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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