Flying with my dog

[mrosenthal2]

So, I'm trying to fly from San Francisco to Atlanta with my dog (who is a pug/pitbull/shar pei mix). She is too big to be a carry on (she is 30lbs). So I talked to delta about her being flown under the plane. It's possible but not at the time that I want to fly. Apparently there are blackout dates when dogs can't fly because of extreme weather conditions and because of her mix she can't fly when the temperature is going to exceed 70 degrees.
I was wondering if anyone had any advice about who to go to or how I should go about this. Also, if anyone had any advice about her flying under the plane.. I'm really nervous about putting her there. But really, my main concern is how to get her across the country.
Thanks for the help!
M

[_Lisa_]

Are you simply going on a trip & will soon return? If so, you should consider kenneling her or finding a pet sitter while you are away.

If you are moving across the country then I'd suggest you either make the drive with your dog, or find someone that you trust/know/care for/love/etc. that will also trust/know/care for/love your dog enough to watch until it is safe for the dog to be put under the plane. At that time the care giver can place your pet on the plane for you, and allow you to pick her up at the airport.

If you do secure a plane trip for your dog, your vet should be the first stop. Many dogs will be prescribed some sort of sedative for the plane ride and your vet will determine if that is necessary, as well as provide all the health paperwork that you will need for the flight.

[That_girl]

Also, if anyone had any advice about her flying under the plane.. I'm really nervous about putting her there.
M

I work for a viszla breeder, and we were talking about this one day. I said I would never fly a dog, and he said he does it all the time. The dogs are the last to be loaded on the plane, and the first to come off. Viszlas can be nervous dogs, and he's never heard of any of the dogs he's sold having problems.

Blackout dates are definately a problem for you though. Usually they are May-September, so you could very well be out of luck - and I'm sure they won't make exceptions due to the danger. I would suggest driving your dog.

[Ltlpistol]

You could check into the charter pet transports. I know they are more than likely prohibitively expensive, but they don't put the dogs in baggage, they put them in the cabin. I'm not sure how to go about finding one, though. Maybe do a google?

[lindsayanng]

They have black out dates for a reason. It is HIGHLY dangerous to fly a dog (or any animal) in cargo on those dates because of severe weather. If you look up instances of the number of animals who die or get lost forever yearly on the internet, you will NEVER allow you animal to ride in cargo. I never woud. I will drive across country if i coudnt take them in cabin with me.

The other thing is, airlines really DONT CARE about your pets. They are cargo just like everything else and they are not concerned when it rains, is too hot, or too cold.

PLEASE dont try to get around the rules, the really are there for a reason. If you can, get a dog sitter, and if not, drive.

[_Lisa_]

The other thing is, airlines really DONT CARE about your pets. They are cargo just like everything else and they are not concerned when it rains, is too hot, or too cold.

PLEASE dont try to get around the rules, the really are there for a reason.


Well thank God the OP never said they were trying to get around the rules & they shouldn't be treated as if they did. Stop treating everyone like they've done something wrong whether they've done something wrong or not.

Anyway, I wholeheartedly disagree with you in regards to the airlines not caring about your pets. I won't say that ALL airlines have awesome policies, but the airline my cousin works for has pet care policies that might put some pet owners to shame.

[lindsayanng]

I was wondering if anyone had any advice about who to go to or how I should go about this. Also, if anyone had any advice about her flying under the plane.. I'm really nervous about putting her there. But really, my main concern is how to get her across the country.


that to me sounds like the person is still planning on flying.. Doesn;t it.

and they might have policy in place, but the people doing baggage and cargo rarely inforce it. Tell me which airline your cousin works for and i will show you atleast 10-20 animal deaths or losses in 1 years time.. possibly more..

ALL of the airlines that fly in this country are bottom of the rungs when it comes to pet care, i will pull up those reports for you that i found last time i looked it up.. but they are ALL bad..

[_Lisa_]

that to me sounds like the person is still planning on flying.. Doesn;t it.

Nope, it sounds like thats what you want it to say!

and they might have policy in place, but the people doing baggage and cargo rarely inforce it. Tell me which airline your cousin works for and i will show you atleast 10-20 animal deaths or losses in 1 years time.. possibly more..

ALL of the airlines that fly in this country are bottom of the rungs when it comes to pet care, i will pull up those reports for you that i found last time i looked it up.. but they are ALL bad..

My cousin works for Delta, and is one of those people you reference for loading baggage & cargo. And I don't doubt any report that shows animal deaths on planes-I know that it happens. Like you say, policies are one thing, but the people handling our pets are another & they're just people making mistakes & not following policies like everyone else out there. So instead of showing me reports of pet deaths on airlines, I'd like to see the comparisons to other modes of travel...car accidents killing pets, charter pet transports, etc.

And I do think driving the pet on your own is the most safest mode of travel, because then the fate of your pet is in your hands & solely your hands-it would be the mode of transportation that I'd go with, no doubt about that! But nothing can guarantee that something wouldn't happen, and the odds may not be much different than other modes of transportation & their death rates.

