Sailing to Santander with a dog - Kennels good or to be avoided?

[Stanvan]

Hi

We are planning to sail Plymouth to Santander in Sept with our dog, unfortunately there are no pet friendly cabins available and I'm hoping someone may have experience of using the kennels on board.
We are concerned because reading on trip advisor and other forums it appears security for the kennel area is non existant, which is a real concern as that means anyone can go into the kennel area, push food through the bars or worse case scenario let the dogs loose.
Can anyone put our minds at rest? Just tried to call Brittany Ferries and they have a 30 min wait time to answer!!

Thanks in advance

We have only used the kennels on the Santander ferry once and never again. Our cocker spaniel hated it, he didn’t go to the toilet once on the whole journey, we were dreading the journey home and it was no better.
We use the tunnel every time and travel through France down to Spain.

 

[JRT]

We always use the Tunnel for France, it's brilliant that the dog stays in your vehicle with you. I've had cause to be on a ferry vehicle deck whilst a ferry was underway and the noise and vibration was terrible. There is no way I would leave our dog down there so it's always the tunnel for us.

The prospect of the long drive swayed us towards the ferry direct to Spain for this, our first trip to the Spanish mainland. If it doesn't for whatever work out for us in June (utilising a pet friendly cabin) then we'll consider the long drive in the future.

 

[bellabee]

We've used the kennels once, but never again.As has been said, they are just rows of cages stacked one above the over.
Our dog needed a large kennel and was placed between two German Sheppards who terrified him.
The noise from other dogs in the kennels was constant and overwhelming.
We crossed to Santander last week, in a pet friendly cabin. We could hear the cries of the dogs in the kennels. One dog was particularly distressed and this was having a knock-on effect to other dogs.
If we can't get a pet friendly cabin we now drive through France.

 

[Bigjohneaton]

Hi have crossed many times always booked early to get pet cabin only other people I've seen on dog deck are crew and smokers except when its on the sunny side of ship but as you can imagine doesn't smell as good as deck on other side of ship never seen anyone in kennels who shouldn't be last trip only one dog in there so they looked quiet
Depends how pets adapt as its overnight sometimes 2 nights. Pays your money takes your chance same as everything else in life

 

[carolyn]

Please don't lock your dog's kennel, if you choose to use one. In an emergency, the crew won't be able to get your dog out!!!

I’m sure they’d cut them off in no time with a pair of bolt cutters. I know you do tend to worry so I don’t want you fretting unduly about other peoples pets even though it’s not somewhere you’d put your own dog.

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[Gordy29]

Watch Helen and Martin on YouTube there channel is called Hestreks? They take there dog on that crossing and done video

 

[denisejoe]

In an emergency would the dogs be of concern to the crew.

 

[ontheroadagain]

.

In an emergency would the dogs be of concern to the crew.

Unfortunately not.
Interesting fact that I read recently - there were 12 dogs onboard the Titanic and 3 of them survived.

 

[HarryML7]

In an emergency would the dogs be of concern to the crew.

Probably not, but they would be mine.

 

[carolyn]

In an emergency would the dogs be of concern to the crew

Must admit I was trying to be kind as I know how upset some people get about their pets. If it was lifeboat scenario type emergency then I would hope all dogs would be left behind, can you imagine the chaos with terrified people and dogs.

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[JRT]

Like a captain goes down with his ship I'm afraid I'd go down with my dog......

 

[Gina M]

Like a captain goes down with his ship I'm afraid I'd go down with my dog......

Me too

 

[Realist]

Like a captain goes down with his ship I'm afraid I'd go down with my dog......

And and the wife my dog goes where we go and I will save him and the wife first before any other material things we have that's for sure.

 

[HKF]

We aren't using one, we have managed to get a pet friendly cabin.

Reading some of the comments in this thread I seriously doubt I would book a kennel if we couldn't get a cabin. I already had reservations about using one for our dog and some comments have reinforced this.

We would either change dates till we could (we are retired so have total flexibility) or hop under the Channel and do the long drive.

Hurrah!! Thank goodness for that. Good choice!!

 

[HKF]

I’m sure they’d cut them off in no time with a pair of bolt cutters. I know you do tend to worry so I don’t want you fretting unduly about other peoples pets even though it’s not somewhere you’d put your own dog.

Unfortunately, in the event of an evacuation, the dogs will be bottom of the list of priorities and finding bolt cutters will not be an option. Human lives will come above everything else.

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[carolyn]

Unfortunately, in the event of an evacuation, the dogs will be bottom of the list of priorities and finding bolt cutters will not be an option. Human lives will come above everything else.

I was trying to be kind!

 

[HKF]

I was trying to be kind!

I know and I thank you for caring But I don't want anyone else to be under any illusions of what might happen if they use those awful kennels.