you treatment for Ticks and Tapeworms BEFORE you travel out of the UK, as some countries now say that this must be done BEFORE they let you in. It must be done at least 24 hours before you travel but NOT more than 48 hours. Then make sure that they put these details in your Pet Passport. Also, don't forget to do this if and when you travel back to the UK.
My owners have also said that they are going to ask my Vet to give me a full examination a day or two BEFORE we go, as in the back of my Pet Passport, there is something that says "Clinical Examination" saying that I am in 'good health' and can withstand the journey to my destination, and make sure that it’s stamped in my Pet Passport.
My owners say I don't need it as my Vet says I'm really fit and healthy, but we are going to do it anyway as my daddy said something about some people being "Jobs Worth"?
Anyways, that's that! The easy way to get a Pet Passport!
If you want to read more about Pet Passports, Daddy has put some ‘links’ to some special places that tell you all about the Pet Passport scheme and lots of other great information
Until my next post.
Woof-Woof!