Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we travel with our dog quite often. she is used to it now. half a benedryl as we keave the house. she sleeps most of the way in her crate/bag under the seat in front of me.

i always do direct flights if i can. would not advise cargo travel. very risky.

and as for 12:25 and 12:57 - shut up. do me a favor and leave your kid home next time.

Oh please! This post has to be the most ridiculous thing I have seen on DCUM in a while.

What benefits exactly does a dog get from air travel?

I love how all the dog nuts here are always up in arms about anyone leaving their dog home alone while people go to work but have no problem with someone drugging their animal and keeping it in a small box for 5 hours on a plane plus probably another 2-4 hours at the airport and on the way to/from the airport.

PP here - meant "took the cat with us on the plane"

Did it with our cat last week on a non-stop E-W Coast flight; no drugs, no problems. She waited until we got home to use the litter box.

Keep in mind that many airlines won't allow pet cargo during summer (that's why we took our cat on the plane), so if you don't take the dog in the cabin, you'll have to use a pet shipping service.

Anonymous wrote:we travel with our dog quite often. she is used to it now. half a benedryl as we keave the house. she sleeps most of the way in her crate/bag under the seat in front of me.

i always do direct flights if i can. would not advise cargo travel. very risky.

and as for 12:25 and 12:57 - shut up. do me a favor and leave your kid home next time.

Oh please! This post has to be the most ridiculous thing I have seen on DCUM in a while.

What benefits exactly does a dog get from air travel?

Please check with the airline about the cargo restrictions. The dog needs to be in an approved by the United crate and if it's too hot the dog will not be allowed to fly. I'm sure if you check their website it'll tell you the temperature and other restrictions. If you definitely plan on taking the dog with you I would just do it on board.

OP here. Thanks for all the helpful tips. I'm a new dog owner and am weighing all the options.

My family on the west coast really wants me to bring her. United charges 250.00 round trip to carry on, and around 200.00 cargo. If I do take her, I probably will take her on board.

we travel with our dog quite often. she is used to it now. half a benedryl as we keave the house. she sleeps most of the way in her crate/bag under the seat in front of me.

i always do direct flights if i can. would not advise cargo travel. very risky.

and as for 12:25 and 12:57 - shut up. do me a favor and leave your kid home next time.

Make sure your dog is chipped if he somehow gets away from you.

I would not put my pet in with the checked baggage. Too many things to go wrong. I also wouldn't drug him on the trip if you haven't drugged him before, because who knows what the dog's reaction will be when he flies if you haven't tried it out before.

Echoing what the previous poster said, you need to reserve a spot with the airline, there is a fee ($100 on USair for instance) and you usually need to provide a health certificate from your vet saying the vet has seen the dog in the last ten days and he is healthy.

Traveling is very stressful for pets. I wouldn't do it unless you had to.

That said, I was at O'Hare on Sunday and a woman tried to put her Yorkie in his carrier thru the x ray machine. Fortunately, TSA saw it in time and got the dog out of there. The owner was clueless.

I flew with my 12 lb dog a few times. It's relatively simple, and mine did well with no meds.

You will have to call and reserve a spot. There's a substantial fee and most airlines limit the number of pets allowed on board. We were also told they keep track so that any allergic people can learn what pets will be there before buying a ticket and request no pets be allowed near them. I would not put a small dog in cargo as the temperature may not be well regulated. You will also have to take the dog out for security.

Anonymous wrote:Do the dog, your relatives, and your fellow passengers a favor and leave the dog at home with a dogsitter.

This is good advice.

Our doctor "prescribed" half of a children's benadryl to our dog before our last on-board flight. She was relaxed but not conked out the whole time.

Do the dog, your relatives, and your fellow passengers a favor and leave the dog at home with a dogsitter.

This may be unpopular but I would take her in the bain with you and sedate her.

I think dogs can be lost or accidentally set loose as checked cargo and if there's a delay, water is an issue. If you have her with you, you know where she is. But 5 hours is a long time and she will be anxious -- a mild sedative would help make it tolerable for her.

If you won't be gone for a long time, I would just leave her at home with a dogsitter.

Has anyone ever flown with a small dog under the seat? I'm thinking of taking my 11 pound dog on a flight with me to Seattle to visit family and I'm wondering how she would do being under the seat for 5 hours (airline regs say you can't take them out of kennel).

I'm thinking she may be more comfortable as checked cargo where at least she would be in a bigger crate and could stand up and strech.

Any experiences, advice, or ideas from veteran pet travelers?

Thanks!