Viajar con mascotas y ayudar a animales perdidos

France is a very dog-friendly country, and a good country to visit if you want to travel with your dog. In fact, Nice was awarded ‘most dog-friendly city en Francia'.

Remember: before you leave your home country, make sure you have a completed pet passport, with all the required vaccinations recorded.

Viajar con mascotas y ayudar a animales perdidos - viajar con perros mascotas riviera francesa 1

You can travel with your pets in France without a care in the world as train stations and airports are extremely animal friendly. And, unlike in the USA, most restaurants in France allow you to bring your dog. Gîtes (furnished holiday rentals) are obliged by law to allow pets to stay, and most hotels allow pets for an extra fee (expect to pay about €30 extra per night at a 5-star hotel).

Aunque los perros tienen prohibido el acceso a algunas playas francesas, organización benéfica para animales '30 Millions d'Amis' ha compilado un mapa de playas y restaurantes que admiten mascotas –al menos durante parte del día–, así como casas rurales, campings y hoteles que admiten perros (unas 20.000 plazas en total). Aquí tenéis otra mapa de playas que admiten perros.

There are, however, restrictions on taking a dog on a beach as they must be kept on a lead/leash or owners face an €11 fine. Some beaches are open for dogs only at certain times – generally early morning or later when it is quieter. Few beaches will allow dogs in the water alongside bathers, but you can ask the maîtrenageur in charge or check the signs.

The map was made in a bid to reduce the 60,000 cats and dogs that are dumped each summer (200,000 year-round), often beside roads on the way to holiday resorts as sociopathic people realize the problem of trying to find a space on a beach that is open to pets, and decide to abandon their cat or dog rather than make the extra effort to find a pet-friendly beach. The dumping of so many animals overwhelms animal shelters with thousands of animals arriving every week during summer.

Owners are asked to be on their best behavior and make sure to clear up and not leave dog poop on the beach. If you don’t, you increase the likelihood that the mayor will ban dogs on the beach, increasing the number of abandoned dogs.

If You Find an Abandoned Pet

Si encuentra un perro (o gato) que crea que está perdido o abandonado, recuerde lo siguiente: en Francia, a menudo los dueños dejan que sus perros deambulen libremente. No decimos que esto esté bien, pero sucede. Si el perro camina con paso firme y seguro, suele saber adónde va, y si no representa un peligro (si no está cerca de una carretera o camina sobre ella), lo mejor suele ser dejarlo seguir su camino para que encuentre el regreso a casa.

Some dogs, however, look lost. Frightened, running or walking in different directions – panting – generally stressed or anxious – or sick and/or thin – or about to cause a road accident – and that is the time to step in. Here are instructions of what to do, provided by French Riviera Animals:

1) First, take some photos of the animal. Then, try to get close to the animal and catch him/her. If you can’t, post the photos on Pet alert 06 (De Menton a Cannes, incluidos Nice, Antibes, St Paul de Vence, Mougins, etc.) y Pet alert Var (the west side of the Riviera, including the Esterel region and St. Tropez), also post on French Riviera Animals (and/or email it to FrenchRivieraAnimals@gmail.com), y tantos otros grupos de Facebook como puedas, proporcionando detalles precisos de dónde viste al animal.

Si cree que el animal puede provocar un accidente de tráfico, llame a la policía del municipio e infórmelo, proporcionando detalles precisos.

2) If you manage to catch the animal, or if the animal comes happily with you, please take the animal to a veterinarian who will check (for free) for a microchip or a tattoo – and if there is one, the vet will call the registered number. If after-hours, there are 24-hour vets in most areas. If the registered phone number can’t be reached, most vets will keep the animal overnight and until the owner can be reached (Les Clausonnes 24-hour veterinarian (en Valbonne definitivamente lo hacen).

3) Si tiene al animal pero no puede llevarlo al veterinario ni quedárselo durante la noche para llevarlo, debe llamar a la policía local. La policía llevará al animal a una perrera municipal donde intentarán encontrar a su dueño. Si transcurridos 10 días nadie lo reclama, normalmente una asociación se hará cargo y le buscará un nuevo hogar. La mayoría de las protectoras locales no ven con buenos ojos que se presenten con un animal encontrado. Generalmente le indicarán que llame a la policía local, que entonces llevará al animal a una de las perreras municipales registradas (si es que la policía está dispuesta a ayudar).

4) Please do not advertise the animal for adoption yourself. If the animal is microchipped this is theft. If the animal is not microchipped it can still be classified as theft. Associations and refuges do very careful checks on potential adopters – anyone Podrían estar quitándote ese animal –a veces por razones terribles (como usarlo como cebo para peleas de perros)– las personas con malas intenciones a menudo pueden parecer muy amables y convincentes.

Things to try if you find a cat or dog with no owner in sight

Go door-to-door and ask if anyone recognizes the animal.
Call the police (dial 112 on your phone) and ask for help (although the police are sometimes unwilling to help — it depends on the mood of the officer you reach).
Keep the animal in your care until you can get help. Provide water for them.

Notify the veterinarians in the area the animal was lost. Take the animal to the nearest veterinary clinic to check their microchip (this should not cost anything) and contact the owner. Here’s a database to search once you know the microchip number (but the vet should also be able to contact their owners). Below are contact details for emergency vet services en la zona (o busca "veterinario" en Google Maps):
- Emergency veterinary: Alpes-Maritimes (after hours, Sundays and holidays) – Phone: +33422530505
- Fréjus area: Emergency Vet (SOS Vétérinaires) – Phone: +33494515147 / +33489883448
- Toulon area: SOS Vétérinaires – Phone: +33970247024

Contact APOT: Animals Lost or Found (Animaux Perdus Ou Trouvés) Phone: 0800 037 016
Put up notices (with a photograph of the pet, if possible) in the veterinarian offices, at the Mairie and shops of the area it went missing.
Post a message and picture to the following bulletin board websites advertising lost and found animals (in French):
- Chien Perdu
- Filalapet