I’m writing this as a regular person who loves their dog like family. Some people won’t understand that sentence — but the ones who do, really get it.

We live in a world where I can take my dog on a plane across most of Europe, but not into the UK — unless I’m willing to send them alone, as cargo, like a box. That’s not just outdated, that’s inhumane.

Right now, you cannot bring a dog into the UK on a regular passenger flight — even if your pet is microchipped, vaccinated, has all the right paperwork, and is small enough to sit under the seat. This makes travel unnecessarily hard for thousands of responsible pet owners. Some people even skip visiting family or moving countries because they can’t bear the thought of shipping their dog like freight.

Meanwhile, dogs can enter the UK by car, ferry, Eurotunnel, or special cargo flights — often with the very same documents. So why the double standard? It’s not about health risk — it’s about outdated systems and red tape.

For many of us, our dog isn’t “just a pet.” They’re our child, our comfort, our constant. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for basic fairness — and a system that reflects how people actually live and travel in 2025.

What we’re asking for is simple:

• Let dogs fly into the UK on passenger flights, if they meet all legal health requirements

• Set up proper inspection points at selected UK airports

• Trust responsible pet owners to do the right thing — just like other countries already do

It’s time to bring the UK in line with the rest of the world, and stop making good people choose between traumatizing their dog or canceling their life plans.

If you’ve ever loved a dog like family, you’ll understand why this matters.