Dog transport

Dogs are most of the animals we carry, from a terrier on the back seat to two labradors in the boot of an estate. Each one travels in a crate sized for it, secured so it cannot slide, in a car with the air conditioning set for the dog rather than for us. We stop every three to four hours for a walk, water and a check of the crate, and you get a photograph each time.

Before the journey

• A microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination
• A rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel, kept in date
• For journeys into the EU, an Animal Health Certificate issued by an official vet in the 10 days before departure (an EU pet passport counts only if issued in the EU to someone who lives there)
• For dogs entering Great Britain, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway, a tapeworm treatment given by a vet 24 to 120 hours before arrival

Nervous, elderly or large dogs

Tell us. A nervous dog gets a quieter collection and more stops; an elderly one gets a lower step into the car and a softer bed; a very large one gets the Plus car, a Mercedes V-Class, so the crate has room. None of this costs extra to ask for.