doodles on planes

[Rebecca bratter]

Has anyone had any experiences to share about traveling with your doodles on a plane.  Our baby was shipped to us from out of state via air and I would never do that again, she arrived shaking and terrified and spent her first few weeks afraid of cars and loud noises.  She's way past all of that now, she's really not afraid of much, maybe large sewer drains but that's about it.  We like to travel and I'd like to take madiba to Miami with us, about a 2.5 hour flight for us and there is a chance we may relocate overseas, in which case she's be on an 8 hours flight.  I would pay for a seat for her in the cabin if that were an option but does anyone have anything good to say about putting your doodle on a flight with you? I"ve only heard horror stories.

[Missy & Bob Putnam]

We have flown Divot twice from Milwaukee to Phoenix and he handled it very well.  Be sure to check the airline guidlines carefully and confirm they have a way of notifying you that your pet is actually on board prior to take off.  Our first experience on Midwest was great. The second time on a different carrier, there were supposed to be 4 dogs on board and they could only account for 3! The pilot did go back to the gate. Too scary. We wouldn't fly him now unless absolutely necessary. We started aclimating him to the trip early by longer periods of crate training. Plus, we drove to the airport and parked with the windows open so he could get used to the sounds.  Cut back on food the night before and no food that morning.  For safety, use a plastic tie to tie the crate door shut so it doesn't come open during transport so they don't get loose on the tarmac. Most airlines won't take dogs in very cold or very hot weather.  He already is a therapy dog but we thought about having him certified as a service dog so he could be in the cabin with us.  We hate to leave him behind! Good luck.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I flew home after picking up my dogs from their breeders and everything went incredibly smoothly.  They were not fed on the morning of their flights, and they stayed in a soft carrier at my feet on the plane.  Neither Wally nor Charlotte made a peep.  They were both eight-weeks old at the time, so I'm not sure how they'd do now that they're older.  Plus, they're both too big to fit into one of those small carriers.  If the airlines ever changed their rules about purchasing extra seats for pets, I'm certain that they would both be very easy travelers. How big is your pup?

[Rebecca bratter]

She's a mini aussidoodle, 22 pounds.  I would rather smoosh her into a soft carrier and keep her at my feet then have them board her separate from me.  I understand though that they do keep the dogs in a special area, it's not the cargo hold correct?

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Jet Blue has a carry on policy-but I think the weight limit includes the carrier and is around 20 lbs.  My guy is 50lbs! so we won't be flying him anywhere, soon. 

[Diana Erhart]

The airlines rules are that the dog plus the crate cannot be over 20 pounds to fly in the cabin with you.  My daughter flies with her 8 pound Maltese often and they always have made her put her dog in the bag and weigh her prior to checking in for the flight.  When we moved from Texas to Pennsylvania we drove because I would not put my Charlie (weighs 24 pounds) on a plane if he couldn't be in the cabin with me.  My vet also was adamant that Charlie not fly in the plane if he wasn't in the cabin.  There have been too many horror stories in my opinion.  I don't know what I would do if we had to move overseas.  Charlie did fly to us as a pup.  He had a very long flight (over 30 hours due to weather delays).  I will say that Continental took excellent care of him during the long trip.  Now that United has taken over Continental I am not sure if they are still as good.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

I believe that there are only certain airlines that have special cargo areas for animals.  Other airlines transport animals with the regular cargo area.  I would never put a pet in the regular cargo area.  I would rather drive across the country if necessary than do that.  If I remember correctly from last spring when DRC and DK were trying to arrange flights for Honey (before her wonderful forever family came into the picture), United was one of the only carriers with specific cargo areas for animals, and even their flights were limited as to where they flew to and from.

[Deborah Brown]

If  you relocate overseas, you really have no choice.  Otherwise, I don't think I would ever ship my dogs as cargo.  There have been too many horror stories.  I did a quick check to see if Pet Airways was still in business but it looks like they shut down.  Here's a website which contains the rules from many airlines:  http://www.petflight.com/airlines

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Both of my pups were flown from michigan to Arizona and did very well. Bella came out a little shaken, but wagging her tail. I think my biggest concerns are the bumpy rides in flight and landing. I've had some bumpy rides that practically knock you off your seat, and the thought of them being bounced around in a hard crate scares me. But when driving is just not possible or practical, one has to do what one has to do and just take every precaution.

[Lynda Kamrath]

We have had no horror stories at all.  We traveled from Germany to California with our miniature poodle, accompanied, but he was in the belly of the airplane and we were in the cabin.  Problem?  Going through customs.  All three of our puppies came to us by air.  No problems at all.  I know there are horror stories out there, but we could not add to them.  Oh, I would not travel in hot areas during the summer.  We had all our puppies by May.  Some airlines are more experienced with handling pets than others.  Check out your airlines.

[Linda and Mario LaGrotte]

Hello there!  We fly our Goldendoodle (9 years old now!) every three - four weeks back and forth from Philadelphia to Miami.  He does absolutely fine!  The only airline that will take him (direct flight from Philly to Miami) is American Airlines.  The cost is $175 each way.  It is not his favorite activity, but the airlines are very kind to him, and he is always well.