All owners of animals, especially dogs, are always concerned with the question: “Is it possible to transport it on a bus?” For an answer to this question, we turned to the director of a commercial bus company (adc-tour.ru).
Transporting dogs is allowed throughout the country, but since 2014 it is not allowed to do so on international buses. It is allowed to carry small animals (cats, mini dogs) and birds in a special cage or carrier without additional charge, but for other animals, including dogs, you need to pay for baggage or buy a child or adult ticket.
The conditions for transporting animals in land and passenger transport in Russia are determined in accordance with the rules for using a particular type of transport. Regarding buses, these are the rules of use:
- BY CITY BUSES,
- SUBURBAN COMMUNICATIONS,
- INTERCITY COMMUNICATIONS.
Before your trip, we recommend that you print out a copy of the rules from the Ministry of Transport website, since practice has shown that not all cashiers and conductors know the all-Russian rules. Remember, the carrier cannot have its OWN RULES - refusal to transport a dog is a direct violation of the law, but only if you have all the necessary documents and have not violated the rules yourself. Renting a bus to a vacation spot or corporate event also falls under these rules, and you cannot be denied a trip with your beloved dog to our south. But we would still recommend notifying the carrier about the four-legged passenger in advance and, depending on his reaction, prepare.
A mandatory condition for large dogs is a muzzle and a leash. But the law clearly states that the dog must not disturb other passengers, so even for a pug it is better to purchase a muzzle to protect itself from the “evil conductor.” When a group of dog lovers travels on a bus, a separate seat must be purchased for each pet. For a large dog, it is necessary to have such a place; the pet must also be limited in movements, i.e. do not walk around the salon.
There are cases when they refuse to board because the law only says about transporting service and hunting dogs, but you are not required to present any documents about the breed, so such a refusal to board is not legal. Moreover, further in the text it is said that such dogs (meaning large ones) are transported in the rear seats (platforms) of the bus. But if there is no such place, then a large dog may be refused, and for good reason. Therefore, immediately at the box office, inquire about the presence of a back area. In practice, cashiers or conductors sell tickets for the seats with the widest aisle, and many allow you to sit on a seat with a cushion. But all this is a human factor, so never be rude to the driver or conductor, just protect the rights of your dog.
Tip: For transporting small animals, it is best to use a specialized container or bag. Due to the fact that their walls are usually covered with holes, they are quite comfortable for the animal to stay in.
What the law says
There is no separate document dedicated to the transportation of animals in Russia. The conditions for transporting dogs on the bus are part of the law “On the Transportation of Passengers and Baggage”. It establishes the same rules for all types of ground transport. The document came into force in 2009. You can get acquainted with it at the stands of the main and suburban bus stations, as well as on their official websites.
The main provisions of the law boil down to the fact that the owner must ensure peace for other passengers.
To do this, animals of medium and large breeds are muzzled and kept on a short leash. Decorative pets are transported in a container. A pet of any size should not be able to move around the cabin independently.
To safely ride the bus with your dog and protect yourself from people demanding to let you off, print out the rules and take them with you. Even private carriers are required to follow this law, as they are prohibited from dictating their terms.
Special cases and relaxations in the rules
The exception to the rule is guide dogs. These pets are allowed to be on the subway car outside of a bag - a carrier or container - and without a muzzle. This is because animals do their job, ensuring the safety and comfort of their owner.
In addition, guide dogs are trained to behave in the metro: how to pass through turnstiles, how to use escalators and not be distracted by other passengers. At the end of the course, a mark indicating the training completed is placed in the animal’s passport, which allows it to use transport free of charge, regardless of size.
Also excluded are large service breeds of animals that are used by law enforcement services to ensure the safe passage of metro passengers.
Controllers on the new branch of the Moscow metro - the Moscow Central Circle (MCC) - allow the transport of animals outside of a cage or bag. This relaxation applies only during those hours when the metro is least busy (i.e., not during rush hours) and only if the animal is muzzled and on a short leash.
Moving rules
For city buses, the same rules apply as for intercity buses. Tourist flights are also subject to the law “On the Transportation of Passengers and Baggage.” Also in Russia there is no separate document regulating the carriage of dogs in a minibus. This type of transport refers to low-capacity buses, which means the same rules apply to it.
For small breeds
To transport a decorative dog, take a cage or carrier with a solid bottom. The container with the animal is held on the lap. On an intercity flight, you can place the carrier in the carry-on baggage area. In this case, you do not need to pay for the dog on the bus. The rule applies to animals whose weight does not exceed 10 kg and height – 45 cm. The owner’s responsibilities include ensuring sanitary and hygienic standards in the cabin.
