Traveling with your dog in Canada
What documents are needed to travel to Canada with a dog? Which airlines are dog-friendly? What are the little tips for going to Canada with your dog? Find out in this article!
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Today I present to you a Destination Woufement well to test WITH your dog of course, It is Canada! I've never been there and yet it's a destination that makes me dream… It's still Céline's country!! (Having listened to each of her albums at least 300 times, I feel intimate enough with her to call her by her first name)
How to get Musher there? Is it reasonable to make him fly to such a distant destination?
To introduce you to this beautiful country, I interviewed Aurélie and her two bulldogs: Largo and Myla. This Trop W'ouf trio decided to settle in Canada and more precisely in Montreal. They tell us everything about their move, their plane journey and the precautions to take for a successful trip. Aurélie gives us some tips and her checklist to ensure that nothing is forgotten in the suitcase for a boneless boarding and a traveling with your dog hairy 😉
To begin, let's talk about our two doggies, Largo and Myla. Largo is a two year old English Bulldog and Myla a French Bulldog. This is perfect for going to a bilingual country! Unable to resist their faces, Aurélie adopts them both, Largo from a breeding farm and Myla from a family. Although Largo is less adventurous than Myla, they flew off to caribou country.
Aurélie and her two dogs Largo and Myla
- Aurélie why Montreal?
I had a huge crush on Montreal. A big city but with gigantic parks! Magnificent landscapes, an open mentality, friendly and very kind people. We had to try the experience so we each left our jobs, my companion and I, and we took a one-way ticket for a radical change of life. We found an apartment in 15 days.
On the dog side, to hold a dog in Montreal, each owner residing in the territory of Montreal must have a permit which is renewed each year. In addition, Largo and Myla must constantly wear their medal with an identification number which makes it possible to find the owner of the dog.
- How's it going for pets in Canada?
Regarding walks, there are dog friendly parks in canada where to make beautiful walks. Of course, you have to be careful to pick up the excrement and respect the rules of the parks. A canine squad often checks and the fines are expensive: if your dog does not have his medal it is $300 for example… You can take your dog for a walk in a AEC (canine exercise area): there are about fifty distributed throughout the city. These are specially designed places where you can let your animal run free with its four-legged friends.
I advise you to find out about the city where you want to live because here, depending on the city, households are not allowed to have as many animals as they wish, it can be limited to 4 per household for example or certain breeds. I find it responsible, it avoids abandonment! Finally, it only concerns people who want to come and settle in Canada with their whole family, including hairy ones. For tourists, no worries.
It should be noted that the dogs are not accepted on public transport.
The necessary papers to go to Canada with a dog
Before go to Canada with our dogs, we took a little trip to the vet. The good news is that there is no quarantine system: it's very good for the animals. You just need the dog passport and his up-to-date health record. For register your dog upon arrival in the territory, you must prove that he is yours (adoption certificate) and that he is sterilized. Registration is chargeable and compulsory but less expensive if he is sterilized.
Dog-friendly airlines
To find a cairline that accepts dogs it's not easy. We went around the net, looked at the opinions and conditions of the companies. The only company we found for Montreal was Airtransat which accepts animals. We called them to find out the rate, how it was going etc. I was really scared to get caughtplane to my dogs after reading some bad experiences on the net…
Once the company was found, we booked our tickets, and made sure that our dogs would be on the same flight as us.
Attention: reserve the plane tickets for your dog by phone in advance, only 5 apets in the hold per flight are accepted.
Flying with a dog
The dogs travel in the hold when they are too big to be in the cabin. The hold is air-conditioned, pressurized and lit. We had to buy a special dog crate to IATA standards for each. The dog must be able to stand in it and turn around quietly. He just has to be comfortable. We had the crates checked at the airport before leaving, it is better to plan than to be refused boarding of the dog at the last moment!
Little tips
We bought dog carriers 2 months before departure to get used to them. I removed their basket and put their blankets and cuddly toys in each of their boxes so that they would have their smells inside. Then I taught them that their crate was their new basket through treats. I gave them their bowls in it too. I left the crate open all the time instead of their usual basket and gradually they went in alone. I then started to close the cage for a few seconds and then increased the time as I went by rewarding them each time. When I did my housework, for example, I locked them inside. Then we took the car with them so that they say cool when I'm in my cage that means I'm going for a ride! Everything went very well. You have to go gradually and without forcing the dog.
A few days before departure, I gave Rescue to both of them to de-stress them until D-Day (after talking about it with the vet). It's what? It is a mixture containing 5 Bach flowers which helps animals (but also humans) to feel reassured and soothed.
Beware of sleeping pills, it is forbidden and dangerous for dogs, it is often because of this that there are accidents.
On D-Day they were given food very early in the morning and then nothing more to avoid vomiting. We walked them around until boarding time so that they could stretch their legs (8 hour flight anyway) and be happy to find their crate for a good nap.
1h30 before our boarding we have to drop off the dogs so that they can be put in the hold, the staff is reassuring and very friendly. I asked them lots of questions to be sure that everything would be fine for my darlings. A small tear when they took them with the lump in the stomach all the same… I was in a hurry to arrive and find them!
When I picked them up, Largo was sleeping and Myla cried with joy when she found me. Isn't that beautiful? Their trip apparently went very well. They quickly found their habits and made their mark in our new life.
My dog's suitcase
- Their Pleas and cuddly toys in their respective boxes and toys as well as old clothes with our smell. (Be careful with toys, if your dog chews them, he should not ingest small pieces without your supervision…)
- Their respective health records
- Passport
- Leash
- Harness
I would have taken more things but we were limited in terms of luggage…. We had to take what was strictly necessary.
As you know, winters in Canada are harsh and even freezing. I was wondering if my dogs were going to appreciate/support this cold. We have met many people here with dogs including bulldogs and they do not plan anything special (no coat or boots for example…). Obviously, it is necessary to take care of the pads when returning from a walk in the snow. You have to adapt to each animal and its needs.
Musher and Sophie: “Yes there are plenty of precautions to take when you take your dog to the snow, Musher and I explain to you in this article: Winter sports holidays with a dog: precautions to take
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I hope you learned a lot from reading this article. Know that Largo and Myla are doing very well. They got used to their new Canadian life and their new home. They are delighted to have new huskie friends, and to have beautiful and large parks available. In a few days, I will give the floor to Aurélie again so that she can present her Dog Friendly Deals in Montreal. She must have discovered plenty of Woafement Bien places to have a good time with her two darlings.