Pet owners everywhere will breathe a sigh of relief beginning January 1, 2012, when the UK will end its historic mandatory six-month quarantine on dogs and cats that enter the country, a requirement that goes back to the 19th Century.
Consequently, animals from the EU and such countries as the US and Australia will only need proof of a rabies vaccination given 21 days before to enter the UK quarantine-free.
COMMENT: Pets coming in from unlisted countries such as India, Brazil and South Africa will also need to have been vaccinated and take a blood test, but the subsequent quarantine has been reduced to three months.
For further details and to obtain a pdf copy of the UK's new regulations concerning pets entering the UK, please go to:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2011/06/30/new-rules-pet-passports
