Dogs in Spain and France (1 Viewer)

[Purple2]

Any regulars to France and Spain please tell me if there are any restrictions travelling on buses and trains with a dog whilst in those countries? Thanks

 

[gus-lopez]

Yes.Where I live in Murcia region no dogs are allowed on buses &. I think many other regions are the same.I am sure trains are the same. Internal plane flights are ok though.lol

 

[maison]

In France it is less clear.

Small dogs seem to be allowed on buses "at the driver's discretion". Our dog is a GSD/Border Collie cross, and we have been refused more often than accepted.

We have never tried to take her on a train so can't help there, sorry.

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[Armytwowheels]

Yep, no go on the buses and Trains in Spain. However, we used taxis a few times and as long as the dog was kept on the floor the drivers were happy to take us.

Having said that we did take the dog on a bus in the ski resort of Sierra Navarda and the driver didn't bat an eyelid, we just got on and behaved as though the dog wasn't there, kept her on the floor and no one paid her any attention. My dog is quite small though, a Border Terrier.

No idea about France I am afraid.

 

[JackieP]

In France they DRIVE the buses!

Dogs are allowed everywhere in France. Don't be surprised to see them on a chair next to you in a restaurant having their dinner off a fork!

 

[maison]

In France they DRIVE the buses!

Dogs are allowed everywhere in France. Don't be surprised to see them on a chair next to you in a restaurant having their dinner off a fork!

Funny, but not true!

Restaurants, bars and shops are very accommodating for dogs but buses can be a problem. We have been refused entry to buses on certain routes by some drivers whilst others have been happy to accept our dog.

"It is at the discretion of the driver." A catch all phrase that depends on whether or not the driver has had a bad day!

BTW, most bus drivers in France are female. Describing them as "dogs" will be unlikely to get you a ride!

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[andyman]

k

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Just to complicate things you will sometimes find that they're permitted but have to be muzzled.

It's just as well to have a soft fabric muzzle with you just in case.

 

[tonka]

AND to add to this... There are certain rules when the dog is in your own vehicle and I think in Spain must be secured in some way ie not "loose"... So worth checking that out..

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[The Nomad]

AND to add to this... There are certain rules when the dog is in your own vehicle and I think in Spain must be secured in some way ie not "loose"... So worth checking that out..

That is true in theory. But............

The law here in Spain:-
In Spain any dog MUST be restrained if travelling in a vehicle other than in the boot which has a proper "dog guard" between the boot and rear seats.
If travelling on passenger seat (front or rear) the dog must be securely restrained by a proper harness attached to a secure point (eg seatbelt).

Reality here in Spain:-
I see perhaps 1 dog in every thousand which are travelling on front or rear passenger seats actually wearing any sort of harness or restraint. The other 999 just sit on the seat/in the footwell/jump about all over the place, along with the adults and children which in huge numbers of cases are also not belted in.

This rule seems to be actually obeyed/enforced with just the same rigour as the no-mobile-phone-use-whilst-driving law in Spain.



In fairness, I should stress that the culture here is very very different from the UK.

It is actually really, really difficult for people who've grown up and lived their lives in the rule ridden bureaucratic UK to grasp how different other countries/cultures really are.

There really isn't an "it's a regulation therefore I must obey it at all times otherwise the sky will fall in" attitude at all in southern European countries.
Here the basic attitude is that Central Government/State has no right to tell me and my family how to run our own lives, and we'll simply ignore what we regard as very minor, laws which we feel limit our freedoms/which we don't agree with.
There is here a MASSIVE mistrust in Government of any sort, partly because of the 40-odd years of Government Dictatorship which only ended in the mid-1970's; and partly because of huge amounts of historical corruption amongst national, regional and local politicians.

Brits will think Spaniards are mad for not obeying all Government laws; Spaniards think Brits are spineless for mindlessly obeying all Government laws.