k9assistance by Caesar ~ Caesar & Pennys' French Adventure

Caesar & Pennys' French Adventure July 2004 After many months of preparation, Wendy & Caesar were finally ready to set off for their trip to France in July '04. Also in the party were Mel & John, and Mels' assistance dog Penny, who is also from Dogs for the Disabled, Caesars' half sister. Taking a dog to Europe from The United Kingdom is not as simple as booking your ferry or 'plane and setting off, the dog needs a passport and needs to follow certain steps to ensure a quarantine free return to The U.K. Basically, this involves vaccination against rabies, and a blood test some six months before departure, and a visit to an approved vet in the country you are visiting for the administration of flea,tick and worming treatments 24-48 hours before your return to The U.K. The dog may also need different flea, tick and worming preparations to normal to cover for parasites not present in The U.K. One also needs to plan to return to The U.K. via a route which is covered by The Pets Travel Scheme.
Once we were certain all the paperwork was in place, including health insurance to cover both dogs in Europe, we set off on our adventure!
For access reasons (i.e. the ferry operator on the shortest route refused the dogs access to the passenger areas of the ship), we had to travel from Poole to St Malo in France, we overnighted in St Malo and then drove on to Normandy our holiday destination.

Caesar enjoying the air on the deck of the Condor Vitesse (above) Penny kindly offered to do some of the driving! Is there any limit to the talents of Dogs for the Disabled graduates? (right)
	We visited Pegasus Bridge, just north of Caen where we crossed the bridge, ate at Cafe Gondree (the first house in France to be liberated by the allies just after midnight on D-Day, 6th June 1944) and visited the Airborne Museum.

During the holiday we also had the opportunity to visit Mont St Michel and Falaise, bithplace of William the Conqueror, Bagnoles and the picturesque region of Suisse Normandy, Caen, Caborg and just about everywhere in between! We spent a day in Bayeux where we toured the beautiful cathedral, visited The Bayeux Tapestry, The British War Cemetery & The Museum of the Battle of Normandy.

Sign spotted in Bayeux Cathedral:
"No dogs allowed; not even if carried in your arms".

Caesar outside the Memorial Museum of The Battle of Normandy	Caesar outside the Museum, with Sherman tank
Happiness is... a frozen Kong ...or even an empty bottle to scrunch!
Hot dogs at Caborg beach!
	Above: Caesar & Penny outside our Gite Left: Caesar at the moat of Caen Castle

Access! The Best & Worst we Experienced! With both Wendy & Mel being wheelchair users, access was a topic high on our agenda during the holiday.
The best thing we saw was the parking signs at Super U, supermarket in Falaise, where the sign literally said "If you take my (parking) place, take my disability"!! See the BEST! The worst thing we saw was at Hotel Campanile, St Jouan des Guerets, St Malo where somebody had thoughtlessly placed a glass display cabinet in front of the accessible toilet...thus truly making it a disabled toilet! See the WORST! Almost without exception, we were made most welcome in France with our assistance dogs, and the kindness of many people more than made up for any shortcomings with practicalities.

Our first and last views of France, the ancient walled city of St Malo

Disclaimer: This page is intended to give an account of our journey only, and if you are considering taking your dog abroad from the U.K. you should seek advice from your Vet and DEFRA regarding the Pet Travel Scheme.