Travelling With Cairns

[wheezie23]

I'm planning a family vacation this summer and we'll be flying to CA. I cannot bear the thought of leaving Zoe at a kennel, and I don't have a friend or family member who can take her in. My family in CA have all said they'd like me to bring her. I was under the impression that as long as the dog is small enough to stay in a small soft-sided carrier you can bring the dog on the plane with you rather than have them placed in the cargo hold, which I refuse to do. Does anyone know for certain? I haven't made the flight arrangements yet so I can't check with the airline yet. Thanks for your advice in advance!

[wags]

Check with the airline. some airlines allow you to bring your doggie in the cabin, traveling in a sherpa bag.

You don't have to make definite arrangements to inquire about their pet policy. Southwest Airlines does not allow pets at all, I don't think. Delta does, I think, America West does too.

Please let me know how things go- I am very interested because we are in the same situation and we may going again with our cairn sometime soon.

Thanks.

[wheezie23]

Thank you, Sally. I will let you know what I find out.

[Guest A little off the original topic.]

Hi,

I was reading this thread, and I understand the dilema completely. We are trying to figure out how we are going handle leaving Abe for our vacation this summer. Poor dadofabe is already in distress over it, and I am not real comfortable with the kennel idea.

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever traveled with a 10-12month doggie? How did you do it, how did it go? and do you have any advise to offer?

[wags]

I traveled by plane. The scariest part at first for me was the confinement. I am a claustrophobic and knowing that Wes would be trapped in that bag for 5 hours was creepy. I didn't know how he'd react once we got off the ground.

Before airline trips with your dog, you have to get a veterinarian's certificate which includes immunization records. The certificate is good only for one month.

While at Petsmart I also bought rescue remedy or something like that (a holistic dog calming agent) but I wanted to check with the vet before using it. He suggested a choice of three otherswhich we were to try before the trip.

The first was benadryl. Maybe the dosage was too much, because it made Wes edgy. Being that didn't work, we tried Valium. That was even worse- it made him bark at the plants and other things he hadn't been afraid of before. The third thing was Ace Promazine, which was supposed to be stronger than the other two. By this time I was too afraid to use any tranquilizers.

On the return trip, I noticed a woman at the airport with a sherpa bag in one hand, and her little white dog in the other. The dog was sedated with ace promazine-I'd asked her. She complied with all the airport rules and put her dog in the bag at least an hour before the flight, while she calmly read a magazine.

(That's something I could never do.)

When the plane made its ascent, Wes got up and moved inside the Sherpa bag. I couldn't see in because the bags are too dark. I petted the bag to comfort him, and during the flight, I unzipped it a little to throw in some ice. He likes to play with it, and its also quenches his thirst.

During his first flight, I wanted to keep the bag on my lap, but the stewardess said (snottily) "Put him on the floor under the seat in front of you. A lot of people are allergic to dogs."

Coming home, the airport itself wasn't dog-friendly. When we went through security the guard said, "Put the dog in the bag, NOW!" And that was an hour before the 4-hour flight. So I kept him out of the waiting area as long as I could, and out of the bag.

All-in-all the only major problem we had with Wes was his barking when he entered and left the plane. ,

Another passenger told me she hadn't known dogs were allowed in the cabin, because she would've brought her dog along. She said whenever she came back from a trip after leaving the dog at home, he would be so happy to see her that he'd have a seizure. (I guess he may have other problems besides.)

[wheezie23]

Wow, Sally! Thanks for all the great information. I will definitely start talking to my vet about what to give Zoe for the flight. I'm still nervous about it, and I wonder if I'm doing it for me? Did your dog seem stressed out by the ordeal or was he ok right afterward?

Thela

[wags]

Did he feel stressed out?

I was more stressed out than he was.

If you are going to give your dog anything for the flight, make sure you try it out long before that day.

About feeding him before the flight- I heard that you shouldn't feed dogs about 3 hours prior to the flight. My vet's nurse was afraid of Wes' being hungry. I don't know- if I had a choice, I'd rather he be a little hungry than throwing up or having to poop or pee.

The next time I take him on a plane, I was thinking of putting some sugar or something on the ice cubes, because he was shaking after he came out of the bag the last time. And I wonder if that was hypoglycemia.

If you find out information on this, please let me know!

Thanks.

P.S. One of the reasons I didn't use Ace Promazine was I had read about its side effects on the internet. If you can, find out about that and also rescue remedy- or any other over=the=counter tranquilizers. And please tell me too.

[bradl]

We've traveled a few times with a few different dogs. We've never had to dope any of them, although once I wish we could have. The dog was fairly large for the Sherpa so the bag was hot, plus the plane sat forever on the ground going nowhere with no air conditioning so the cabin got really really hot and of course you can't take the dog out of the bag or you'll get the evil eye from (most of) the crew. We at least had a sympathetic crew who brought us ice and cheese to calm the boy down.

