Flying Cross Country

[Christine + Ellie]

I was wondering if any of you have had any experience taking your doodle on an airplane? I'm starting to plane for the holidays (scary! I know :)) and I wanted to bring Ellie back home with me (from NYC to CA).

I don't know if she'll be big enough to fit in a carrier underneath the seat so I wanted to see what others had to say. She's a 5 month mini goldendoodle who's about 14.5 lbs. I'm guessing by December she'll be close to 20 lbs. Has anyone tried carrying on their 20 lbs dog? (I'm trying to get away with it rather than put her in cargo)...

Or Pet Airways?? Anyone heard good things about it?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I don't think you will be able to carry her on - they only let you do it if they fit under your seat. So a 6 pound dog might work, but not Ellie! I just looked at the new Pet Airways website (www.petairways.com)

It does fly from LA to NYC, but it is $299 each way! WOW! It is a cool concept though, because they are in the cabin and are fed and given water the whole time (not stowed with cargo).

Side note - Ellie is smaller than Peri. Peri is over 16 pounds now. UHOH.

[Joe R.]

Check with the airline you plan on flying. Ask if they have temperature controlled cargo areas on their flights. Someone in another discussion said they knew NorthWest, Delta and American Airlines do. Continental also does. Though not all actual individual flights might. I'll ask some friends I have with the airlines (I work at National Airport in DC) and see what they do when it comes to pets. Have you checked out Pet Airways? They are pet only if you didn't already know.

[Kemp Rader]

Hi Christine -

Be sure to check the weather forecasts very closely before you decide to take Ellie via cargo. There are many weather-related restrictions when flying with your pet.

We know first hand from taking our dog Oliver from our home in the Midwest to see family in Florida at Christmas a few years ago. On the way back, the airline staff didn't want to let Oliver on the plane because the temperature at home would be 40 degrees. To Floridians (humans and dogs) 40 degrees is pretty cold, but Midwesterners are quite comfortable at that temperature. We had to contact our vet to get written permission for Oliver to fly (our vet could not contain her laughter) and nearly missed the flight. I appreciate that they were looking out for Oliver's well being, but it was nerve wracking at the time.

You may also want to look into direct flights, so that Ellie does not have to be carted between planes with the luggage.

Good luck!!

- Kemp

[Ellen]

My sister flew with her 3 mo. old mini labradoodle in the plane, but he was just small enough to fit under the seat. I think that if she flew a couple of weeks later, he would have been too big. So, you probably won't be able to carry Ellie on the plane.

If you're still planning to fly with Ellie in cargo, plan ahead for it. Is Ellie crate-trained? A month before my sister and bro-in-law moved from NY to Hong Kong, they bought the travel crate that they planned to use to make sure that Monty was comfortable in a new crate; instead of using the regular crate, Monty was crated at night in the travel crate. On the day of the flight, my sister took Monty to the dog park until he was exhausted so that he would sleep a little bit on the flight (13 hours non-stop flight!!). She taped a laminated picture of Monty on the travel crate, and she placed water and pee pads in the crate (just in case.....again, 13 hours!!). I've heard that pets may travel better on empty stomachs but you should talk to your vet. As others have suggested, check with the airline because they may have specific requirements. My sister had to provide a health certificate from a vet not more than 10 days in advance of the trip, but I can't remember whether that was for Hong Kong customs or airline requirements.

good luck!