Fly with Your Dog

Flying with your dog can be a very worrying process, believe me. However, it will all work out fine for both your dog and your nerves if you do your research and plan ahead. If you are planning on flying with your dog there are a few things you need to do to make sure everyone gets to the destination together!

First of all you need to see what your airlines requirements are, some of them are standard. Things like the type of kennel you need, and notification time, water&food bowls, vet documentation etc. will be necessary for all airlines. 


Most airlines require you to have a kennel that is hard plastic, top and bottom screw together, holes on all sides, and a metal locking door. This is important because I personally had to buy a new kennel because I had the all metal, prison bars style, collapsible kennel. Some of these also come with the door attachable bowls, some don't. If you have to buy them, buy the cheapest ones, because those are the ones that the airlines have and they will just exchange the ones that they have full with your empty ones. So dont get anything fancy, you might not see it again. The way they do it is they freeze water in the bowls and then snap those to the kennels, that way the dog can get water the whole flight and not worry about it spilling all over the kennel too. A really good idea actually, because I know I was wondering how this worked. Also you probably won't need food for your dog during the flight, no matter how long. Dogs can go days without food, just like humans, it's the water that's important. However, if it is a longer flight, international, then it is a good idea to give them some before you get on, I suggest a can of food, because it's tastier than dry food, and most dogs will eat it right up, so you're not waiting.

Next thing you'll have to do is get a clean bill of health from your veterinarian. They usually have this document or know what you, or you can print one off the internet. Basically it is a liability thing for the airline, to state the dog's health before it got on the plane so if it dies, god forbid, they can say it wasn't their fault. Most airlines require that you get this down within 10days of the actual flight, so don't do it too early. This document will say that all your shots are up to date, and that the dog is healthy enough for flight, and what conditions they can and cannot withstand. You can also ask you vet about whether or not you should give your dog sleeping pills. When I took Max overseas, I asked and they said that he didn't need it, unless I thought it was necessary. They said, sometimes if dogs are nervous, or have car sickness or whatever that it may be a good idea, just to keep the dog calm. So ask, if you're worried, they'll let you know, based on the dog.

Most airlines will also require you to give them 14 days notice that you are going to be flying with your pet. You can tell them when you you're buying your ticket but it won't make any difference because that person really has no control over whether or not it gets approved or the information gets passed on. You will need to call back and let them know your confirmation info and then inform them that you are wanting to fly your dog. This is very important because they will put in all sorts of tags on your flight so that your dog can be picked up and delivered by the appropriate people.

The last step you have to make sure that you get all your confirmations, because I had some problems traveling with my dog. I had everyone I talked to tell me Yes Yes Yes he can go, no one ever said no. Then when I went to the airport at 5am extra early for my 9am flight, that's when they told me, "Oh you can't go, the kennel is too big for the cargo doors on the last plane." I was so upset, because I had given all the information and got all my okays, and then the day I go to fly they say we can't. I got lucky and complained, and waited long enough, to finally get someone who was nice enough, and high enough up the food chain, to actually do something. In the end they actually had to switch my last flight to another carrier, with bigger planes, but we made it.

Don't worry about your baby on the way though, they take really good care of them. They have designated pet people in every airport, that know when, where, and what animal is coming. I actually got to hang out with him in the Minneapolis Airport Pet Area. It was nice, just a little garage area with the floor painted green. The lady there was really nice and said that they get all sorts of animals there everyday. I asked if they got anything exotic and she said, "Yea we get lions, tigers, monkeys, alligators.... you name it, I've put it on a plane!"  AWESOME! She also told me that Amsterdam has the best pet area in the world. The have a whole play area, large walking area where they take them on walks, I was really happy to hear that. So it made me feel a lot better about being away from him for two more flights. In the end we made it to Prague together, and Max had to take a 10min piss!