Air travel

[Helga, Nimbus, Sierra, Clooney]

I desparately want to take my pups to Austria. I saw a few posts of people asking for feedback whether air travel is safe or too traumatic for the dogs. But I didn't see any responses. Has anyone flown with their dogs?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Yes ago we had a small poodle that we had to fly an she always seemed fine afterwards.  That being said there is only one reason that I would fly my girls in this day and age of air travel and that is if I were moving somewhere that I could not drive.  That is of course because they are too large to fly in the cabin with me.  It is just a different time now.  Austria would be an incredibly long flight as well which adds a whole other bunch of issues.  I do know we have one family that moved to Hawaii and had to fly theirs so maybe they will chime in here.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Hurley flew in from So. Cal when a pup for us to pick him up at the airport.  I was a nervous wreck because there was a stop over in Dallas on the way to Las Vegas, Nv.  Of course, the nervous wreck part was being a new mom and worried about her baby.  

I am inclined to agree with Lucy about the distance especially as I have heard from others that the airplane cargo area is not always presurized

I once had my German Shepard shipped from Calif to Tokyo, Japan.   That was back in the 60's.  He was walked in San Francisco as part of the flight arrangements.  But there was a glitch when he got to Japan.  I was to be called or telegraphed (remember it was the 60's so no smart phones or faxes) when he arrived so I could go get him.   That did not happen.  When I finally tracked him down it had been 3 days total journey and he had been in the kennel for all the time from San Francisco until I picked him up.  He had held his business that entire time but when I let him out of the kennel he was so excited to seem me and he could no longer contain himself.  Needless to say I was the target and I could have cared less.  I was so thrilled to finally find him and see he was just great.