Home & Family Facts and Notes

It is not ideal to travel by air with your dog, but sometimes there is no other option. You’ll need to consider transport dog crates, and the key is to make the trip as stress free for your dog as you can.

You’ve probably heard about dogs becoming injured, lost or even of dogs dying when traveling by airplane. The majority of dog air trips are free from complications of any kind, but you do not want to take any risks when transporting your dog by airplane. Preparation is therefore very important.

Before buying your airline tickets or selecting your transport dog crate, you should call the airline and find out their current rules and regulations in relation to pet travel. The general rules relating to pet travel, governed by federal regulations, state that your dog should be no less than 8 weeks old and have been weaned for no less than 5 days before the date of travel.

Large dogs have no choice but to travel in the cargo section of the airplane, in transport dog crates. The cargo section unfortunately has neither airconditioning nor heating, which can make for a pretty uncomfortable experience for dogs. Small dogs may be a litte luckier. If they’re under 15 pounds, they may be accepted in the passenger compartment of the airplane, traveling in transport dog crates or other types of pet carriers that will fit under your seat.

These are some steps you can take to ensure a less stressful trip for your pet if you need to transport them by airplane:

- book a direct, non-stop flight wherever possible. Avoid plane transfers and stop-overs.

- confirm your flight before you leave home, to ensure that there have been no changes to your flight schedule.

- just prior to leaving for the airport, take your dog for a walk.

- find out from your vet whether you should provide food for the trip. You’ll probably find that your vet will advise you not to feed your dog for several hours before the flight, but an onflight feed may be needed depending upon your dog’s usual diet, as well as factors such as your dog’s age and size.

- make sure your dog will have a good supply of water during the flight in order to keep him properly hydrated.

- arrive at the airport in plenty of time.

- if you are leaving from a destination that’s close to the airport, make sure your dog is given an opportunity to toilet just before you leave. If you are a distance from the airport, wait until you arrive at the airport before toileting your dog. Either way, it’s important that your dog has a toilet opportunity to avoid accidents in the transport dog crate during the trip.

- stay with your dog for as long as possible prior to the flight, and personally deliver the transport dog crate to the gate. (This may not be possible for an international flight).

- notify the flight staff once you board the plane that your dog is flying with you and that he is traveling in the cargo compartment (unless he’s with you in the passenger compartment, that is).

- make your way to the baggage area as soon as possible after landing, to meet your dog.

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