Airline travel with your GSD - Page 3

Ok i looked at the links that Sitasmom listed and read what Slam wrote and i Must ask this.....

Why don't more people just call their dog a service animal , buy a vest and carry them on the plane for free instead of shipping them?  All the times I have flown, I have never seen a  big dog (i.e. GSD) on a plane.  I thought that to be considered a service animal, you needed to go through training and have a certificate proving such.  I checked out Service Dogs of America website and I see there is no certification?!?!?  You just say your dog can do certain things and then you buy the vest or other items.  Is this seriously it?  Why don't more people do this?

I see Continental airlines MAY ask to see some papers but American Airlines don't ask for anything.  And as a service dog, the dog flies for free if it can sit at your feet or to avoid that limited space, just buy a second seat.

Because it's kinda like getting a handicapped sticker or plates when you don't need them,,,,,you're selfish and a phony and you just may be taking a spot from someone who genuinely needs it.  The fact that you would even bring it up tells me a lot about you as a person and makes me regret the fact that I even bothered to offer assistance. 

That's terrible. Do people really use fake documents for disbilities on airlines? I know here in the UK there are people who will use another person's blue badge (disability badge) to park their cars closer to where they need to be.
I think the airlines should certainly check documentation for dogs. After all, peopel cannot get on an aircraft wtihout a ticket, passport (for international flights) etc. So it seems only right that if you claim you dog is a service dog then you shoul dhave the relevant documentation. Anyone who would considr using fake ID firstly is breaking the law. it is deception. And as already said, they could be taking a place that a deserving person needs.

I've never flown with my dogs. I'm not convinced they would do well on an aircraft. My one GSD would be very stressed and would need sedation but if the airlines don't allow this he couldn't fly. Catch 22!
This is the same GSD who is fully trained as an assistance dog for me - can bring methe phone, turn on lights, open the washing machine etc. However, because of a bad experinece at the vet's surgery when he was about 10 months old, he growled when he had his health assessment so the vet wrote downt hat he was aggressive. He isn't. Never has been. He wasn't growling AT the vet but just letting us know he wasn't happy. He didn't even look at the vet. Didn't try to move out of the way when being examined etc. So that was the end of that.

So for someone like me, I DO have an assistance dog who is fully trained but I CAN'T have the documentaion because the vet didn't read the situation well and got it wrong. But I would certainly NEVER consider using fake documents. Taht, IMHO, is disgusting!

Duderino - No one here is condoning the use of fake papers to get a dog to sit inside of a cabin.  relax

So, I'm guessing your post at the top of this page is a misinterpretation on my part?  Did you or did you not ask the question "Why don't more people do this?"?

I don't call my animal a service dog because he's not a service dog.

I've flown with my dogs as oversized luggage in cargo on many occasions, many different airlines including Delta, American Airlines, Alaskan Airlines and Northwestern.  I have had no problem with any airline.  I have had to use connecting flights, though I try not to.  

Some airlines automatically notify you that your animal has been loaded (I think it's American that has a little tear off thing they put on the kennel & when the dog is loaded a portion is torn off & given to the owner on the plane, I like that),  but not all of them have any kind of system to let you know your dog is on board.  I always notify the gate person and the flight attendant that I am traveling with my dog and ask to be notified once my dog has actually been put on the plane before I sit down.  

I do zip tie everywhere the crate connects including all the places in the door.  I don't want them to be able to open the crate.  Usually when you get to the airline, TA will have you take the dog out of the crate so they can inspect the crate, so I wait to ziptie the door until after that.

I always freeze the water in the dish the night before then hang it on the door.  Take a large baggie, fill it with kibble and tape it to the top of your crate. 

I try to take redeye flights whenever possible, the airports are less hectic and the flights  are less crowded.  Much easier all the way around since I am usually one person travelling with a large dog, his crate, my luggage and his equipment bag!

Some of the reservations people don't know that smaller planes won't always accomodate a large crate, the airlines claim they can't fit through the door.  So to save yourself a problem, book your flight on the larger planes not commuter planes.

Oh and YOU BET my dog ALWAYS flies with a collar and great big ID tag around his neck.  If my dog were to ever somehow get out I want him to be wearing a tag. 

Sueincc - Thanks for the detailed info!!!!