DO's and DONT's of flying with your pets - Page 1

I am flying to Virginia from Hawaii in 6 days and I am freaking out because I read a horrible story on this website about people who do stupid things to your dogs. For those of us who have never taken our dogs on a plane please tell us what you have done in the past to make sure everything goes smoothly. Please include everything from pre-flight planning to feeding schedule(amounts,time of feeding etc...) to airport procedures and anything else that you can think of. In my case I am flying U.S airlines so feel free to give special mention to your favorite airlines.

Here are some links to previous threads about flying with dogs:

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/208395.html#208474

 http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/22413.html#22443

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/194704.html#194715

There are more threads, just do a search of the messageboard 

Lufthansa is my favorite airline, I don't feed 8 hours before flight, walk the dog up until the last possible minute for potty breaks. If you change planes for any reason (changed flights, mechanical problems) make sure you ask if your dogs and luggage are aboard the plane you are getting on. My dogs and all my stuff was left at Minn/St Paul after our plane had troubles and I reboarded a replacement but my dogs never did. I was a little pissed when I got to Sac but my dogs were left, along with all of my clothes and my daughters car seat. I was lucky and they took good care of my dogs, fed them the food I had taped to the top of each kennel. They looked no worse for wear but I was worried until they were delivered to my door.

Make sure you follow all airline procedures. Maybe address your concerns with the airline. Tell them your dog is specially trained or very valuable? Possibly there is more you can post on the crate than "Live Animal" and "This end up"?

smartguy,

There are more than 2 million animals that fly each year with very few incidents. Of course, some incidents are notorious and we hear about them, but really, they are few and far between. If you use common sense, and if you check with the airline on their suggestions, as well as heed those here, you and your pal will be just fine. Whatever you do, do not sedate your dog and make certain the crate door cannot come open. If your flight is non-stop, make sure you ask over and over and over of airline personnel to make sure the dog is with you as was noted above. Other than that, have a great trip. 

I have flwon several times with my dogs and thankfully I have not had any problems.  I have always been told to insist that I am notified that MY dog is on the plane.

When I was flying home from the HOT Championship last June, I was in Portland and flying with Alaskan, thier policy is to give you a ticket that is attached to your kennel that is only pulled off AFTER the dog is loaded on the plane.  I was on the plane and the doors were closed and I still did not have my ticket, I asked one if the attendants about my dog and the ticket and she said the dog is on the plane, I told her I needed my ticket.  She said she saw the dog on the plane, I told her she may have seen "A" dog on the plane, however I wanted to know that it was MY dog on the plane and that I expected the airline to follow their rules and that included giving me a ticket to ensure that my dog was on the plane.

She had me walk up to the cockpit and talk to the pilot, he told me he checked on the cargo and he saw my dog, I explained to him that there were several GSDs flying out of Portland that day and that I expected the airline to follow their rules.  Ten minuets later I had my ticket for my dog.

I have also always waited on the plane sitting in the front of the plane watching them de-plane my dog to be sure the crate isn't knocked over etc.  Thankfully I have never seen anyone tease my dogs.

I also know many people zip tie their crates, I actually drilled holes in mine and used nuts and bolts to make sure it was secure.

East Coast to Hawaii is a LONG flight, so I would be cautious about the amount of food you give to your dog, a dog not eating for a day is going to be just fine.  Were you able to by chance get a direct flight from the East Coast to the West Coast?  This makes things a bit less stressful when you have fewer plane changes.

Stick to your guns and be sure your dog is onboard before you leave, we had a local member just recently fly back east and his dog was put on a wrong flight, it was a bad situation.  Good luck!!

United does the same thing as Alaskan Airlines with the ticket on the crate. I really like that and wish the other airlines would adopt the policy.   I always remain standing in my seat area until the attendant confirms my dog is loaded, sort of a quiet reminder.   Also don't forget to freeze water in the water dishes & attach  to the crates right before you leave for the airport.  I like to fly red eye to dawn flights, the airports are usually less hectic and it's cooler.

Delta also uses the ticket on the crate and I think when we flew to Germany so did Lufthansa.

By the way, I don't want to assume, but I saw on you last post that you said you are taking ALL of your dogs, not sure how many that is, but be sure to clear that with US Air and also reserve their spots.  Many airlines only allow so many size crates on the plane even as checked baggage.

When I was flying back to Germany and back I was only allowed to take two dogs per ticketed passenger, and I think there was a max number of dogs total that were allowed to come back.

Thank you all for that information. I dont know what i would have done if it were not for this thread. In responce to KariM I have to GSD and one little jack mix. I have reserved there spots on the flight and i was not told that it would be an issue to have three dogs flying. Maybe its because its me and my wife so we could technically take four. So to recap I should freeze th water bowl/ zip tie the door/ tape food to the top of the door(very little)/ insist that MY dogs are on th plane and notify the airline that they are very valuable. Is there anything else? Thanks for all the help

Write the phone number of the cell phone you wii be carrying on the crate.  Double check with the airline, but most want you there 2 hours ahead when you travel with dogs.  Ziptie the crate door after you check in because depending on security, TSA many times will ask you to take dog out of crate so they can inspect the inside of the crate.  Then when you put the dog back in, ziptie the door.  Call ahead and find out where oversized baggage is at your destination so you won't have to wander around looking for it.  Usually it's in the same area as the baggage carousels, but not always.  For example, at Dallas Int'l Airport in Texas, oversized is a bit of a hike so if like me you travel alone you may need to grab a porter to help carry your bags from carrousel down to oversized. 

 I think it's important to remember that for those working at the airports, their jobs aren't easy, it's very hectic,  and they catch a lot of flak and BS from nervous flyers all day.  So I try to use a little humor when possible, acknowledge their efforts and thank them for assisting  or helping me.  I think treating people with respect and kindness goes a long way in them going out of their way  for my dog.  For example, even though I have to check my dog in early, sometimes they will let me stay with the dog until they take him down to the boarding area.  One time on Frontier when I had to change planes the captain on the 2nd leg came back to make sure my dog was the GSD and described my crate because he wanted to make sure it was my dog that was loaded.  All kinds of really nice airport employees have given me a hand in my travels.  I really appreciate it because it's not easy traveling alone with a GSD, a 500 crate, my suitcase, and my big duffel of dog equipment!

Smartguy:  Once you get settled after your trip, please be sure and tell us how it went.  If you learn something new, please remember to share that info with the rest of us too.