The Puppy Road Trip ... Day One
In my post last month “an English Daisy in Sicily” I
introduced you all to our rescue dog Daisy who we adopted from All Dogs Matter
in London. When we adopted her we vowed we would never leave her alone and that
meant taking her to Sicily, this is the story of ‘The Puppy Road Trip’.
As The Sixth Puppy Road Trip is closely approaching it is
time to once again share our travels with one lucky rescue puppy from London to Sicily …..
Day One
Relaxation after The Puppy Road trip |
The alarm goes off at 6am, my husband, Daisy and I embark on
the first stage of our three day trip home to Sicily.
We head to the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone where we
board Le Shuttle to Calais.
Eurotunnel is totally
Pet Friendly, as we arrive the staff in the check in kiosks make such a big
fuss of Daisy the fact that she is excitedly hanging out of the window as if to
say “I’m going on holiday” probably helps.
At the Eurotunnel terminal there is a generous fenced off
area for your pooch to stretch their paws and play.
When we are boarding Le Shuttle the Eurotunnel staff
directing us always wave at Daisy and she always wags hello back. Then she
settles down for the 35min journey.
boarding Le Shuttle |
In order for your pets to travel between Europe and UK they
must have a valid Pet Passport … this entails having a rabies injection and the
passport must be signed by your vet with a valid stamp, it is advisable that
all yearly boosters should be recorded in the passport. Before returning to the UK you
must take your pet to a local Vet for Worm treatment. This must be done a minimum of 24 hours to a maximum of 5
days before your return into the UK. This MUST be recorded in the correct part of the
Pet Passport otherwise your pet will not be able to re-enter the UK at Calais.
The amount of times we have seen owners and their beloved pets turned away at Calais
is amazing.
Once in Calais after a petrol refuel and adapting our
headlights to European standards we embark on our next part of The Puppy Road
Trip.
Daisy sits and sleeps on my lap all the way, she currently
weighs 25kgs.
The puppy road trip includes many toll roads. Being on the
passenger side it is my responsibility to pay. It is hilarious when we approach
the toll booths with an operator inside, they automatically hold out their hand
for the ticket to then look and see a big smiley Daisy face looking back at
them through the opened passenger window. It is very hard to pay a toll fee
with an excited dog on your lap who is trying to climb out to kiss the person
in the toll booth.
We always book a one night stay to break up the journey in the beautiful city of Dijon
in the Burgundy region of France. The drive down is stunning passing through where
battles were fought in World War I and we always blow a kiss at the turn
off for Paris.
on the balcony at Hotel Monchapet, Dijon |
We book the Hotel Montchapet in
Dijon as it is close to Darcy Park which is perfect for Daisy to stretch her
legs after her long drive. The hotel staff always remember her.
Dijon is a beautiful city and it is such a
pleasure to be able to use it as a stopover on the puppy road trip. I am a big
fan of Paris and Dijon reminds me of a smaller version.
As
the ancient capital of Burgundy, Dijon is an architecturally rich city offering
far more than just mustard. Dijon is a most appealing place. Filled with elegant medieval and renaissance
buildings, the lively centre is wonderful for strolling with your dog.
We
always plan a late afternoon arrival, for a quick rest then to head out for a
meal accompanied by a rich and intense bottle of Burgundy red wine.
The
following morning starts with a coffee and croissant then the next part of The
Puppy Road Trip continues heading through the Alps and the Mont Blanc tunnel towards
Italy and Genoa to catch our pet friendly ferry to Sicily ……..
To be
continued ……
All Dogs Matter have many wonderful dogs who are
all looking for a forever home just like Daisy found or even if you can foster
a dog. Visit www.alldogsmatter.co.uk
Darcy Park, Dijon |
Dijon City Centre |
enjoying a glass of Chablis |
Dijon City Centre |
admiring the macaroons and cakes |
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