Can you take dogs on the Armas ferry?

[herbs100]

Hi there

Has anyone transported their dog on the Naviera Armas ferry?

We have to return to the Uk as my elderly mother and mother-in-law both now need care. We have 3 dogs, 2 are very laid back and will deal with most things. However, I have a big presser who is very insecure and nervy in new situations due to ill treatment before we got him. I am terrified to fly him as I don´t think he would cope at all.

I have heard that there is access to the dogs on this ferry at all times and a deck for walking so I would sit with him all night if I could, does anyone know if this is correct?

Desperate for info as heard the call centre info is not always accurate.

[Peanuts]

Hi,

we came by ferry and on the top car deck, which was open, they had a line of kennels for all the dogs. You would need water, food and a blanket. Access was possible all day and night. You can walk the dogs on the car deck and there was a hose pipe to clean up the mess.

[herbs100]

many many thanks for your reply, that was the naviera armas ferry from Huelva?

[carpenter]

I made the same journey (Santa Cruz to Huelva) about 14 months ago. i did write a long piece about it on here somewhere I'll try and find it in a mo. depending on what time of year your are travelling would make me think about where to place dogs. in January the upper deck (which has limited places) is very windy and quite hairy getting up there to tend to your pets. Like you I had 3 to cope with but one word of warning take something to secure the cages like cable ties. Also I'm not positive but I think the Canarian Presa is on the dangerous dog list here in the UK and any mention of this breed on your dog's passport may prove a stumbling block.
http://www.tenerifeforum.org/tenerife-forum/showthread.php?23563-Ferry-crossing-from-Santa-Cruz-to-Huelva

[herbs100]

Many thanks for your reply, thats really useful, I call him a presser for ease but in fact his breed is a derivative and he is in fact a Majorera but just to be safe I have checked as a result of your advise and the Presser does not seem to be on the list hope I've got that right.

How did your dogs cope with the journey as my big fella is very insecure. How big were the cages my big dog is about the size of a very large rotty do you think that would be alright. Thanks again for your reply as I am really worried about this but have no choice.

[Stoney]

We came back to UK on that ferry in March 2012, stayed up on deck for the majority of the day and kept the dog with us, she just laid down on the deck and didn't seem bothered by it at all, was windy but warm. From memory the cages are all about the same size, I would say masses of room for a medium or small dog but a large dog might find it a bit restrictive but would still be able to lay down quite freely. Just get yourself a small padlock to lock the cage, easier than using cable ties and means no one else can use the cage if you take you dog out. Make sure you go up to the top deck straight away as they tend to go first because you can have access whenever you want, unlike the cages on the car-deck where access is restricted during the voyage.

[guitar]

Ye those dogs can be a bugger, the Spanis people are not cleaning dogs poo..its all over the roads!

[carpenter]

Many thanks for your reply, thats really useful, I call him a presser for ease but in fact his breed is a derivative and he is in fact a Majorera but just to be safe I have checked as a result of your advise and the Presser does not seem to be on the list hope I've got that right.

How did your dogs cope with the journey as my big fella is very insecure. How big were the cages my big dog is about the size of a very large rotty do you think that would be alright. Thanks again for your reply as I am really worried about this but have no choice.

I have no idea what a Majorera is, I thought it was a goats cheese,
The cages downstairs are a decent size, our male doberman stands taller that a standard rottie but not as stocky and he had room to turn and lie down. I remember a St Bernard or maybe a pyrenean mountain dog in one of the upstairs cages. If that had room then your Presa will have no probs Everyone has concerns about their pet when they are left on their own in a potentially scary situation but dogs do not have human emotions so don't worry about a thing, it's no different to kennels.
When it came to the Uk crossing the pets must stay in the car for the crossing and my crossing was quite long. 2 hr to Guernsey and then 3 more to Poole so what I did was get some mild sedatives from the vet and gave them to the dogs just before the final stretch. They only last a couple of hours but it does help calm the dog when in your car

[bonitatime]

Majorera is from Fuerteventura

[Stoney]

Don't use the ferries use the channel tunnel was cheaper and faster. You just turn up at the gates get the dogs papers checked, also gives the dog a quick toilet stop. Then onto the train and a quick journey across no problem with cages etc etc.

[herbs100]

Huge thanks that has answered all my questions, will get into queue very early.

[Susief]

I made the same journey (Santa Cruz to Huelva) about 14 months ago. i did write a long piece about it on here somewhere I'll try and find it in a mo. depending on what time of year your are travelling would make me think about where to place dogs. in January the upper deck (which has limited places) is very windy and quite hairy getting up there to tend to your pets. Like you I had 3 to cope with but one word of warning take something to secure the cages like cable ties. Also I'm not positive but I think the Canarian Presa is on the dangerous dog list here in the UK and any mention of this breed on your dog's passport may prove a stumbling block.
http://www.tenerifeforum.org/tenerife-forum/showthread.php?23563-Ferry-crossing-from-Santa-Cruz-to-Huelva



This maybe useful for dogs/ferry travel?

[Stoney]

Hi we did the journey a couple of yrs ago in March to Huelva, no problem for access day or night on the top deck. The cages are in a part sheltered area but it does get quite windy so take them a blanket, you will need to straight to the cages which are a decent size and put your dogs in and also take a small padlock to secure the cage. According to all the people we spoke to, they are always the first to go as you can take you dog out and sit with them on the deck, however there are also some cages on the cardeck which are undercover and obviously not windy, access is supposed to be restricted and you must be accompanied by a crew member, but again talking to other dogs owners it does not always appear to be the case and you can get access as and when required. The best way to cross the channel is definitely by the tunnel, far easier and cheaper than the ferries, if you book in advance and not in peak times. The dogs paperwork examination took about 10mins, they put a pet aboard sticker on the windscreen and we took the next crossing at no extra cost, even though we turned up over an hour early to make sure we didn't miss it and got the dog checks done.

Our dog was much happier just sat in the car with us, hope this helps