Please help - suggestions needed

[Milopup]

Hi all,

As some of you may know, I am moving to the UK and had planned on bringing my pup with me. We are currently with my parents as we deal with the logistics, and I am having second thoughts on bringing my pup. Given the dangers and uncertainty of flying the pup in cargo, and given that he loves my mom dearly, I was thinking of having him stay here in NY and I would fly in to see him at least once a month. I am worried that so much change and upheaval would be hard on him, and he has spent the last 6 weeks with my mom and loves loves loves her.

Now here is the dilemma.

What can I/my mom do with him during the day? She works from 9AM to 5PM, but has promised to come home at lunchtime to walk him, hug him and play with him. She can't resist doing so even when I am here to take care of the lil' guy.

When I am away, what can we do for the 3 hours in the morning and the 4 hours in the afternoon while my mom is at work and away from him? I was thinking possibly an exercise pen (which would be better than having him in his crate for those hours).

Please don't think of me as being cruel to my pup - it is because I love him so much that I need to find what is best for him, not what is best for me (which would be to have him with me).

Any suggestions please??

[bradl]

He will most likely nap in the exercise pen. I forget how old Milo is, but if he's over six months I'd expect he'd be fine for 3-4 hours at a time.

[Guest abbycairn]

Hi,

If you want to bring your dog into the UK without entering quarrantine (6 months) you will need to have it registered with the pet passport scheme. To find out about the requirements you can check this website, www.defra.gov.uk and look for the link to the Pet Travel Scheme.

Before entering the UK your dog needs to be microchipped, vacinaated against rabies, its blood tested for antibodies against rabies, and then you need to wait 6 months after a successful blood test. In addition, the blood test needs to be done by a DEFRA approved laboratory. 24-48 hours before entering the U.K. it will need to be treated for ticks and tapeworm. You will also need to use airlines certified to transport animals under this scheme.

Stacey

[Milopup]

Thanks bradl.

My pup is just about 1 years old. So is the exercise pen the best way to go under the circumstances? Is it best to put it on a wood floor or a carpet mat - how do we secure it? Any suggestions on what to put in the pen?

Finally, I am afraid that he will backslide and poop/pee in the pen. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Stacey - thanks for the information. We have completed every single requirement, by concern about taking him to the UK is purely his comfort (in the cargo part of the plane, adapting to a brand new group of people, his missing my mom tremendously).

Thank you.

[bradl]

At a year you could consider a crate for 3-4 hours at a time, if he is getting some exercise during lunch.

If you want to go with an ex-epen, an expen or two is big enough to serve as a playground - so there is definitely a possibility of some backsliding. Ours is over carpet so we put down very thick plastic 'chair mats' from the office supply store as a base and put a velux blanket on top of that for traction. The expen is smaller than the blanket so it is held in place pretty well, although of course a puppy will pull up the blanket from time to time, just because they can. If Milo turns out to be a climber, you may need a lid for the expen. We've only had one climber so don't assume you need a lid until he proves that he can leave the ex-pen at will. We throw in a stuffed bed, a large fleece, a raised 'trampoline' style bed, and about a dozen toys. Plus a bowl of water. We are mindful of anything that could be a hazard if dismantled or chewed to pieces during the day. We do provide a pee-pad in one area of the (double) ex-pen. When we are serious about housetraining we move pups to crates.

I know this is a hard decision for you. Of the concerns you have, the only one I personally share is the worry about the flight itself. Cairns are very adaptable and will make friends wherever they are. Now your mother may miss Milo, though, so, tough decision all around!

[Milopup]

Thanks for the great advice and suggestions Bradl!

BTW - since you are familiar with the Cairn Show environment. do you (or anyone else on the board) know what the show dogs who travel to international competition do? Do they all travel on private planes, or do they put their pups in the cargo hold as well?

Thank you all again for your support and advice.

[MikeC]

Hi Milopup,

You and I joined the Forum about the same time and Duffy and Milo are the same age, so even though we have never met, I feel sort of a bond with you. I understand your dilemma completely. I agree with Brad about Cairns being so adaptable as I have seen it with Duffy and I know that Milo would adapt quite well. I also understand your concern about his travel to the UK as I know that I would have the same concerns. I know that whatever decision you make will be the right one. If your Mom loves him as much as he loves her, it sounds like a perfect match and they will be wonderful company for each other. And, it may be possible that in time you may be able to get another Cairn in the UK so that Milo will have a brother or sister back in the good 'ole USofA.