[lindsayanng]

read these websites.. there is ATLEAST one incident per month of death or injury or loss to a pet.
Airline Pet Travel Reports (http://www.petflight.com/pet-travel-reports)

Third Amendment PET LOSS AIRPLAINS (http://www.thirdamendment.com/animals.html)

[lindsayanng]

Lisa, you seem to be WAY to sensitive to be reading posts where there is a discussion taking place. Many of us here, including those who professionally deal in pet travel are against using airplanes to ship their pets.. why?? because it is in black and white.. if you want to disagree with me that is ok.. but you are the one to seems to be on the defensive. I was just making a statement that rules are there for a reason.

[ferJenna]

I just want to throw it out there. Not all deaths on airplanes are caused by the airlines. A dog doesn't know what's going on and stress can cause major problems, even in a healty animal. They lessen this risk by requiring a certificate of health from your vet.

[lindsayanng]

Well, its almost a given that putting a dog on an airplane is going to cause stress, thats just another reason not todo it though.. but the stress isnt always what actually kills them.. the stress combined with panting or breathing hard lessens the amount of oxygen in the cargo area (its not like the passanger where there O2 pumped in..

Basically, they calculate the amount of O2 in the cargo hold and then figure how many animals they can put in there that can breath without depleting it, what they DO NOT account for is size of the animal, and how much MORE O2 the animal will use when it is stressed.. so if it figures there is enough in there for 10 dogs, but 6 of them are large breed, and 2 are medium and 2 are other types of animals, and ONE of the large breed dogs is panting, the amount of O2 alloted for all those animals is NOT going to last, and if there is ANY problems in the air and the plane has to stay up longer, it is just going to make it WORSE.

Just think about the number of peope who fly their animals in cargo vs. the number of peope who drive.. WAY MORE people drive than fly, so the number of deaths in a car vs. a plane can ONLY be looked at proportionately and that is not possible since there is no tally of death by car accident in pets. I wonder how many people that are in car accidents had a pet in the car with them.. if there is 15,000 car accidents a year and 1/4 of them had pets, thats still A LOT of people driving with pets.. vs. how many fly their pets in cargo..

Just in 2007 Delta had 6 deaths and 4 losses .........or maybe it was the other way around.. but either way 10 in one year is a HIGH percentage

also, dont forget that the incidents are WAY underreported and that certain animals dont even fall into the category of "pet" as defined by the airline assoc.

[_Lisa_]

Lisa, you seem to be WAY to sensitive to be reading posts where there is a discussion taking place. Many of us here, including those who professionally deal in pet travel are against using airplanes to ship their pets.. why?? because it is in black and white.. if you want to disagree with me that is ok.. but you are the one to seems to be on the defensive. I was just making a statement that rules are there for a reason.

I'm not sensitive at all, this is just the internet after all & we all have opinions that we want to share. Unfortunately, no matter what I say, you take offense to it & try to make it a personal matter.

And maybe my view of you is incorrect, but the majority of your posts are usually attacking others for not believing as you do, so much so in fact that I generally try to avoid being attacked & not post in the same threads as you. So if you are going to be so sensitive, if I may use your term, as to think that just because I disagree with you that I am upset over it, you might want to avoid me just the same. If not, that is fine too, I am not going to let a poster on the internet get me riled up just because we disagree from time to time.

[lindsayanng]

your view of my is WAY wrong.. pull up more posts that are "attacking" than helpful.. I only state me opinion as to the point.

You just seem to all of a sudden take personally something that isnt even directed at you. Just because i stated that rules are there for a reason doesnt meant i think the person is anything less than a decent human being. This is the second post in one day where i saw you take offense to something that wasnt directed at you..

IF you are not going to let someone get you riled up on the internet, then why do you feel the need to avoid me completely when i am giving advice of dog or cat foods, or info on certain diseases that i know about..??? you did say the because of me, you choose to not post on certain threads, well that kinda means that you do let me get your riled up.

[_Lisa_]

your view of my is WAY wrong.. pull up more posts that are "attacking" than helpful.. I only state me opinion as to the point.

Sure, here they are! (http://forums.petlovers.com/vb/search.php?searchid=573833)

You just seem to all of a sudden take personally something that isnt even directed at you. Just because i stated that rules are there for a reason doesnt meant i think the person is anything less than a decent human being. This is the second post in one day where i saw you take offense to something that wasnt directed at you..

I'm not taking offense to what you say, I'm just trying to make sure we (as a collective whole) don't attack our new posters as per dlaura's post here (http://forums.petlovers.com/vb/showthread.php?t=31397), which you violate with almost every post. Accusing this poor OP of wanting to risk their dog's life like you did, you should be ashamed. If you read my posts as me taking offense then you need to change your point of view because it couldn't be more incorrect. It seems like you continually reflect on me how you feel about how my posts make you react. Please do keep your feelings & mine separate.

IF you are not going to let someone get you riled up on the internet, then why do you feel the need to avoid me completely when i am giving advice of dog or cat foods, or info on certain diseases that i know about..??? you did say the because of me, you choose to not post on certain threads, well that kinda means that you do let me get your riled up.

I avoid your attacks so that you can't get me all riled up. Avoiding someone who has a reputation of making others feel like their opinions aren't worth dirt is generally a smart thing to do. If you were able to give your advice as the opinion that it is, and not the fact that you want it to be, then I wouldn't feel it necessary to avoid the potential attack from you.

Maybe you should spend less time attacking others for disagreeing with you, and spend more time figuring out how it is that everyone else shares their opinions so freely & without conflict except for you. Wonder why that is?

[dlaura]

This thread is officially closed. I'm sure everyone knows why. :(