Couple end up forking out nearly £5,000 so they can take their dog on holiday

20 February 2024 , 16:47

1043     0

Nora and Sean Tayler refuse to go on holiday without their pet dog Enzo. (Image: Nora Tayler / SWNS)

A couple who love their Italian greyhound so much they take him on all their holidays fork out big sums to get him in the cabin with them.

Nora and Sean Tayler, both 43, from Dubai, refuse to go on holiday without their pet dog, Enzo. They even take time off work during Dubai's hot summer to travel with their pampered pooch. On their latest trip to Hungary, they spent £2,000 on flights around Europe, and then a further £2,773 for Enzo's return journey to the UAE, including all the necessary vet certificates and import permits.

Nora said: "We always take him on holiday with us. Over the last three years, he has visited Hungary, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, the UK and Turkey - he absolutely loves it."

The couple spent a fortnight in the UK, visiting London and Manchester, before returning to Dubai on 2 August 2022. Nora continued: "My husband has family in the UK but we have never been to Manchester so we took the opportunity to explore the city. We spent four days there, went out for food and drinks, just general sightseeing and got Enzo's paperwork sorted."

Enzo and Nora head around the world together (Nora Tayler / SWNS)

The pooch has visited destinations including Budapest (Nora Tayler / SWNS)

She explained that Etihad Airlines is the only airline that allows dogs in the cabin, which is why they had to travel from Manchester to fly back home. "London airports don't allow dogs to travel in cabin so that's why we had to travel from Manchester. The only airline that travels to the UAE from there is Etihad and they are the only ones who let you bring your dog on board," the proud dog-owning-travel-fan added.

Furious chimp launches bottle at girl filming him leaving her bleeding at zoo

"We always prefer a cabin flight, we like to have Enzo with us on the plane. He only weighs five-and-a-half kilos so it isn't too much space. We live in Dubai but the UAE is really strict about bringing animals into the country which is why we have to fly to Abu Dhabi and drive from there."

To prepare for their journey, Nora paid £300 for a vet certificate to show that Enzo can fly. They then bought a ticket for £1,195.20, a permit for Enzo to re-enter the UAE cost them £43, customs clearance was £10.36 and a vet inspection on arrival cost them £118.74 - setting them back £2,773.

Despite the cost, Nora said it is worth it for them as she wouldn't want to leave Enzo behind. She continued: "Enzo loves it, he is very affectionate, he is happy as long as he is with us. As long as he can see us he is very chilled, he just falls asleep and goes with the flow. He is extremely happy to be flying with us."

Check out by signing up to our free weekly newsletter.

Ben Barry