Can dogs travel on the Eurostar must be one of the most dog related travel questions asked when looking to travel to or from the UK with your dog. The Eurostar is a great link between the UK and Europe. It connects the UK directly to Paris and Brussels in around 2 hours and Amsterdam in just over 4 hours. Taking you directly from city centre to city centre it’s an awesome way to take your dog with you when you travel. Unfortunately, the Eurostar do not allow all dogs on board. This means that you usually need to use the Eurotunnel with your own car. So you need to travel from Folkestone to Calais and is not so convenient if you aren’t travelling with your own car.
I managed to make a journey on it though. Check out my Youtube to see my full experience on the journey on Eurostar;
Assistance Dogs
There are a few exceptions for which they allow Guide Dogs and Assistance Dogs to travel. In order to be allowed to travel, you must first get approval before booking your tickets. If the dog is a member of one of the following associations then the booking process is simple;
- Assistance Dogs (UK)
- Assistance Dogs Europe
- The International Guide Dog Federation
- Assistance Dogs International
If your dog isn’t trained by one of those associations, then you must fill in a thorough application form. The form asks for lots of information regarding the dogs training as well as the reasoning for the assistance dog. We had to provide lots of medical records, and doctors letters confirming the disability required for and that the dog was required for the disability.
On top of that we had to provide details and records of the training I had done to make sure I was adequately trained. This is to ensure that I would meet standards of behaviour and hygiene that would be acceptable on a train and would be safe with other passengers. Contact details of the trainer had to be provided along with contact details so they would be able to check that the information provided was accurate.
Approval
I received approval for my application after 24 hours. I was quite surprised at how quick it was given all of the information that we had to provide. Maybe because we provided so much it made it easier for those making the decision. I’m not sure whether they spoke to my trainers or not to get any more information.
The approval is valid for 12 months from the date of application and I was given a special code. This would allow me to make future bookings without having to gain approval again. So I am now allowed to travel unlimited number of times over the next 12 months.
Making a Booking
In order to make a booking mammy had to call up the contact centre on centre on (+44) 03432 186 186. The contact centre is open Monday – Friday 09:00 – 17:00. You have to select option 1 for English followed by option 4 for special assistance. My pawrents made their booking first and then called up to add me to the booking.
Unfortunately, mammy tried so many times to get through without success. It was really quite annoying because before you even get to the menu selection you have to listen to 4 minutes of information about travelling to the UK and the covid requirements. Given we were going the other way this wasn’t relevant and was a total waste of time and money on the calls. Every time I got to the menu and pressed number 4, the line just cut off.
Mammy then emailed the team who gave me my approval to see if they could assist. They didn’t reply either despite e-mailing them 4 times. She then made a tweet about poor service and they immediately messaged asking the issue. She explained and sent all the details. They didn’t get back to her. So she had to keep messaging them. Eventually they asked for her phone number and they called her.
When she eventually spoke to someone it was easy. They added my name to the booking and sent a separate ticket with my name on! I even got my own allocated seat. They weren’t able to sit us at a table, in case the other person at the table wasn’t fond of dogs. So they gave me and my daddy seats together with mammy sat across the aisle. They told us if there were any spare tables on the day we could easily move.
Cost
There was no cost to add me to the booking. This is really great.
It is really great that Eurostar are recognising that not all disabilities are visual. In the past it was only Guide Dogs that were recognised. There are many illnesses that you can’t see and it’s a huge step forward that they are now being recognised.
It would be great if it was possible to travel for all dogs on Eurostar. It is quite strange that they don’t allow it as trains in both the UK and Europe are really pet friendly. Given it’s so hard to get dogs into the UK, it would make it so much easier. If only they could make the booking process easier once you have received the approval. Check out my guide on how to import a dog to the UK here. Hopefully one day we will see a change and make it accessible for all.
Don’t forget to keep updated on my blog for the rest of my travels through Europe.
Woof woof, Wylie x
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WHAT IS THE WEB ADDRESS FOR THE TRAVEL FORM FOR SERVICE DOGS THAT ARE NOT REGISTERED TO AN APPROVED SERVICE ANIMAL AGENCY PLEASE?
Hi, there is no link to the form, you have to e-mail them and ask them for it and they will send to you.
Hi there, thanks for the post. May I ask from which association did Wylie get their certification from? And what kind of disabilities had to be supported by doctors letters? Thank you
As mentioned in the article he wasn’t trained by an association so we had to send in all the details of the training that he had done from our trainer in Singapore. I’m not sure what disabilities they cover, you can just contact them and ask for the application form and then send in all your details and they will make a decision 🙏