Traveling With Pets: No-Deal Brexit Would Make It Far Harder

All across Europe, families, and couples on vacation are seamlessly crossing borders with their beloved dog, cat or even ferret, thanks to the European Union Pet Passport scheme. Now, as a no-deal Brexit looms as a possibility for Britain, free pet travel is under threat.

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If the U.K. leaves the European Union on Oct. 31 without a divorce deal — which is increasingly likely under new Prime Minister Boris Johnson— that could result in Britain being chucked out of the pet passport program. And that would hit pet owners on both sides of the English Channel.

Some 250,000 British cats and dogs are taken to the EU on holiday by their owners every year. In 2017, the British government issued over 90,000 pet passports to veterinary practices in the U.K. Dave Kent, who has relied on guide dogs for 40 years, says the prospect of more paperwork and long waits is alarming.

“It’s not like you can leave your dog behind if you’ve got some business or a holiday in Germany or the Netherlands or Italy, or anywhere else in Europe,” he says. “You can’t just suddenly go to those countries and rent a guide dog.”