Normandy

This is where we are right now...

http://www.gites-de-france.com/location-vacances-Barneville-sur-seine-Gite-La-Chartrie-27G588.html

It's perfect for the dogs! The owner only paused for a slight second when I asked if she'd accept 3 dogs, and there is no extra charge. She also didn't bat an eyelid when the first thing Nola did was duck under the fence (hole now repaired) and plunge into the muddiest of ponds, only to emerge black mid-chest down.

There's a long distance walk (GR23) that runs alongside the garden. From the front door you can walk through woods down to the valley of the Seine. On a sunny Sunday, we saw 2 cyclists but no other dogs. The owner has also given her full blessing for them to chase round the garden after bunnies or rats, so they're having a fab time.

We've got a couple of days of bad weather, then we're heading for the coast which isn't too far away. It's not somewhere I'd go in the summer - Deauville in particular is very, very popular with Parisians - but at this time of year we're expecting it to be deserted, which means long sandy beaches and lots of hooning around.

Distance wise this is good too. We did stop for a quick break when we landed and then half way along to do shopping to get us through the weekend so it took longer, but probably about 3.5 hours from Calais including the 2 breaks.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

Sounds wonderful we wanted to take Bug to France in the summer, but as she doesn't have papers we were concerned about her regarding type laws etc. Did you have any problems? Also, when crossing, is there much contact r.e the dogs/any checks etc?

I'm seriously hoping we don't need papers, Rach, or we're stuffed! The wording of the banned list in France is confusing as some places refer to 'Staffordshire Terriers'. This clarifies that this doesn't mean staffies, it's American Staffordshires, aka pit bulls, that are the breed they mean:

http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Frequently-asked-questions,17660

You don't have to go through any checks on the way out - the UK doesn't care who leaves - and when we've done it previously it was quick and easy but there's no guarantee you won't come across another dog. However, the staff we've met (all Brits) have been lovely and understanding. They do have to scan them. I'll let you know how it goes, because if you could do it it would be a good option for Bug. The French are much less breedist from what I've seen now and in the past and are usually pretty tolerant.

The return journey could not have been easier. We didn't even have to get the dogs out of the car, they just handed us the scanner and I scanned each one then passed it back so they could check the numbers.

The only thing to bear in mind is that the vet who did the worm treatment said that you can potentially run into problems with people who, like here, don't know what a pit bull is and assume that a staffie cross is one. Staffies aren't terribly common anyway. My personal feeling, though, is that if you don't go to frequented places you'd be ok.

There was just one minor downer in the whole holiday, which is that the French have really clamped down on dogs on beaches. Most beaches now have no dogs/dogs on leads only rules, which the French blithely ignore. They're not well known for the observance of the law, especially ones that don't suit them. The vet told us about one beach which was wonderful that only has restrictions in July and August, just outside Honfleur, but you do need to know where these hidden gems are.

Looks great Liz. I'd be a little concerned not with taking Flo but all the pet passport stuff and how do you go about finding a local vet for the return trip ?

Our gite owner had all the details in the information pack, Ian. She has a dog herself anyway, but I think people who accept dogs in their properties are used to people returning to the UK so they know we'll all be asking. The vet said they see a lot of us! But if all else fails, google 'veterinaire' in your local town you names will come up.

The passport stuff is easy now. You simply need to get the vaccination done at least 21 days beforehand and get the passport completed accurately - they do check all the details at the port. Other than the vet visit for a worming tablet and passport stamp, that's it other than scanning the dog at the port.

We went to Normandy, France last month for a long weekend sadly without boyo and I couldn't believe how dog friendly everyone was - they allow them into cafes and restaurants - everywhere. I will def take mIlo next time.

Update for trip 2 - if you want good walking, the area between Dieppe and Saint Saens - so the Foret d'Eawy and the Pays de Bray - takes some beating. This site gives the circular walks in the area, how many???

http://www.sentiers-en-france.eu/sentiers-seine-maritime-76/dieppe/sentiers-dieppe.php

They're well marked provided you do them the right way round and apart from a few more popular tracks like the Avenue Verte, they're empty.

This is where we stayed:

https://www.gites-de-france.com/location-vacances-Les-Grandes-ventes-Gite-L-oree-D-eawy-76G6066.html

The only points dog wise are that they're not allowed on the furniture (we took a thick throw for the bed), the garden isn't totally secure but huge enough that our guy didn't want to leave, and there is a resident dog-savvy cat. We loved it so much we're going back in September.

The Tunnel crossing was very good too, much better for the dogs than the ferry.

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t65379-impressed-with-eurotunnel-for-dogs

Hi
This is some great info - we really want to take our SBT (a rescue dog so no papers to prove breed) to France this year and it sounds like we should be fine. Did your dogs need to be muzzled anywhere on the journey or during the holiday?

