Traveling with dog..

forkin14 · Post by **forkin14** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:00 pm

I'm currently in Virginia but my family lives in Massachusetts. I'm most likely going to be going to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving and I'm sure I will be flying since it is a 12 hour drive!
Has anybody ever traveled on a plane with their dog or know what the procedures/conditions are like?

DogzRule1996 · Post by **DogzRule1996** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:28 pm

I have never but my friends have. You have to pay extra, and apparently they do not feed the dog on the plane. Your dog is like part of your luggage. It gets send along with all your heavy luggage.

forkin14 · Post by **forkin14** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:37 pm

oh I do not like the sound of that. Were your friends' dogs okay after the flight? It's about a 2-3 hour flight..

and I meant to put this in the "General Discussion" forum but posted it here in "Methods" by accident!

Leigha · Post by **Leigha** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:47 pm

I've never flown with a dog before, and each airline probably has different regs and what not. I think anything other than the toy breeds are put in with the luggage. I believe toy breeds can be kept in a soft crate in the cabin for a certain fee (again, on some flights). I know some people will sedate their dogs before they fly.

I know it's preferred for us to not post other links, but here's the American Airlines info about traveling with pets:

http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformatio ... vent=false

Leigha · Post by **Leigha** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:50 pm

Now that I've just read all the way down to the bottom--if you happen to be traveling AA, you may not be able to take your dog. Looking at the Cold Weather restrictions, your dog cannot fly in the "belly" of the plane when it's going to be 45 degrees or below on the ground at any location on the itinerary. I'm not sure what the weather's like in Mass, but I'd assume fairly cold during Thanksgiving.

forkin14 · Post by **forkin14** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:12 pm

oh you're right about the weather, it is very cold during this time of year! I never thought about that she'd be with the luggage and that there would be no heat down there.

Well it looks like I will definitely be looking into other options!

Thanks everyone for your replies!

emmabeth · Post by **emmabeth** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:43 pm

Posting links to other sites is fine as long as its not a site recommending the use of training/behavioural methods we dont recommend here. (Thats a bit of a generalisation but common sense ought to tell you what is and is not suitable for this board).

As far as airline travel for dogs goes - you would have to check with the airline you intend to use and the relevant airports as to their rules, regulations and practices as they will all vary in what they do, how they do it and what dogs they will and will not take etc.

Personally - I would not fly any of my dogs, I would wherever possible make a road trip and build that into the holiday, But... i like road trips and on the whole so do my dogs. And of course here in the uk... unless i wanted to get from Cornwall to the Shetland isles, its not going to take me more than a day by car!

DogzRule1996 · Post by **DogzRule1996** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 6:33 pm

Actually I would never take my dog on a plane. I would leave them with a trustworthy person while I'm away and call and check on them every day

forkin14 · Post by **forkin14** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:48 pm

Well, my boyfriend is staying here for the holidays and I am going to my family. I just wanted her to come up and meet everyone and be able to play in some snow

After reading that they put the dog's with the luggage, I would NEVER fly my dog unless it was small enough for me to bring on the plane with me.
I was also reading about the PetAirways, which is a separate airline that is for pets only. The only problem is that they don't fly out of anywhere near me!

maximoo · Post by **maximoo** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:47 am

Can boyfriend/or another friend go with you, & you can both drive & bring dog with you? just a thought....

forkin14 · Post by **forkin14** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:10 am

He would if his mother wouldn't have a fit about him being with MY family for the holidays haha

But I guess he will just watch her while I am away

MaiasMom · Post by **MaiasMom** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:46 pm

Yes, you need to leave the dog at home with someone. Even when the temp in the belly of the plane is good, it can be really scary for a dog to be there. I had to do this with my mother's dog after she died and I would never do it again unless it was an extreme emergency.