How to transport an animal across Belarus - we do everything right!
Situations are different, but the goal is the same - to transport your pet without delay across the territory of Belarus from one Belarusian city to another. In this case, what should the owner of a cat, dog or parrot do to ensure that the pet makes its way without delays or force majeure?
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that here we will provide an algorithm of actions in case you are going to transport your pet exclusively within Belarus. If you are going to take an animal abroad, the algorithm of actions will be slightly different. Holiday.by will definitely write about it, but a little later. In the meantime...
How to transport an animal in a personal car?
A personal car is the most convenient and painless way, in every sense of the word, to transport an animal from one city to another. As we were told by the State Institution “Veterinary Supervision” of the Department of Veterinary and Food Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus, in this case all vaccinations and obtaining accompanying documents remain on the conscience of the animal owner. “Vaccinations are voluntary,” the veterinary authority told us. – Each owner decides for himself whether to vaccinate his pet or not. But you need to understand that by taking it, for example, to a village, without prior rabies vaccinations or tick treatment, you expose the animal to serious danger. If there have been no vaccinations and treatment, you should not take him out into the forest, field, in a word, into nature.”
How to transport an animal by bus?
If you don’t have a personal car, and you simply need to send Bobik or Murzik to another city, you will have to use public transport. And this is an additional hassle - you will need to have a whole package of accompanying documents with you. Among them is the animal’s veterinary passport, which you should have obtained immediately after the pet’s appearance. You can get it at the veterinary station at your place of residence. It records the data of the owner, the pet, as well as information about all examinations, tests and vaccinations of the pet.
For transportation in public transport, as it was persistently emphasized to us at the veterinary station of the Moskovsky district of Minsk, only rabies vaccination is mandatory, all others are “optional”, at the request of the owner. However, as a veterinary station employee noted, vaccination against rabies must be done no later than two weeks before the trip - this is exactly the time needed for immunity to develop.
Rabies vaccination stamp
Another mandatory accompanying document is a veterinary certificate, which is also issued at the veterinary station. To get it, you need to bring your pet to the veterinarian for examination a few days before the trip. If the specialist does not find any signs of infectious diseases in the animal, all mandatory vaccinations have been completed, then you will receive the necessary document in your hands, which will indicate where and by what transport the animal is transported. Such a certificate is valid for 5 days from the date of issue and costs 65 thousand Belarusian rubles (7.5 USD).
It is not necessary to microchip your pet for transportation within Belarus. From the documents, that's probably all. But even before the trip, you will need to purchase a muzzle and a collar with a leash if you keep a large pet, and a cage with a waterproof absorbent bottom for a small one. For a baby you will need to buy a baggage ticket according to the tariff, but for a large animal you will have to buy an additional seat.
How to transport an animal on a train?
To transport your pet by rail, you will need the same documents as for transport by bus - a passport and a veterinary certificate. A muzzle, a collar with a leash for a large animal and a cage or box for a small one are also required. But the conditions of transportation on the train are somewhat different.
You can transport your pet in all types of carriages, except for SV and superior comfort. Before the trip, you must receive a special document for transporting an animal, which will indicate “Bird in a cage”, “Dog in a cage”, and indicate the total weight and number of pets being transported. If Tuzik, together in a cage, weighs up to 20 kilos, then you can transport him next to you - in the place of hand luggage, paying a baggage receipt as for transporting cargo of 20 kilos - the cost will depend on the type of train and carriage. On commuter trains, the cost of transportation will be equal to half the cost of a ticket to your destination. But if the dog weighs more than 20 kilos and is higher than 50 cm at the withers, then it will travel in a baggage car in a special box under your supervision. It is noteworthy that large dogs must be accompanied by people who have reached 16 years of age, and if the dog is a fighting breed, they must be adults. Such a trip will have to be paid in accordance with the price list for baggage transportation - for the actual weight. Frankly speaking, the prospect of riding in the luggage compartment is very unenviable, so the second option, provided for by the rules for transporting animals on the Belarusian railway, is to completely buy out a separate compartment, 4 seats. In this case, the “baggage in hand” stamp is placed on the ticket. On a local train you will have to travel with your dog in the vestibule. If along the way your pet gives you any surprise, then, according to the rules, it will be you who will have to clean up after him.
Please note: guide dogs accompanying the blind can be carried free of charge in carriages of all categories.
If you are planning to spend your vacation not outside the country, but to relax in Belarus, then know that together with your pets you will be allowed not only on public transport, but also in some houses for rent and estates, and in them - without any certificates and documents for the pet. With Bobik and Murka you will be received, for example, in such estates as “Batskouskaya Hut” near Nesvizh, “Chistye” on the Braslav Lakes, in the country complex “Abuzerye” on Lake Lukoml.