Hi Liz
Just to confirm, our dog is a 2 year old SBT rescue, hence no pedigree papers but the rescue vet confirmed his breed and approximate age and would issue the pet passport. Is this all the paperwork I need to travel from UK to France via ferry or Eurotunnel? He's chipped to us, up to date with vaccinations and we worm him monthly via the pet plan, what else does he need before travel - rabies vac?
What's the worst that could happen - can they refuse him entry/exit and send us all back?
Thanks Cal

You need the rabies vaccination at least 21 days before you travel, with the vaccination recorded in his passport. You then need to visit a vet in France between 24 - 150 hours before you come back (that's 1-5 days) to get him tapeworm treated, and again that has to be in the passport. It's a little palatable tablet and French vets all seem to know what they're doing.

All the info you need is here:

https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/overview

The only checks are returning to the UK. With Eurotunnel, on your way out your dog isn't even looked at, you just get asked to confirm you have a dog (or 3!) with you when you check in and that's it. The French have no dog entry controls, they are all for returning here.

No need for muzzles or anything, just the same sensible precautions of keeping on leads if appropriate as you'd use here.

We went back in September as planned and are booked in for the first week in June again, exactly the same gite as he's happy with us taking all 3 dogs and they adore the huge garden. The Foret d'Eawy (pronounced ay-a-vee) area is still as amazing as we thought. We did one walk on the Avenue Verte which was a mistake - too many people and Chaos finds head on meetings with other dogs stressful - but there are so many walks where you meet no one it's untrue.

When are you thinking of going?

That sounds really good. We would like to go in September but I've just been reading some stuff on the French Customs site and it's quite scary due to the breed recognition confusion. Oddly the website refers to Staff Terriers (not SBTs) yet their handout 'Trouble free travel with French Customs' refers to SBTs as an attack dog??

It sounds like travelling with a Staffy is not the problem here but being challenged by an ill informed objector could be - which is in line with your French vet's caveat. I think you have the best approach - going with your whole family, enjoying your hols and avoiding the crowds.

For info these are the links I used:

https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=fr&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=http://www.douane.gouv.fr/Portals/0/fichiers/information/publication-douane/langues-etrangeres/trouble-free-travel-with-french-customs.pdf&usg=ALkJrhi0D6sIzaqgPbxUmr88KK11FURcUA

https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=fr&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=http://agriculture.gouv.fr/animaux-de-compagnie-reglementation-des-animaux-dangereux&usg=ALkJrhhq_QQxWeVWc986WcsN42M72FFDsA

https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=fr&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=http://www.douane.gouv.fr/articles/a11626-voyage-venir-en-france-avec-mon-animal-de-compagnie&usg=ALkJrhjitxCJuG2rAxQg1IsAQ154vFICTA

I rely on the Consulate link above, which specifically states that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not on the banned list. If anyone challenged us, I would refer them to that.

The only reactions we've had to Chaos from others have been at the vets when everyone he's met, both staff and other clients, have said how lovely he is. We've walked through Dieppe and Honfleur with them and not had so much as a look, except for one lady who I would say just didn't like dogs. To be on the safe side, though, stick to the quiet areas and you should be fine.

Like here I'd never say never. The definition of a pitbull is so stupid, you could apply it to a range of dogs, that there is always a risk if you own a bull breed of the right sort of size. We will certainly keep going back through, and are even thinking of buying somewhere in a few years.

Hi Liz
Thanks for all your info - I'd missed the link above to be honest and gone around in circles looking for stuff. Yep this is a perfectly clear statement which is brilliant - thank you! Now I can start looking forward to hols in France with my 'family'. Enjoy yours - you definitely have it sorted, the dogs look really happy, fab.

Oh good! If you are looking for somewhere to stay do look at the links in my 14th June post. The gite is great, with very quite walks into the woods literally from the back of the garden.

LizP wrote:I rely on the Consulate link above, which specifically states that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not on the banned list. If anyone challenged us, I would refer them to that.

The only reactions we've had to Chaos from others have been at the vets when everyone he's met, both staff and other clients, have said how lovely he is. We've walked through Dieppe and Honfleur with them and not had so much as a look, except for one lady who I would say just didn't like dogs. To be on the safe side, though, stick to the quiet areas and you should be fine.

Like here I'd never say never. The definition of a pitbull is so stupid, you could apply it to a range of dogs, that there is always a risk if you own a bull breed of the right sort of size. We will certainly keep going back through, and are even thinking of buying somewhere in a few years.

What is the definition of a pitbull? Because when googling it seems a SBT is considered a pitbull. Is a pitbull actually a real breed or just a variation of a SBT, or visa versa? The whole thing seems a little stupid to me.

It is totally stupid. Some countries seem to consider all bull breeds 'pit' types. France seems to say it's American Staffordshire Terriers but not Staffordshire Bull Terriers (there is a difference, although not great), and overlookds American Pit Bulls altogether. The UK has a definition of a pit bull based on the American Pit Bull Terrier breed standard but if you try applying it you'll find it fits a range of dogs.

This is probably not too far off...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pit_Bull_Terrier

The last two dogs shown are typical of the sort that I see classed at pitbull by the police here.