Just how safe is it to ship dogs on planes??? - Page 1

Not a German Shepherd related, but this has me concern regarding to any future purchase that I make that are out of the states.

Second dog death prompts concerns about safety of pets on planes

Are shipping out dogs truly safe? Just how hot can it be inside the live animals area??!??!

Unfortunately there are risks in just about everything we do every day. If you look at how many deaths happen to dogs that travel vs. the number that have no issues you'll see the vast majority end up perfectly fine at their destination. My advice would be to check into the airline you choose to use. See their record as regards deaths of dogs during flights. If they have a poor record find another airline that has a better record. Hopefully that way you will never have to deal with this unfortunate circumstance.

I had my puppy shipped to me via American Airlines, but I wouldn't do it again. My puppy's flight was delayed 3.5+ hours for "unknown" reasons but at the cargo pick-up they assured me that they take very good care of all the animals and make sure they have water, etc. It took almost an hour once the plane touched ground for them to get her to me. When I asked what the delay was, they said, "Oh, well now that the plane landed they have to go find her. But don't worry, the pets are our first priority."

They have to go find her? It was a bit horrifying that they would have to be searching for her amongst the inanimate cargo and not know exactly where she was. When I'd gotten my puppy, she had not even a drop of water in her dish. Luckily, for me she arrived alive but I would definitely not transport her with American Airlines ever again (although it was the breeder that picked the airline, not me).

If you don't have any other option, then I suggest looking into Continental. I've used them once before and it was a very smooth process.