Valerie Elliott
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Eurostar is refusing to allow passengers to bring their pets on their trains nine years after the introduction of pet passports in Britain.
The rail operator, which is owned by Britain, France and Belgium, faces a campaign organised by Lady (Mary) Fretwell, founder of Passport for Pets, to allow animals on board the trains.
Lady Fretwell described the situation as “ludicrous” especially as people and their pets are allowed to travel on trains across the Continent and dog owners in Britain are free to take their pets on the Tube and on regional railways.
She added that almost 60,000 dogs, cats and even ferrets had joined the ranks of international jet-setters, flying into the country from as far afield as San Francisco. Pets can also travel by ferry or car across the Channel without the misery of six months in quarantine — provided they meet strict rabies vaccine requirements.
She has been writing to Richard Brown, chief executive of Eurostar, for nearly five years, urging him to give the go-ahead for pet travel, but without success. A spokesman for Eurostar said that the company allowed guide and assistance dogs.
He added: “We have no immediate plans to facilitate dogs or other pets on board. There have been talks and it is something we will look at, but there are no measures to put a system in place.”
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