Every dog owner knows what I mean when I say: “they are a part of the family”. Our dogs give us undivided love and attention and are the most loyal beings imaginable. So it isn’t a big surprise that many of us want to bring fido with us on our holidays. So here are some tips for traveling to and in Ireland with your dog.

Dog-friendly Holiday Accommodation
More and more holiday accommodation providers in Ireland offer options for dogs these days. There are some hotels that have kennels on-site or special dog-friendly rooms. Some of them even offer doggie welcome packs, dog grooming, or dog walking services.
There are also traditional Irish B&Bs that are more than happy to welcome you and your best friend. They also usually have special dog-friendly rooms and sometimes even a “host dog” that will make a great playmate!
My favourite option though are pet-friendly holiday homes in Ireland. There are many of those on the Emerald Isle. Most of them in beautiful locations, midst the unspoilt Irish countryside with loads of free space for your canine to run, chase, play, dig and explore. You have the freedom to come and go whenever you please, you can cook your own food and Irish Holiday Cottages really feel like a home away from home. Find dog-friendly holiday homes here.

Traveling to Ireland with a Dog
Bringing your dog to Ireland (from any other country but the UK) can be a bit tricky. The reason for that is that Ireland has been lucky to keep rabies out of the country for many years and they don’t want this to change. Therefore, if you want your dog to accompany you on your Ireland holiday, he or she needs to have a pet passport and you need to follow some other regulation. You can find all of the necessary information here. If you are from the UK you are lucky, your pooch doesn’t need a passport.(There is no rabies in the UK either! Yippeee!).

Some Regulations
Like every other country, Ireland has some dog laws that obviously apply to visitors as well. Most of them are pretty obvious though:

• Pick up after your dog
• Always accompany your dog – don’t let it him/her walk off alone
• The following breeds (and crossbreeds with strains) should wear a muzzle whenever they are in a public place: American Pit Bull Terrier, English Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Mastiff, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd (Alsatian), Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Japanese Akita, Japanese Tosa and Bandog.
• Dogs should wear a collar with an ID tag

So what do you think? Would you bring your dog with you on your Holiday in Ireland?