D-?120 - Pre-Camino preparation
When to do the Camino/Which Camino?
The general advice I receive, from pawrents of perregrinos, seasoned pilgrims, the internet in general… is that it is best to do the Camino in spring or autumn to avoid the heat as well as to have more facilities available (most albergues are open between March and Oct/Nov).
As this would be our first long-distance hike abroad, I wanted to try a shorter camino, so around the 100K mark. I looked at the different options available: mainly CF Sarria-Santiago, CP Tui-Santiago, or Camino Ingles. I decided on the Sarria-Santiago route back in January, because I thought the other routes did not have sufficient dog-friendly facilities. Now that I have spent a lot more time researching into this, I now know that it is also possible to do the other Caminoes with a dog, with sufficient resources and facilities without having to camp with the dog or leave the dog outside or in a garage/shed.
Essential documents
If coming from the UK, since Brexit the pet passport is no longer valid, it is now replaced by Animal Health Certificate (AHC) - which is a bundle of documents (about 12 pages long) and valid for only 1 trip and cost more than the pet passport. Pet passport is still valid if you live in Northern Ireland.
You should plan this part in advance: my usual vet in the UK does not do it and they didn’t know/couldn’t recommend one who does. I looked at DEFRA website and couldn’t find a list of registered OV (official veterinarian, one who is licensed to perform work on behalf of the government). So I googled for vet in the area and luckily the 2nd one I called does it. I live in semi rural area with a lot of livestock and horses, the University’s veterinary school has a department here specialising in equine surgery, so I think that has something to do with the OV availability.
Coming from the UK to France or Spain, our fur babies will need rabies vaccine (this is something not required for UK pets), but no need to measure the antibody titre after the vaccine, which is good. The vaccine is valid for 3 years, after which a booster is needed. So for future trips, only repeat AHC is required, the vaccine doesn’t need to be repeated for the duration it’s still valid. The rabies vaccine needs to be administered at least 3 weeks before the AHC, and the AHC needs to be done no more than 10 days before your travel date, and valid for 4 months - in reality this is more than sufficient as the humans can only be in the EU/Schengen area for max 90 days every 180 days
Find the official information
here.
We were at the vet for 1.5 hours to get the document done! I felt it was a bit excessive, but I’m a follower of
“measure twice, cut once” and there was no mistake in the documents and Fuji travelled to the EU and back without an issue. Note: I have heard stories of vets making mistakes and tippex-ing the document, which was not accepted, or other small errors like filling the information in the wrong place, etc and the document was not accepted.
Coming back, Fuji will need treatment against tapeworm, it is a UK requirement, and this needs to be administered by a vet, and the date and time documented on the AHC and signed by the vet. Treatment needs to be given at least 24h and max 120h before return trip.
If you are travelling in from other countries, then check what documentation is required beforehand.
Getting there and back
- Car (Private or Hired) +/- Taxi
How will I get to the start point of the camino? In short
summary:
it is not possible to travel with dogs >10kg using public transport in Spain, so the easiest way is by car.
Since I was coming from the UK, and I have a Eurotunnel crossing voucher to use (from a pandemic cancelled trip back in 2020), then I’ve decided to drive to Sarria, leave the car at the hostel’s secured garage for the week, then take a bus back to Sarria to pick up the car after our camino (my friend will meet us in Santiago and she can dogsit Fuji while I go pick up my car).
It is also possible to take a taxi, specify in your booking that you will take a dog with you. And it is also possible to rent a car (see my Google
sheet for list of car hire companies that allow dogs and their terms and conditions). Spanish perregrinos that Fuji has befriended on social media seem to have done similar things. Some were dropped off/picked up by friends/families, or dropped off by family then hired a car to get back home.
If you are planning to bring your dog into
Portugal, the rule is different to Spain and France. Apart from the standard: microchip, rabies vaccine, pet passport/animal health certificate, Portuguese authority requires you to
notify them of your arrival at least 48h beforehand, and a fee of €40 is applicable for veterinary examination, the fee is waived for assistance dogs.
However, despite the initial extra cost and examination, it is possible to travel with a dog on trains in Portugal. So I guess if you are planning to do Camino Portugues with a dog from Lisbon or Porto and leaving your own car in Portugal… on the way back you could hire Spanish car and drive to Tui, return the car there, then cross the bridge into Valença then take a train from there? Just an idea, I’ve not done CP before.
Fuji has been in the car with me loads and I am happy with how she is secured in the backseat and has a comfy hammock to rest and not fall into the footwell. For some cars like SUVs, it is possible to secure the dogs in the boot. For info on how to secure dogs in the car (in Spanish) click
here.
Renfe has different services:
-
Cercanias (commuter) trains - pets are allowed, no weight limit, travel for free, do not need to travel in cage/carrier, but dogs must wear a muzzle.
-
AVE and long distance: only small animals <10kg allowed. They have to be inside a carrier with max diameter 60 x 35 x 35 cm. You need to get a pet ticket, and the cost varies depending on your type of ticket (from free up to €20, and despite paying for this they are not allowed to occupy a seat).
-
AVANT and medium distance: same as AVE, the pet ticket cost is 25% of human ticket and cannot occupy a seat.
Guide/assistance dogs travel for free.
During my initial research, I remember reading that someone used to travel within Spain and did multiple caminoes with their dog and had no trouble taking the train. Maybe the rules were different back then or not enforced. But in 2021, a British pilgrim living in Barcelona took her dog to do the full
Camino Frances. They then had to skip Leon which was going into local lockdown, and so decided to take the train… and almost were not allowed to be on the train because her dog was a large dog. See their story
here.
Dogs need to be <10kg and travel in a crate and in the luggage compartment.
