No matter your destination, when traveling abroad with your pet dog, cat, ferret, bird, or other pet, doing your homework can make your trip with your companion a seamless one. A trip to your pet’s veterinarian for paperwork and other provisions will likely be in order.

First, whenever traveling globally, always carry an international rabies certification for the dog, cat, or ferret that’s with you. Your animal’s veterinarian should be completely familiar with this certificate. The date of immunization on the certificate must be within 30 to 365 days of your arrival on overseas soil. Less than 30 days, the vaccination may not be in full effect. More than 365 calendar days, and the vaccination may be terminated.

The Swiss Federal Veterinary Office in each canton will also check to make sure that the rabies certification was issued in the region of your primary, or most recent, residence.

Additional obligations include ensuring that pets taking a trip with you do not amount to more than five, that they will not be sold, or rights otherwise transferred, once inside Swiss boundaries, and that they are intended to act exclusively as pets.

Importation of canines with docked tails or cropped ears is forbidden.

An examination fee of CHF 88 will be collected for each cat, dog, or ferret at a customs stations or veterinary clinic.

Regulations also apply to pets that are traveling back into Switzerland, but do not apply to pets traveling by highway or railway from other points in Europe.

Complete requirements for specific pets, including procedures and documentation, for travel to Switzerland as an individual with a pet can be found at the Swiss Customs site.

Swiss arrival rules with an animal, as part of a global group can be found at the Swiss Mission site.

Customs policies regarding importation of domesticated pets are in place for good grounds. Among which includes security for you and your pet.

Whether visiting or moving to Switzerland, keep away from a travel nightmare by making total provisions for arrival with your pet. Associate your pet’s proper paperwork to your own passport. Not including it, you and your dog, cat, rabbit, or other travel companion will not be crossing the border jointly.

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And that’s just the beginning. As of 09/15/2008, Geneva’s list of canines declared as unsafe or vicious has grown to 15. The newest additions are the Bullmastiff, Thai Ridgeback, and French Mastiff, a.k.a. Bordeaux Bulldog.

The population’s outrage was felt in the first ever Geneva citizen ballot, which resulted in a landslide 80 percent in support of stricter laws regarding what kind of control and owner education and regulation should be required.

These additions are only the latest in Geneva’s history of dog banning. The latest wave began in June of 2005, when a child was killed by a Pitbull Terrier, followed soon after by the mauling of another child by the same breed.

Owners who owned one of the flagged breeds before legislation was passed may maintain the dog, but only after reporting ownership to the cantonal veterinary office, proving that the dog originated from an approved breeder, completing a dog training course, and licensing the dog. Only one dangerous breed is permitted per household.

Per Geneva’s new dog ownership regulations, any of the 15 breeds considered to be dodgy must be muzzled and leashed when outside of their own domiciles. They must be spayed or neutered. Additionally, dogs that are mixed breeds, containing blood of any of the potentially ferocious breeds, are subject to the same policy as purebreds.

Geneva divides the 15 breeds into different categories, with each category holding precise requirements. A complete list of risky breeds and regulations can be obtained through Geneva’s cantonal veterinary office.

Moreover, dog walkers must now be licensed.

Furthermore, dog walkers must now be licensed.

Geneva isn’t the only Swiss canton that’s tightening the lead when it comes to pet control. Valais, Fribourg, Bern, and Zurich have their own legislation. And, prospects point in the direction of future rulings regarding concern and control of dogs in all of Switzerland, including tougher accountability for owners and national breed bans.

Whether you’re a lifelong Geneva resident, tourist, or emigrant, familiarizing yourself with the rules governing dog ownership within the canton will prevent tricky situations. Following those set of laws will protect you, your dog, and your record with the law.

Don’t fail to comply with Geneva’s freshest, and older, dog ownership regulations by acquiring half truths, or no information. These laws are in place to protect both you and your pet.

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