Most trips, the dog just goes to sleep (what else can they do?) Really, nine times out of ten it's just fine. Do do all your homework with the airline first. Make sure you know what size bag they allow, make sure your dog fits in the bag and can turn around easily. (Our boy in the picture below is in a bag that is too small for him -- he just thinks any sherpa bag is his.) Some airlines have a weight limit regardless of size. Many airlines have a limit for the number of animals they will allow per cabin (usually just one or two), so make sure you book early and get a confirmation that YOUR pet is THE ONE. This can be a problem heading into shows when a lot of animals are flying to the same place at approximately the same time. Finally, allow the dog to know and love the bag so getting him in isn't like trying to wrestle a cat. We leave the sherpa out for weeks, tossing treats into the back of it regularly to get a dog used to (and pleased about) entering the bag. We practice zipping it shut for a few seconds and opening it. We take the dog for a short, quick car ride in the bag followed by a doggy party, that sort of thing. Today if we bring out a Sherpa our boy will elbow everyone else out of the way to stake his claim on it

[wags]

What a cute picture!

I remember when Wes wouldn't go near the bag... and then after a while he tried to zip himself up!

Now Wes loves his sherpa bag. Trouble is- He likes the TASTE of the bag best. Boy, I long for the day when he grows up and doesn't eat everything in sight.

[LORI]

I have never had this problem but have always wondered what we would do with ours. Somewhere on this site I read where one of the Hyland herbal products was good for calming dogs. I'll see if I can find this site.

[springlady]

I wonder what all the fuss is about kennels? We visited kennels in our area before leaving any furry friend of ours and find them to be run by kind, caring animal lovers like ourselves. We do not have the option to take our Drew with us next month since we are traveling to England, as we do several times a year. They do let pets in but unfortunately they send them to quarantine making it a pointless exercise. Drew has never gone to kennel before as he came to live with us between trips, but our dearly beloved Aussie Chloe went for most of her life and even after she was blind from diabetes she knew where she was when her feet hit the gravel in the kennel drive. She would literally drag us in the door. Upon our return she would run out and greet us, wagging all over, then make a dash back into the kennel! They always kennel the small dogs where they keep the cats and where the dogs can see them grooming other dogs. Makes for an interesting day. The dogs run outside beside the horses and generally are made a huge fuss of. I even gave them the wrong bottle of insulin once and they went and got a fresh bottle without mentioning it. It is possible for someone else to look after your dear one. Sounds like the plane ride is more stressful and ill-making than leaving them home. Did love the picture, what a cutie! But then we all are prejudiced.

[wags]

This sounds wonderful. What part of the country is this?

The Kennel at Nasa was little more than a luggage storage area, with most of the cages empty.

[mOmOfaBe]

Hello to all,

I was referring to a road trip with our babies, anyone done that ? We usually go a little further south to the beach every year, and it is about an 8/9 hr trip. I can't imagine poor Abe being cooped up that long

[wheezie23]

Springlady, your kennel facility sounds like a dream. If there were such a place in my area, I'm sure I would have absolutely no reservations leaving my baby there. Unfortunately, the only ones near me seem to be of the calibre described by Sally. I just can't do it. I'm still checking though!

[springlady]

Boy, I really sound like a know-it-all! But I guess we are fortunate to have such a good kennel nearby. We live in Southern Connecticut, New Haven to be exact. The kennel is in the Town of Bethany, 15 minutes away. We have the convenience of living in a city with absolutely rural areas just minutes away. And I do mean cows, goats and horse variety. My Drew does that high-pitched screaming in the car (you know the one I mean) lately because of all the vet visits over the broken leg, removal of rear dew claws and neutering. He has already had a full life at 8 months. I would love to take him in the car for even a ride to the beach, but so far all I can really stand is taking him to obedience class and talking to him constantly about anything to keep the screaming to a minimum. He is too tired after class to do anything but sleep on the way home. I know my ears have had it by then as well.

[wags]

Springlady, I can really commiserate with you. Ever since Wes traveled to an unfriendly area, he barks at almost everybody now. It's like traveling with a portable burglar alarm

[kayharley]

Thank you all for this informative post...even though I will not be fortunate enough to get a vacation this year, that bag sounds perfect for the times I have to transport Madison to the vet or to Petco or for our day trips that I want to have the dogs come along on.

Brad, do you know what size bag you have in that pic? I ordered a large Sherpa for my pup figuring she'll grow into it. The other day on our way to the vet to get her spaying stitches out, Madison, my 6 month old, jumped into the front seat and somehow got down around my feet as I was driving. Winnie, the older dog is wonderful in a car. Mellows out and just enjoys the ride. I'm hoping this bag does the trick.

[bradl]

I think that was the medium one. Haggis belong in a large

[Rob D.]

I asked our local vet about their boarding procedures and was extremely disappointed. The last person leaves the kennel at 4:30p.m. and the first person

in isn't until 7:30a.m. That's 15 hours with no human contact and whats worse then that no potty. I won't go for that. Then I checked with our trainer and she gave me a name of a friend of hers who takes small breeds in for a day

or two. (We're going away for a day and can't take Murphy) This woman has a

Jack Russell so Murphy will have some one to play with. I laugh at all the FUN

they will have together. I'll probably take the second option of the friend of the

trainer. It's safe, I trust my trainer and if I don't feel I can trust her we'll take him with us anyway. After all he IS part of our family.