Does your dog fly?

I love dogs.  They are great housemates.  They always love you and they're always happy to see you.  So I'm never surprised to see people traveling with their dogs....if you can take them with you, why not?

I've had two dog-carrying experiences in the past two years having brought both Lily and Lola home from other states (Lily from Miami and Lola from Dallas).  Both were unexpected acquisitions so I had to work with American Airlines, with very short notice (about 2 hours for Lily) to make arrangements to get them a ticket to fly home with me.

Lily, my Schnoodle (Poodle/Schnauzer).  Super smart, obsessed wth water, lots of fun.

Yes, you actually have to buy your dog a ticket if you want them to fly with you.  I've heard varying prices for the ticket - most recently a couple told me they paid $300 for their dog to fly roundtrip from Chicago to Mexico.  There's a limit on how many pets can actually be inside an airplane cabin at one time, so its best not to wait to purchase that ticket if  you plan to take a pet with you.  You may carry them on board with you as long as they are in an approved pet carrier (although no one at the airport checked the carrier).  At security, I was instructed to remove them from the carrier and carry them through the scanner.


Lola.  Scared of everyone except our immediate family.  Quite the lovable pest to those she loves.

The security part is pretty simple.  The tougher part about traveling with a dog through an airport is getting them a drink and finding a place for them to "potty" (especially if you don't want to exit security).  The most common strategy I've seen in airports is to put a potty pad (a disposable, water-proofed pad that you can purchase at a pet store) on the floor of the restroom, set your dog on it and pray that he or she cooperates. I've heard some people just try paper towels. 

I recently had a conversation with an older lady at the Dallas airport. She was carrying a teeny Yorkie (like 2 lbs teeny). I chatted with her for a few minutes and learned she travels quite a bit and she takes the dog everywhere she goes. The dog was wearing a "Therapy" dog vest. So I asked about that. She says she got a physician's signature to inform the airlines that she needs to dog to keep her calm while she travels. I'm thinking that's a very very clever way of getting to take your dog with you on airplanes without having to pay the fee they charge for pets. (when I flew Lola home with me last summer I think I paid $80 one-way....wished at the time they'd let me use frequent flier miles, but they won't)

Here's Tommy. I met him and his owners at the Dallas airport. Tommy was rescued from a dog shelter. He was sitting calmly on a seat in the gate area . I noticed he had on a little "therapy" vest so I asked his owner what kind of therapy he provides. She said "emotional support".



Tommy -adopted from a dog shelter...one VERY happy/lucky little dog!



Tommy



Here's Apple.  I met her and her owner at O'Hare airport.  They were headed to Ohio.  Apple is a 3 y/o poodle.  She was very sweet (ok, "sweet" means she seemed to like me petting her).  Notice Apple doesn't have a therapy vest.  Technically, that means she's supposed to stay in her carrier at all times while she's in the airport on on a plane.  (I got that lecture when I brought Lily home - but on the flight from Miami to Chicago, I sat next to a pilot and he wanted to hold her.  I said "are we allowed to do that?" and he says "they won't say anything to me" - so he held Lily most of the flight tucked inside his jacket)

I "met" Rena at the Dallas Fort Worth airport.  Rena is a Bichon and she was returning to Chicago from Mexico where she had vacationed with her family.  Her owners warned me she bites (apparently traumatized by a small child when she was a puppy).  You could tell she was a seasoned traveler.   She sat quietly with her head out of her carrier.  When we had to change gates (via the air link tram) from the B terminal to the C terminal, we had to ride up a very steep escalator.  Rena just repositions herself to be more stable for the ride up.  Her owners say they take her everywhere they go.  They paid $300 for her roundtrip ticket.  I told them about the "therapy dogs" I've seen and suggested  maybe she could become a therapy dog and fly for free.



The most heartwarming airline dog story was a couple of years ago.  It was a very hot afternoon.  Our flight was delayed.  There was a woman, visually impaired, with a large dog (a labrador).  The delay was several hours.  About the time I thought of asking his owner if I could get the dog a drink or take him on a bio break, along comes the pilot for our flight.   He asked if he could take the dog outside and he did after she coached him on what the dog would expect since he's been specially trained.  I wondered at the time if they found grass out there among all the jets or if the dog just lifted his leg on a tire somewhere.  I also wondered if the pilot was a fellow dog lover or just a thoughtful/nice guy - or maybe both!  I wrote a note to the airline to acknowledge him. 

When I retire and travel just for fun, I'm going to get my dog(s) a therapy certificate so they can wear one of those little vests and travel free.