In general, if you want to take your pet in the cabin with you they have to weigh <10kg and fit under the seat in front of you inside their crate. There will be exceptions for guide/assistance dogs. Emotional support dogs have variable acceptance status in differing countries, I understand it is protected under the law in the US and they have the same/similar status as guide/assistance dogs, but in the UK and other European countries it is not the case. But I have read that Virgin and a few other airlines may allow emotional support dogs in cabin. Also check that the rules for flying out is the same as the rules for flying back in.
There was a US pilgrim Colby who did the
Camino Frances and Via Francigena with her German Shepherd Maverick - IG @adognamedmav.gsd. Maverick was initially her emotional support dog and then became a certified assistance dog, so they always travelled together in cabin.
Accommodation
Perhaps this is the bit most forumites most look forward to! I have put together my list
here.
It is an active list which continuously get updated. When I see a perregrino doing the camino and listed a new albergue, I will add that onto the list.
In Spain, they have a list of dangerous dogs (Perros Potencialmente Peligrosos/
PPP). There are more restrictions in travelling and staying in accommodation with these breeds of dogs: Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffodshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, Akita Inu.
How to train yourself and your dog for the Camino
It will be physically more demanding to do the camino with a dog as you will have more things to carry in your backpack. The dog also needs to be adapted to the physical challenge.
Fuji is a labrador, she seems to be quite a petite one, with a very slender yet super toned figure, rather than the stocky English lab type. She has boundless of energy (!). So from the beginning of 2022, we started going on weekend hikes. Soon after that, I came across the Welsh Camino (
North Wales Pilgrim’s Way). And thought that it would be a good training walk for our
Camino Frances. It is 134mi/215K long and I could collect stamps along the way.
We started at the end of January and finished by mid March. We went on weekends initially, and then I used some of my annual leave to do longer stretches like 3-4 consecutive days of walking. I also got Fuji her own backpack and she was progressively carrying more weight on the backpack and seemed to have no issue with covering the distances (around 20-24K per day) and with backpack.
It was actually a very nice experience because the Welsh Camino was beautiful, and also very quiet. We passed through small villages with medieval churches and abbey ruins, read stories about Welsh Saints, the impact of the reformation, encountered a lovely outdoor (churchyard) meditation bench, grottos, pilgrim churches, etc. At the end, I received a certificate of completion, and the caravan owner where I had stayed with Fuji even gave me a printed watercolour painting of the local beach area as a memento!
Nutrition wise, Fuji has been on this brand of dog kibble Orijen. It is high in calories which meant she requires smaller amount of feed for her weight, which is good for the Camino. I also saw that one of the perregrinos who did the Primitivo also consumed the same brand, so the brand is available in Spain too. She is very easy with food though, she will eat anything and hardly ever have any issues. But as we were only doing a short Camino, I plan to bring all her kibbles and she can have extra treats (healthy human leftovers). Portion wise, for the Camino/during days of intense activity I give her 200% of her daily recommended requirement.
Credencial Canina
Yes!!! Fuji can have her own credential too. It is created by
APACA (Asociacion Protectora de Animais do Camiño) an NGO which works to protect animals, I paid €3 for the credential and she can also get an animal compostela when we get to Santiago for another €3. You can get the credential online from APACA website, from turismocanino, or from some dog-friendly albergues.
Luggage Transfer or an Organised Tour
Everyone does their own camino. It is easy to pass judgement against others, and I have to admit I have done so too at times though I try to keep it inside because the other part of me refused to allow me to say it out loud! My opinion of them is that these services enable those who would otherwise not be able to start or complete their pilgrimage. There’s nothing wrong with that.
For this Camino I was carrying my own backpack (and later on Fuji’s backpack too, see my later posts). And when it was hot, and you have been walking long distances, you do question your decisions! I met quite a few perregrinos on the first day, the fittest looking pawrent by far was a young man who looks like he goes to the gym a lot, he was walking with his miniature poodle, and had no pack (!). But this means that when the surface is too hot or the dog is tired, he can easily carry his dog. I have had to carry Fuji over a short distance in the Welsh Camino when she was spooked by cows and refused to move. Have to say - it was not easy to carry a 10kg pack and a 23kg dog altogether (that is more than half my weight)!
If you google “
camino de santiago with a dog” you will find a lot of tour companies offering a self-guided camino with them organising your accommodation and luggage transfer. So that is one hassle-free options. If you want to organise your own stages and accommodations, and simply want luggage transfer service, then there are plenty of companies that have been mentioned elsewhere in this forum, with reviews from those who have used their services (Caminofacil, Correos, JacoTrans, NSC, etc). I didn’t personally use any tour companies or luggage transfer service so cannot comment on them.
Useful resources
APACA https://paradoxahumana.com/
Turismo Canino https://www.turismocanino.es/camino-de-santiago-con-perro/
(Mercé did the
Camino Frances from Roncesvalles a few years ago with her fur baby Futt, they have now established a very good website and social media account helping pilgrims wanting to do the camino with their dog, and general info for travelling with a dog. She has also published 2 books on similar topic).
Also, I have found that brushing up on my rusty Spanish was incredibly useful for this trip! I used
Duolingo, but there are plenty other options to learn Spanish for your Camino.
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But also, doing the Camino with a dog means (a lot more) preparation - but I love planning (!) and most likely will cost you more, but it depends how you like to rough it. We stayed in private rooms in private albergues or pensions (the dorm bed cost €14 or usually €16-30 for private room with 2 beds) and Fuji stayed with me in my room and not outside/in garage/bike shed. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the whole journey with us, but it allowed us to meet many Camino angels who helped us along the way, and I think we had a much better experience, more amazing than what I thought it would be 
. Thanks for sharing your camino story .