MikeC

[bradl]

I wish more experienced folk would participate here. I know show-folk who will only fly in-cabin and I know others who routinely use cargo or checked baggage. We've only flown in-cabin. I read that some airlines prefer cargo over baggage as they have better control over departure times and alternative routes. I think it's one of those things where there is just no guaranteed safe answer. I've heard of more owners and their dogs being killed in car wrecks than in shipping accidents, but that's just anecdotal. I believe there are tens of thousands of dogs shipped every year around the US. Larger sized breeds have no choice if they are to fly. If the odds were poor, I don't think anyone would do it at all. I would think chartering planes and private planes are quite rare, particularly for a transatlantic flight. How about an ocean liner cruise?

[Scully'sMom]

Milo, I know what a tremendous weight this all has been on you and that you only want what's best for your pup. I personally don't have any expertise to add to this, but it seems that since there is a bond with your mom and Milo that having the two of them together like a terrific idea.

My husband and I live with my mom to help take care of her and I know that if anything happened to her, Scully would be on her own during the day.

How about calling either your vet or groomer and see if they know anyone that does pet-walking or pet-sitting and perhaps arrange for them to come in and either check on Milo or spend say an hour playing with him.

I wish you the best of luck. We all know how much you love Milo!

[Milopup]

Thanks everyone, I really truly appreciate your words of wisdom and support in this matter. I do love my pup tremendously, but I am wary of the cargo risks (even if I am onboard the same flight in the passenger area), and hate to take him away from his favorite person in the world, his grandma.

Quick question about crating - is it okay to crate 3 to 4 hours at a time, twice a day, with 1 hour of cuddling and exercising in the middle? I thought it was 3 to 4 hours total (except for sleeping), and not just 3 to 4 hours at a stretch.

Again, thank you all. You have no idea how much your posts mean to me.

[toomanypaws]

Hi Milopup, I know this is hard on you. You are fortunate that you do have your mom (grandma) for MiIlo. I know many people who work and have dogs. I only work 3 mornings and my 2 youngest cairns (Abbey 10 mths, Hannah almost 5 mths) are crated during that time which is usually 5 hrs. Now I sound like I'm cruel for crating them that long and trust me, I agonized over the decision of going back to teaching p/t and almost didn't. I knew Abbey could go that long in her crate, but I was losing sleep thinking about little Hannah. I slowly left her longer and longer to see how she did and evertime I came racing back to her and yanked open her crate, she stretched and yawned. Now I'm finding that they sleep most of that time. I leave them each w/ their favorite stuffed toy and something to chew on. My 3 yr old cairn stays in the kitchen and does fine there. The only reason Kiara is babygated in there is because she'd chase after the cat the whole time if she had the freedom of the whole house.

I do think Milo would do fine in a crate. Neither one of mine has ever had an accident in her crate. I make sure they get a little treat and a little water in the morning, playtime and pottytime before being put in their crates.

[maggie's_mom]

Milopup,

I read through this quickly, so I never picked up on Milo's age. When we got Maggie my husband was unemployed and stayed with her all day. Now we both have jobs and I travel a lot.

When I am not traveling I work from home so we are together all day. But when I do travel, Maggie is alone all day b/c Chris can't get home. She has adapted amazingly. Everyone told us she would, and they were right.

At first she stayed in the bathroom, which is an ok size. I didn't love it, but she wasn't completely potty trained yet. She had her bed and her kennel and plenty of toys to keep her company. To this day she always hangs out in there when we are getting ready, and loves to sleep on a bathmat we keep for her in the bedroom.

Now she has graduated to the kitchen which we close in with a doggie gate. It is much bigger. We let her have the run of the house a few times, but she started getting into trouble. I think she prefers her confined kitchen over the whole house. They are den animals...

Trust me. They sleep ALL day. Milo will be fine.

Good luck on your decision!

[Milopup]

Thanks maggie's mom. My pup is just about 1 years old. I think we will try having him in his crate for 3 to 4 hours at a time, with a break in between for a walk, cuddles and attention.

He is not quite ready to be in the kitchen with a baby gate (he still chews many things, including wires, table legs, etc.) but hopefully soon.