Twee dingen bepalen een reis naar Montreal met hond meer dan wat dan ook: de formaliteiten voor binnenkomst in Canada en het lokale klimaat. De grensvereiste is in principe eenvoudig en in de praktijk onverbiddelijk, want een rabiëscertificaat zonder vaccinmerknaam of microchipnummer kan je bij de douane ophouden. Het weer is de andere helft van het verhaal, want dit is een stad die schommelt van min twintig in januari tot dertig graden en drukkend in juli, en het zout dat 's winters op de stoepen wordt gestrooid is echt hard voor pootjes. Regel deze twee punten, en de rest van de stad wordt makkelijk dankzij een metro die honden vervoert, een enorm netwerk van hondenuitlaatgebieden en een sterke buitencultuur van lente tot herfst.

The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal
★★★★★ 9.6

Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile
★★★★★ 9

Hotel Nelligan
★★★★★ 8.9
Geverifieerd huisdierbeleid, live Booking.com-prijzen vanaf 84 €/nacht.
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires every dog and cat over three months old to arrive with a valid rabies vaccination certificate written in English or French, issued and signed by a licensed veterinarian. The certificate must state the animal's microchip number, the date of vaccination, the expiry date and the brand of vaccine used, and a document missing any of those details can be refused by the border services officer. The CFIA recognises only a short list of rabies-free countries and territories, so travellers from continental Europe, the United States and most of the world need the certificate. Stricter rules apply to dogs from countries classed as high risk for dog rabies, including a minimum age of seven months and a 15-digit ISO microchip implanted before or on the day of vaccination. Check your own country's status with the CFIA well before booking flights.
From December to March the average daily high sits below freezing and cold snaps below minus twenty are normal, which is a genuine welfare issue for short-coated and small dogs rather than a matter of comfort. The bigger practical problem is the de-icing salt and grit spread on pavements from the first snowfall until the spring thaw, because it burns paw pads and is toxic if licked off. Boots are the cleanest solution if your dog will tolerate them, paw balm applied before going out is the fallback, and rinsing and drying the paws on returning indoors is non-negotiable either way. Walks get shorter and more frequent, the dog runs stay open but turn icy, and the indoor dog-friendly cafés become genuinely useful rather than a novelty.
Montréal's animal by-law sets a leash of no more than 1.85 metres in every public space, and any dog weighing 20 kg or more must additionally wear a halter or harness attached to that leash. Fenced dog runs are the only public places where a dog may be off leash, with a maximum of two dogs per person inside them, and anyone walking more than three dogs at once needs a dog-walker permit. Resident owners must license their dog annually, keep the tag on the collar at all times, and have dogs over six months microchipped and sterilised, with limited exceptions; the household limit is three dogs, or four dogs and cats combined. Visitors will not be buying a Montréal tag for a short stay, but the leash, waste-pickup and control rules apply to every dog in the city regardless of where it lives.
Onze best beoordeelde hondvriendelijke hotels, handmatig geselecteerd en gecontroleerd.
The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal
★★★★★ · 9.6/10
€104/nacht
Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile
★★★★★ · 9/10
€84/nacht
Hotel Nelligan
★★★★★ · 8.9/10
€84/nacht