| The Comments |
Julia, of COURSE your car is airconditioned, it hasn't a roof !!! 
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Hi More, lol, I know it has!!!!!!!!!!!!!! However I don't have the roof down when I am driving down to Spain, as I am too loaded up with stuff in the boot. This time it will have wheelchair and bath set as well as our luggage!
The roof off in Spain is a wonderful experience though!
Julia
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Yes, Julia, I've always found that having it off in Spain is a wonderful experience too. 
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Oh yoooou! I've yet to have that experience!
Julia
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Thanks Jules1 for the reassurance. I have a british bulldog and they have a real tendancy to overheat which can be life threatening. However after all the pills and ice coolers and goodness knows what else i have bought for the journey, i think it would have been cheaper to charter a private jet! ha ha We are now stopping off at my mothers in Alicante Area, so like yourself, we are going to try to do it with just 1 overnight stop. I think i am just working myself up about the whole thing but once we are on the road i am sure it will be fine. I just wished we were going tomorrow so i could stop worrying about it. We were going to book a hotel in advance but i think now we will just blast it and get as far as we can to enable us to get there quicker. I am sure we should find somewhere on the French/Spanish border that accepts dogs.
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Hi Vikimatten, we stopped at Bezier which is near Montpellier , not far from the border and, from memory, it was 29 euros for a room and my dogs were welcome to stay with me. Also the cr park was very safe with a remote locked system. You just typed in the pin number you were given when you paid for the room by card. We set off at 9.00 the next morning and arrived about 5.00 pm the next day at our destination near Torrevieja which is about 50 minutes on from Alicante.
Anyway all the best, I'm sure everything will be ok for you and your lovely bulldog will enjoy his experience. Just have plenty of bottled water on board for him to drink,
Julia
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Hi there, how did your trip go? I am planning to drive from Calais down to Marbella with two min Dachs and a French Bulldog. I am extrememly anxious. I will probally just winter there for now and come further to Northern France in the early Summer. I also need to investigate insurance cover and will google for that.
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Well the journey was very long but fine. We actually had our dog sedated by injection to take the edge off the inital journey which helped as Le Shuttle can be a bit daunting. He was fully conscious though which was nice as he was just sitting in the back admiring the scenery. Anyhow he was a perfect passenger. We stopped off in a hotel on the way to my mothers in Alicante and there wasnt any air con in the room, or if there was it wasnt working, so our dog, bearing in mind he is a bulldog, had terrible trouble with the heat, so we decided to pack back up and vacate the hotel and blast the rest of the journey as he was happier in the car. It was 24 hours door to door and not really reccommended unless you are prepared for it, which we werent. We had a lovely summer in spain and our dog thoroughly enjoyed the time with us. He did miss the luxury of grass though. On the way back we were more prepared and decided to drive the whole way doing 2 hours stints at driving each. We didnt sedate him this time and after the inital 2 hours where he was panting heavily he fell asleep, mind you we left marbella at 7pm so the sun was down by then. It was a very long journey but luckily the roads were empty and we made amazing time arriving at Le Shuttle 5 hours early! However what with the fire they wouldnt let us on an earlier one so had to wait for 2 hours. Le Shuttle totally freaked the dog out on the way back (remember on the way he was sedated a little) which was a nightmare as there isnt much you can do. The door to door journey took 26 hours which is such a long time! We were in spain for nearly 2 1/2 months and being honest, i wouldnt do it again. He loved being with us, however we live in the countryside in the UK and when we got home i realised how much happier he is in the UK. Tips are, i would start the journey in the evening as the roads are empty and you can really push on with the journey. Take a cool box with ice and lots of water. Take lots of treats. Pack a packed lunch box, the service station food is not great and like us i am sure you dont want to leave the dogs in the car alone. Take a towel incase when you stop its raining you can dry the dogs off before getting in the car. Other than that enjoy it. If you fret then they will. It will be fine i am sure of it and remember we were travelling in August which is not really the best time to travel with a bulldog! good luck.
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That was a very prompt, frank and informative reply. I plan to travel in the new year so the weather will suit the dogs more. The car is fitted with air/con too. I plan to break the journey over a couple of days to give me restbite. 26h sounds too much for me. Your tips on the towel/ice/packed lunches are well noted. I have travelled several times using the ferry and think I will use that option. The dogs have never needed to be sedated but there are three for company so that probally helps. Anyway thank you for the words of advice which have been noted.
Regards
Scott
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