Pets are allowed in some hotels in Belarus, but in each case it is better to call and check in advance. For example, in the Grodno hotel complex “Neman” we were told that it is prohibited to move in with animals, since there are no special baskets to accommodate them. But, as a hotel employee admitted, if a person has already arrived with a pet, they will try to accommodate him, although this is against the rules.
Have a nice trip to you and your pet!
Documentation
Starting from 2021, it is allowed to transport a dog on a bus in Russia for personal purposes without paperwork. If your pet goes to an exhibition or changes owners, then take with you a veterinary passport, which will contain correctly filled out information about all vaccinations given. In addition, a health certificate is issued at the municipal veterinary hospital. It should also contain information about vaccinations, primarily against rabies. It is important that no more than a year and less than two months have passed since the vaccination.
Air transportation
Airlines set their own requirements that a person must meet when transporting a dog by plane.
For small dogs, the size requirement for carriers is 55 x 40 x 20 cm, weight no more than 8 kg. You can take no more than two dogs into the salon; the box cannot occupy a seat.
Large animals are transported in cages, in a separate special luggage box, the space in which must be taken in advance. When booking, indicate all the details of the animal: breed, weight and age.
Box size – 110x75x75, no more than 4 dogs in one.
Before booking plane tickets, you need to study the airline's requirements. Some of them refuse to transport dogs of brachycephalic breeds: there is a high risk of a negative reaction to pressure changes and the risk of asphyxia.
More details on the Aeroflot website
More details on the Lufthansa website
As a rule, the requirements for keeping animals on board domestic and international flights are no different. But the destination country itself may impose additional requirements for the preparation of accompanying veterinary documents (their translation into the language of the country).
Reasons for refusing to travel
If you have taken care of the necessary accessories for traveling with your pet and even bought a ticket for it, then in a certain situation you may still be asked to leave. The fact is that you cannot transport a dog on a bus that gets dirty on passengers or the interior.
If the weather is bad outside and your pet is wet and dirty, the carrier has the right to refuse to transport you.
For traveling in slush, purchase waterproof overalls. It will help your pet stay clean before boarding the bus. To prevent your dog from getting the seat dirty with dirty paws, take a waterproof bedding with you.
Taxi
The ride of animals in a taxi is regulated by the Decree “On approval of the rules for the provision of passenger road transport services,” which requires that transportation be organized in such a way that legal and safety standards are met. In other words, the conditions are set by the carrier company.
As a general rule, animals of any size are transported in a cage or muzzle. Some companies may require the presentation of veterinary documents to ensure that the animal does not have infectious diseases.
If you are planning a taxi trip, it is better to find out from the dispatcher what requirements apply to the tailed passenger and the cost of the trip.
Getting used to motor transport
They begin to accustom the dog to the noise of vehicles at four months. To do this, periodically walk your puppy along busy roads. When the baby stops being shy from the noise of the highway, you can go on your first trip. Don't forget a muzzle, leash and collar - the rules apply to puppies too.
Keep the test drive short. One or two stops are enough. Keep your dog on a short leash slightly behind you - this will protect him from being hit during sudden braking.
Make sure that the dog does not disturb the peace of passengers. A frightened animal may begin to bark or howl. Your task is to calm the poor fellow with a kind word and a treat. For impressionable pets, it is recommended to purchase diapers before the first trip.
Every two to three days, take your dog on small trips, gradually increasing their distance. Don’t forget to treat your pet with a treat after every successful trip. Let this become your good tradition, but only in those cases when the dog behaved well on the bus.
Packing for the trip
Before traveling by bus, visit your veterinarian with your dog. The stress of long-term travel can cause exacerbation of chronic diseases. The doctor will conduct an examination, assess the animal’s health and give recommendations. Two to three days before your trip, give your dog a deworming preventative and wash him with flea shampoo.
Things
The first thing you should pack for your dog on a long journey is a veterinary kit. Hemostatic and antiseptic agents are placed in it. Sedatives and painkillers are a must. Also, you should not travel without anti-shock medications and dressings.
It is important to provide your pet with a supply of dry food and water. For comfort, take a bottle with a dispenser.
Wet and dry wipes will come in handy along the way. The dog will be grateful if you don't forget about its favorite toy. As an alternative, you can download an application to your tablet, with which the dog will monitor the virtual prey.
Veterinary diapers will help solve the problem with the toilet on the road. If you purchased a ticket for your dog to sit next to you, place a homemade bedding on it. This way your pet will be calmer on the road.
