I'm flying to Maine. What is the most affordable, but yet reliable, way to get my dog home with me. I was on the phone with an airline and the idiot just kept quoting luggage prices. Then I reiterated I wanted to bring a dog and he said that was impossible. Even though the website says it's possible. How do you all bring your pets long distance?

6/11/2008 8:51:34 PM

trebuchet

6/11/2008 8:52:51 PM

Um...

Put in a box, punch holes in the lid, drop in a bowl of water and say good luck fucker.

6/11/2008 8:52:58 PM

some airlines will let you bring them on board if they're small enough, and in a pet luggage case:



other airlines will store them in the cargo area



you just have to find the right airline I guess

6/11/2008 8:54:00 PM

Call the airline again and get someone who speaks english...but yeah, usually you put them in a



and they'll get put on with the cargo. Not sure what they do about sedatives, but they have them. Last time my family had to do this was flying from Hawai'i to NC a long time ago.

6/11/2008 8:56:08 PM

When you get to the airport, get on the thing they weigh your luggage on and say, "I'm traveling by cargo...and so is my dog"

6/11/2008 8:56:55 PM

i'm just weary about the luggage compartment being pressurized. 30k feet up is no joke.

6/12/2008 2:39:54 AM

I'm sure they won't purposely kill your pet

6/12/2008 6:26:06 AM

i wish i could rent a dog

6/12/2008 6:27:23 AM

^search "rent a pet" in google. I think this is seriously done in some places. I'm sick of people. Always afraid of responsibility and commitment.

hershculez, if its one of those little dogs you can carry him/her on board with you. If not, he/she should be fine in a dog carrier which will be put in with the luggage.

6/12/2008 9:04:24 AM

Quote :

"trebuchet"

That was funny gg

6/12/2008 9:06:20 AM

drive

6/12/2008 9:08:38 AM

One lady had a lap dog on board on my last flight. I think she just held it but she may have put it in a box once the flight started.

6/12/2008 9:25:29 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=521581

6/12/2008 9:26:04 AM

I'd worry about the heat if you're putting them in the cargo hold this time of year. They aren't air-conditioned.

6/12/2008 9:26:38 AM

if your dog dies during flight, is the airline responsible?

6/12/2008 9:35:20 AM

I'm sure they have a clause somewhere in something nobody ever reads that says they aren't responsible for temperature or anything else for that matter in the cargo hold.

6/12/2008 9:40:41 AM

i'd never fly my dog in the cargo hold.

6/12/2008 9:43:51 AM

Quote :

"if your dog dies during flight, is the airline responsible?"

They make you sign a bunch of forms saying they're not responsible, but I do know if there's gross negligence on their part those forms don't really mean shit for the airline.

Recently at RDU an airline employee decided to open the door of a crated cat to pet it, while on the runway, and the cat said, "Fuck this shit!" and ran off. The owners of the cat sued the airline and won.

6/12/2008 9:48:21 AM

Quote :

"I'd worry about the heat if you're putting them in the cargo hold this time of year. They aren't air-conditioned."

yeah I thought of that. it should not be hot for to long unless we are on the runway forever. once up to altitude I would imagine it gets much cooler. oxygen is still what I worry about. but if pets get back and fourth in cargo holds it must not be to bad. she is to large to hold on the plane (55 lbs or so).

6/12/2008 12:18:16 PM

Quote :

"i'd never fly my dog in the cargo hold."

No freaking way I'd fly my dog in the cargo hold either. I wouldn't want to traumatize my dog like that, plus I'd be super worried about the whole loading/unloading the airplane process.

My dog's 23lbs, so I wonder if they make carryon dog bags big enough for that size.

6/12/2008 12:26:15 PM

Now days it's incredibly hard to take a pet with you on the plane, and most of the time they are required to be in the cargo hold. Every airline's policy is different too. Regardless, you have to get a certificate of health and licensing and all kinds of papers. You're going to pay a pretty penny to take your dog with you, I think it'd be a better idea to board it.

Here's a helpful pet travel link though:

http://www.pettravel.com/airline_rules.cfm

6/12/2008 12:32:08 PM

Do you have to fly? If you're going to be there a short period of time, it looks like boarding would be your best option, but if you're going for the duration of the summer, maybe you could drive? It would be a long trip, but way safer for your dog and a lot less hassle.

6/12/2008 12:35:41 PM

^iawtc

6/12/2008 12:36:15 PM

Quote :

"Now days it's incredibly hard to take a pet with you on the plane, and most of the time they are required to be in the cargo hold. Every airline's policy is different too. Regardless, you have to get a certificate of health and licensing and all kinds of papers. You're going to pay a pretty penny to take your dog with you, I think it'd be a better idea to board it. Here's a helpful pet travel link though: "

Can't be that hard. When I went home for Christmas I saw at least 20 people at the airports with dogs/cats that were going to be on the plane with them.

6/12/2008 12:41:54 PM

i'd never put my dog in the cargo hold, either. you don't know how the luggage handlers will treat them, or the conditions of the hold during flight, no matter what the airlines tell you.

6/12/2008 1:01:26 PM

[old] but obligatory

6/12/2008 1:08:27 PM

I used to work in cargo at the RDU Airport. You can put them in a crate and they fly in the cargo bin. It ain't cheap though, and there are a lot of restrictions. The dog has to be able to stand up in the crate without it's back touching the top, and it has to be able to turn completely around. Also it has to be vented on all sides. If you don't have a crate, the Airline will sell you one, but they are like $200. At least, that's the way it was back in 1999 when I worked there, a lot has probably changed since then.


I can tell you all kinds of horror stories of the German Sheppards that would be flown in from Frankfurt Germany to be police training dogs. You couldn't even imagine the smell if you tried

[Edited on June 12, 2008 at 1:39 PM. Reason : d]

6/12/2008 1:29:43 PM

honestly just rent a car and drive your dog back

get a focus or something that does not use much gas

6/12/2008 3:18:17 PM

step 1: take dog to taxidermist

step 2: go to airport

step 3: get out at final destination


problem solved.

6/12/2008 3:21:04 PM

Quote :

"i'd never fly my dog in the cargo hold."

+1, & I don't even have a dog. But trust me, you don't want to put your dog down there either.

6/12/2008 4:28:42 PM