Taking a dog to India?

timsha

Does anyone have any experience with taking a dog to india?

I am considering taking my bernese mountain dog (a big dog breed-45KG) with me to himachal pradesh. Obviously he would have all the neccessary vaccinations.

The question is more related to the practicalities of everyday life in india...for example are dogs allowed on the train or bus (i dont remember seeing any when i was there in '93) What about guesthouses?

Would hate to get out there with him to find out that travelling is not possible with a dog?

Any helpfull tips would be greatly appreciated!

lotus blossom

i don't know the laws about critters there, but from what i saw, there are a number of wild dogs in india who run the streets and look to be pretty hungry. so i wonder how the locals would view you with your well fed dog? just a thought.

__________________
Not all who wander are lost

SitaParityaga

Bad idea, thats the tip. You'll love India, the dog most certainly will not.

iyou

You're sure to have a memorable trip, that much I can say. Plenty of Indians keep dogs as pets, but yours is big, and you're a cute fuzzy person with pink skin, so if you like being the center of attention you'll be in heaven.

__________________
.
.
.
--May a moody baby doom a yam.

Shannon

Eh, I don't think this would be your problem. Indians had what I viewed to be an incredible dichotomy in treatment of dogs. Pets are well-kept, taken care of, and loved. Street dogs are beaten (I almost beat a man myself with a stick when I saw him hitting a poor puppy with a stick) and neglected. If it's clear it's a pet, there will be no mind to you taking care of it.

soulstation

Lot of people keep dogs in India (including me - I have a small spitz!) but taking them in a bus or train is not a very welcome idea. People around u wuld be uncomfortable with a dog since most buses and trains are so overcrowded. Some hotels (esp retreats in hills n not city hotels) welcome pets, but u have to specifically chk that. Personally I think u shouldnt tag him along unless u intend to hire a car and travel all around India on your own (unpractical n expensive!)

usha

Well,
I do take my dog (A huge Lab) in the train.
The dog is not allowed to sit with u in the same compartment. They hav kennels. Also an attender. The tickets u get the day of the journey only. But u hav to tell them in advance and give ur train ticket nbr too. What i do is wenever there is a stop for more than 5 minutes i come out and take the dog out too..then put him back in the kennel.
It is a big responsibility i should say..
Wat u see in my avatar is my own Dog.. we call him GURU

__________________
Life is a beautiful journey so keep travelling with a SMILE

lobo

Arent there a lot of mastiffs etc in HP?
Might not be a good idea as wild dogs run in packs and he might be seen as a threat, you wouldnt want to be surrounded by a pack.
Also depending if hes a human dog(gets on better with people) or dog dog (interested more in dogs) he might no know the dog body language ettiquote as well as he should.

Bad idea I think.

Nick-H

There is rabies in India.

I spent some time recently with a woman who does a lot of work for dogs on the street in Chennai and she assured me that it is rare there.

But I'd be more worried for my dog than myself. The street dogs seem frinedly to humans (...hand that feeds them and all that), but they are very teritorial.

Two other points:

What about going home? If it was UK it would mean 6 months in quarantine.

What about the flight? It's bad enough in economy class, but the animal has to put up with a box in the hold. All that terrifying noise and movement. It's something I wouldn't put an animal through.

timsha

Thanks for all your replies!

I am fully aware that in india this sort of dog would make one the center of attention. (Anyone who doesnt like being the center of attention shouldnt go to india!).

Obviously my dog is a mountain dog we wouldnt even consider exposing him to the heat of rajasthan or southern india....himachal and ladakh would be on the itinery.

That with other dogs is something which i see as a problem. 2 Years ago in morrocco we were allways getting followed by huge packs of dogs (with respectfull distance however)!

Thanks for the infos about the trains. As far as the flight is concerned we would sedate him for the duration of the flight!

Living in Germany we have no quaranteen problems as long as the dog is fully immunized and carries an embedded microchip for id purposes.

The reason why i'm considering it in the first place is because I am everything for my dog...when we have given him to friends to look after he has allways been very depressed...For the dog the most important thing is to be with his person. Given the choice he rather would follow me into hell than be left with someone else!

Would very much appreciate any further posts from tourists who have taken a dog to india and could share with me their experiences.

Thanks to all posters.

janetdawson

Though all points are pretty well covered here- would like to point out that most hotels do not allow you to keep a pet on the premises- better rent a flat or room... maybe you can ire one of those rugged jeeps for the duration of the stay and your transportation problem can be solved... would like to point out that one trip down Khan Market in Delhi will convince you that there are many expats and tourists who bring their pet's to India- you can find all the food suplly (any intl. brand of your choice) there also

mira4bai4

I was considering taking my small do g to India as I am shifting long term but gave up on the idea for many reasons, the same bity things will get her as me and how would I know if she is sick until she falls over. Bad food for her will be as bad as bad food for me. Returning home with her, how long to be in quarantine 6 months of prison if I was lucky but living in Aust then no way she could not return. So she stays here and can go surfing and chasing seagulls while I get chased by Wallahs.

Louisa

I wondered if anyone could talk about the standard of veterinary care in India for someone who´s moving out there permanently with their dog/s ?

I´ve been reading this old thread and it seems there are plenty of pet dogs kept there in India by locals and expats alike.. so veterinary treatment MUST be available.. but how good/where?

Maybe there will be a flurry of replies like I´ve been reading on other threads re dentists!!?? I´m an optimist ;0)

Louisa

__________________
The map isn´t the journey... But having a map helps...

lindakka

I have travelled with some of my pets over the years....until I saw how they were treated at the airport. Law says that each crated animal is to be hand carried to every plane. Doesn't always happen. Mine were left on the runway in the middle of the Texas summer with no water, no covering. I screamed at the airport security until someone took them off the runway and into an air-conditioned room. So, that is one incident of abuse. The airlines WILL NOT tell you the number of animals lost to trauma, stealing, or dying of heat. If you love your dog......find someone at home that will adopt it until you come back from India.

The question is really......do you love your dog enough to leave it or will you take the chance that something could go horribly wronG?

Give the furry one a big hug and kiss now!

Lindakka

rangss

__________________
...and I took the road less travelled.