on the road with Animalcouriers

Animalcouriers are celebrating 10 years of blogging. It made us think warmly of all the clients we’ve got to know, and all the followers and friends we’ve gained over the past decade.

And naturally it prompted us to look back at some of the stories our blogs have told. We were especially struck by the long and complex journeys some pets undertake, and the lengths to which owners go to made sure their pets can relocate wherever the family goes — like Bella, who recently travelled in style from New York to Athens.

Bella

English Bulldog Bella belongs to Suzanne, who has recently relocated from the US to Greece. Airlines tend not to accept English Bulldogs, as their snub noses make them prone to respiratory problems, which could prove fatal on a flight.

So Bella made the journey from New York on the Queen Mary 2, in the ship’s special passenger pet kennels. On arrival at Southampton, Bella was transferred to Paris. At which point Animalcouriers stepped in to taken her on by road and ferry to mainland Greece.

Gorgeous Bella enjoying the sea breeze aboard the Greek ferry

Magnificent views

Travelling in a pet-friendly cabin (Bella had her own bed)

Bella fancies a go behind the wheel

Met by friends of Suzanne, Bella on her way to her new Greek home

All aboard the QM2

Bella isn’t the only Animalcouriers passenger to have travelled on the QM2. A couple of years ago we met sweet Beagle duo Ollie and Maggie, who made the same journey from New York to Southampton as Bella, having started their journey in San Francisco. We met them as they docked, and drove them to Italy for a reunion with owners Douglas and Matthew.

Ollie and Maggie with Douglas and Matthew

English Bulldog Gibbs made the journey in reverse. We met him in Crete and drove him to Southampton, where he and his owners boarded the QM2. Their final destination was Baltimore.

Handsome Gibbs

From China to the Channel

We often meet passengers — pets and their owners — off flights landing at Paris Charles de Gaulle, and drive them the rest of the way to the UK. These travellers have generally arrived from far-flung places — such as China.

Recently we met Sunny and Oscar and owner Tim, who flew into CDG from China.

Tim with his constant companions Sunny and Oscar

And when Tamara needed a way to get her dog Mia, adopted in China, to her from CDG, we were only to happy to step in and help.

Adorable Mia settling in to farm life in Salisbury

From Madeira, Morocco and Liberia

Quite a number of the more complex journeys are undertaken by stray or homeless animals lucky enough to get adopted by holidaymakers and other visitors. As well as the many kind people who adopt pets from Greece, there are others who have to go the extra mile to transport their pets to their new homes.

One such was delightful Canico, adopted in Madeira by Jane and Ray in 2010. He flew from Madeira to Lisbon, Portugal, where we collected him and drove him to a lovely kennels in Spain. The pet passport rules were a bit more complicated back then, so he had to wait six months for his passport to become valid before flying to the UK and his new home in Halifax.

Jane welcomes Canico to Yorkshire with a traditional flat cap

We also helped Jo and Peter get their rescue dog Togo from Morocco to Edinburgh. After a number of unhappy false starts based on incorrect information, Jo and Peter asked us to get involved. Finally Togo was able to travel, flying to Glasgow for a stay in quarantine before joining his new family.

Charming hound Togo at home with Jo and Peter

More recently, Ben asked us to help him get his adopted dog Jack home to the UK from Liberia. Ben met Jack while filming in Liberia for the BBC. Ben and Jack flew into Brussels airport, where we scooped darling Jack up for his onward journey by road and Eurotunnel, while Ben caught his connecting flight to London Heathrow.

Jack reaches Ben in Bristol