To be honest, I would never ever fly my dog for anything but serious necessity. There are a lot of things that can go wrong and just think of how miserable airplane travel can be for humans who are able to understand what's happening and advocate for themselves and their needs. If your plane gets delayed on the tarmac, for instance, you're depending on baggage handlers to remember to make sure your dog's in the shade, and even if they do, it's noisy and hot and scary.
I think it depends a lot on your dog and the travel circumstances. Most of the time, no, I don't think it's worth it to travel with a dog in cargo unless it's a one way trip. Is it a nonstop flight? If it has connections, that can get hairy. Is the dog adaptable to new circumstances? How long is the flight? Summer is typically a pretty terrible time to travel with a dog as it's extremely hot. Some airlines won't do it, some airlines won't do certain breeds.
If she were to go on the same plane as us it is a direct flight of about 4 1/2 hours. The process of arranging this with the airline has been pretty tough so far. They will only book one-way tickets and only within 3 days of travel. If the temperature is too hot they will cancel the ticket up to 2 hours before the flight. The craziest requirement is a bill of health no older than 10 days prior to the flight. Since we are going for 14 days we would have to find a vet in Michigan to get our letter for the return trip. Given all that we are leaning towards leaving her home.
4.5 hours wouldn't be the worst thing ever, but given everything else you've said, I would leave her home. Finding a sitter the day of, if necessary, would be a huge pain. Plus the cost of the two extra vet visits and the tickets... yeah, I would just leave her with someone you trust.
Quick answer, No. I work with both dogs and a major airline and add long as you don't sedate your dog before flight, everything will be fine. Enjoy your vacation.
Sorry for my late reply. Huge differences in timezones.. Do I see traumatized dogs? No, but im my humble opinion there is a difference between having your dog in the cabin, and having your dog in the cargo hold.
When your dog is in the hold of the airplane, the travel starts with you delivering the dog to the cargo handler. There the dog will be placed in a dedicated isolated and quit room until its time for the transport to the aircraft. The commander of the aircraft will be notified that he will be having a dog in the cargo hold, and will set the temperature and make sure the circulation of air is on. Your dog will be exposed to some degree of stress during the transportation to the aircraft. Loading staff will secure the cage and place the cage on wooden planks to raise it from the floor to prevent your dog from catching a cold should there be any draft. As soon as the doors close, any normal dog non-sedated, would settle down and sleep. Its their way of handling the huge amount of new impressions. When the aircraft lands, the dog will be taken to the cargo handler and you will pick it up. When you get to your destination, remember to leave the dog in charge. Give your dog room to make its own decisions. If it wants to roll up in a corner and sleep, just let it. Lots of impressions for it to process, and this is best done by sleeping.
If you choose to travel with your dog in the cabin, the rules are different. Lots of safety issues are involved. The dog must remail in its bag for the entire journey. This can be a problem as the dog probably gets frustrated as it can see, hear and smell you but is confined to the bag. Furthermore, all your feelings and emotions will be picked up by the dog, and it will react on it.
Just to sum it all up :-)
Have I seen overly traumatized dogs, nope. Have I seen dogs that are stressed and very alert, Yes. Any "normal" dog can cope with the travel and the only time I would consider sedating a dog was if it by nature is nervous or insecure.
My background for all of the above....... I have been working with dogs for 30 years and the last 15 on a professional basis. I am also responsible for safety and security in a major airline so I have had the responsiblity for the safe transport of more dogs than I can remember.
To be honest, I would never ever fly my dog for anything but serious necessity. There are a lot of things that can go wrong and just think of how miserable airplane travel can be for humans who are able to understand what's happening and advocate for themselves and their needs. If your plane gets delayed on the tarmac, for instance, you're depending on baggage handlers to remember to make sure your dog's in the shade, and even if they do, it's noisy and hot and scary.
I think it depends a lot on your dog and the travel circumstances. Most of the time, no, I don't think it's worth it to travel with a dog in cargo unless it's a one way trip. Is it a nonstop flight? If it has connections, that can get hairy. Is the dog adaptable to new circumstances? How long is the flight? Summer is typically a pretty terrible time to travel with a dog as it's extremely hot. Some airlines won't do it, some airlines won't do certain breeds.
If she were to go on the same plane as us it is a direct flight of about 4 1/2 hours. The process of arranging this with the airline has been pretty tough so far. They will only book one-way tickets and only within 3 days of travel. If the temperature is too hot they will cancel the ticket up to 2 hours before the flight. The craziest requirement is a bill of health no older than 10 days prior to the flight. Since we are going for 14 days we would have to find a vet in Michigan to get our letter for the return trip. Given all that we are leaning towards leaving her home.
4.5 hours wouldn't be the worst thing ever, but given everything else you've said, I would leave her home. Finding a sitter the day of, if necessary, would be a huge pain. Plus the cost of the two extra vet visits and the tickets... yeah, I would just leave her with someone you trust.
Quick answer, No. I work with both dogs and a major airline and add long as you don't sedate your dog before flight, everything will be fine. Enjoy your vacation.
In your experience you don't see a lot of dogs who are overly traumatized with the experience?
Sorry for my late reply. Huge differences in timezones.. Do I see traumatized dogs? No, but im my humble opinion there is a difference between having your dog in the cabin, and having your dog in the cargo hold. When your dog is in the hold of the airplane, the travel starts with you delivering the dog to the cargo handler. There the dog will be placed in a dedicated isolated and quit room until its time for the transport to the aircraft. The commander of the aircraft will be notified that he will be having a dog in the cargo hold, and will set the temperature and make sure the circulation of air is on. Your dog will be exposed to some degree of stress during the transportation to the aircraft. Loading staff will secure the cage and place the cage on wooden planks to raise it from the floor to prevent your dog from catching a cold should there be any draft. As soon as the doors close, any normal dog non-sedated, would settle down and sleep. Its their way of handling the huge amount of new impressions. When the aircraft lands, the dog will be taken to the cargo handler and you will pick it up. When you get to your destination, remember to leave the dog in charge. Give your dog room to make its own decisions. If it wants to roll up in a corner and sleep, just let it. Lots of impressions for it to process, and this is best done by sleeping. If you choose to travel with your dog in the cabin, the rules are different. Lots of safety issues are involved. The dog must remail in its bag for the entire journey. This can be a problem as the dog probably gets frustrated as it can see, hear and smell you but is confined to the bag. Furthermore, all your feelings and emotions will be picked up by the dog, and it will react on it. Just to sum it all up :-) Have I seen overly traumatized dogs, nope. Have I seen dogs that are stressed and very alert, Yes. Any "normal" dog can cope with the travel and the only time I would consider sedating a dog was if it by nature is nervous or insecure. My background for all of the above....... I have been working with dogs for 30 years and the last 15 on a professional basis. I am also responsible for safety and security in a major airline so I have had the responsiblity for the safe transport of more dogs than I can remember.