On This Side of the Dog:
My Journey from Istanbul to London

If you asked me what waiting sounds like, I’d say it sounds like the breath of an old dog in the heat of Istanbul. Steady, calm, patient.

Luna waited. She didn’t whine, didn’t pull at the lead, didn’t complain. She simply waited — head on paws, in a quiet corner of a Turkish home that smelled of pomegranate and old wood. She knew someone would come for her. I was just the man who came.

Documents and the Traveller’s Paranoia

The journey from Turkey to the UK doesn't begin with a plane ticket or a packed bag. It begins with paperwork — and plenty of it.

You need two certificates. Two, not one.

• One for entering the European Union — in our case, France.
• The other for entering the UK — issued by the great and powerful APHA, which we fondly call “Willy Khowp”.

Both documents must be issued in Turkey, at the same time. Don’t believe anyone who says, “Oh, you can sort the UK part once you’re in Paris.” Paris is for poetry, not paperwork.

Worm Treatment and the Deadly Timer

Now let’s talk about tapeworm treatment, also known as the British Border’s Favourite Question.

Your dog must be treated between 24 and 120 hours before entry to the UK. Not before the flight. Not when the vet had time. Not after breakfast. Before entry.

If the train crosses the Channel at 11:15 AM on Thursday, you’ve got a strict window. Give the tablet 123 hours before? Too early. 23.5 hours before? Too late.

And try explaining to a border officer that your dog is healthy anyway. They’ll nod politely, then turn you around.

Istanbul to Paris — and Then the Quiet

We flew overnight. It’s the safest and kindest way. Luna travelled in a temperature-controlled hold, not thrown into some cargo pit.

At Charles de Gaulle, I met her at the pet claim. Still calm, still dignified. We got into the Land Rover Discovery 4 — the one specially equipped by LISKO TRAVEL TOUR for transporting animals. Inside it’s quiet, with no jolts or bumps — like you’re gliding across a calm lake in a little boat. Every detail inside is tailored for comfort, like a cabin built with care and love for its four-legged passengers.

We drove north — toward Calais. And the gatekeepers.

PET CONTROL in Calais

Calais isn’t a checkpoint. It’s a confessional.

PET CONTROL is where they look at every date, every microchip, every tick and stamp. If there’s a mistake, they’ll find it. They always do.

We’d done everything right. Documents pristine. Chip scanned. Tapeworm treatment timed like a military operation. Ten minutes, a quiet nod, and we were through.

Eurotunnel swallowed us whole — and when we emerged on the other side, we were in England.

The Place of Reunion

In London, we don’t deliver pets door-to-door. We do something better.

We bring them all to one meeting point — a quiet place, chosen carefully. It shortens the journey for all the animals, keeps stress low, and gives every dog their own quiet stage for reunion.

Luna stayed silent in her crate. Then she heard them.

The woman broke into a run, laughing and crying all at once. The man followed, barely holding it together. Luna burst from the crate and leapt, full force, into their arms — knocking the breath out of them both.

It wasn’t a bark. It was a cry. A return. She buried her face in the woman’s chest like she’d never left.

And me? I stepped back.

What I’m Trying to Say

A dog is not freight. Not cargo. Not something tracked with barcodes and hope.

A dog remembers. A dog waits.

And if you ever have to get a dog from Turkey to London — do it properly. With the right documents. With the right timing. With someone who understands it’s not just a pet. It’s family.

And if you need someone to take them home — I’ll be there.

P.S.
If your own journey is just beginning — make sure it starts on the right page.

We’ve gathered everything you need to know about pet transport from Turkey to the United Kingdom — the paperwork, the timing, the route — all written not as cold instructions, but as quiet guidance from those who’ve walked this road before.

Where everything is prepared right, anxiety ends — and the most important thing begins:
reunion with the soul you once entrusted to wait.

Because cats and dogs aren’t just companions. They are the guardians of our soul.
And if you know what I mean — then you’re already on the right path.