Flying a Dog

[CBeaty]

Really want to take my lab spring snow goose hunting. He is just over 2 now and has his JH and SHR titles and will be running SH and Seasoned this fall.

Some people swear they would never put their dog on a plane and yet I know somebody who lives in the south east has got to want and or does take their dog to go hunting in the midwest farther.

Can anybody with experience guide me on whether to fly the dog with me and if so carriers etc?

We would fly out of Orlando into St. Louis Missouri in late Feb early Mar

Thanks

[Mcwjr13]

I flew one of my dogs to London when I moved there for a little while. Continental treated us both very well. Other than taking forever to relieve himself afterwards he came out happy as usual.

[Jim Danis]

I flew my dog from NC to Texas 2 years ago with USAIR. didn't have a problem at all. How far of a drive is it from Orlando to Missouri? The only reason I flew my dog is that it was too far for me to drive. It would have been a 20+ hour drive. Didn't feel like doing that. 15hrs is usually the max I want to drive

[CBeaty]

I flew my dog from NC to Texas 2 years ago with USAIR. didn't have a problem at all. How far of a drive is it from Orlando to Missouri? The only reason I flew my dog is that it was too far for me to drive. It would have been a 20+ hour drive. Didn't feel like doing that. 15hrs is usually the max I want to drive

18 hours per Google Map

[Dogtrainer4God]

American Airlines generally does pretty good, continental is good too and you don't have to worry about temps. Don't know if you have it down there or not, but Frontier Airlines offers shipping for just $100 extra if you are flying with the dog.

Shipped lots of dogs/pups, no problems.

[Dave Flint]

Try to get a non-stop/non-connecting trip. Let the flight attendant know as you board that you’re concerned about your dog getting loaded onto the plane & ask her if she can check for you.

Get a kennel that has removable casters so you can pull your dog through the airport. You can bungee your shotgun case to the top & hook a leash to the door to pull it.

Make friends w/ the baggage handler who takes your dog, hand him a bottle of water & ask him to pour it into the water bowl you hook on the door. I’ve offered a tip (discreetly) to ask them to “take care of my buddy” but they always refused.

I’ve done it a dozen times in the past but I’ve got to admit that I probably won’t do it again even though I’ve never had a problem, it’s just too stressful (for me).

[rfm]

Continental for sure. They have them in a separate air conditioned area that is pressurized just like for the human guests and most importantly, they will fly them regardless of the temperature because they also have air conditioning for them on the ground before takeoff, during layovers, etc. They are the only airline that does this, as my recent research told me.

[John Fields]

I flew my dog from NC to Canada and had no problems on the way up. Make sure they give you a receipt for the dog in the cargo bay before you take off. You should make the stewardess aware of the dog in the cargo bay when you board the plane. The baggage handler will give her a receipt notifying her and you that the dog is on board that flight. This paper will travel the whole route, even if you change planes. I saw where someone previous mentioned a non stop flight, that is an excellent suggestion. Do not let them take off if you do not have that receipt. I had this situation arise on my return to the states and when I asked for my receipt the steardess did not have it so they had to delay the plane to find my dog and get him loaded on that flight. It delayed the flight but I got my dog and that was all that mattered to me.

[CBeaty]

Thanks for the replies. Those are some great tips!!