Flying with a dog?
 

I have to take her majesty to LA to meet the sire we have picked out for her pups. I'll be going with her, but I know so many horror stories from the old days I'm concerned if this is a good idea. I'll rent a van in LA. Has any one done this recently? I wonder how much stress it puts on the dog, lots on me for sure. Are there any preference to airlines? I'm thinking westjet.

WestJet!

Has her majesty flown before?


Westjet pet information

West Jet flys my pups to their new homes,they are real good to deal with

West jet is definatley a good choice, good luck. is it Louisanna or Los Angeles?

It is LAX in Los Angeles
 

Actually she has flown (?) before, when she came from Ontario to Calgary. When I picked her up she seemed to be O.K. She was 8 weeks old.

Continental Airlines
 

While researching airlines last year I found that Continental was by far the best to transport live animals. Their policy/procedure was superior to the rest. Also try to travel during the week as the weekend staff is not trained to the same degree. You may also want to investigate temperature restrictions as they do not transport live animals in the summer months , I think you may find that you will be driving.

Make sure you have the proper travel kennel for her. Always check with the airline that the one you are going to use is approved by them. Nothing worse than getting the dog to the airport and being told you need to buy a new kennel for x hundreds of dollars.

Ensure that the food and watering trays can be accessed from the outside of the kennel - then there is no need for any airline staff to open the kennel door - risking escape. However, don't count on staff actually doing any watering or feeding. It's a hit or miss with the flights/connections and cargo loading timings.

Good idea not to open the kennel door until you are safely at your final destination. More dogs are lost because of opening their kennel in unfamiliar places where they are scared. .

Liners for the kennel are really important. A dog sitting in their own urine for hours can cause some serious skin burns. Just make sure that whatever liner you use can't be eaten and actually works to wick the urine/spilled water away from the dog.

Just google airline pet incident reports to see the major causes of lost or injured dogs/cats. Most of the incidents involve faulty kennel latches, doors and fittings. Zip tie, zip tie and zip tie it again... to secure the kennel.

Most airlines have weather/temp blackouts for carrying a dog. They won't move a pet if either airport has high or low extreme temps (tarmac being too hot/cold or cargo area of aircarft heats/freezes up while loading). Be prepared to be refused if the weather in LAX is considered too hot.

It has been six years since I last shipped a dog via air. I can't even remember who I shipped with last time.

At the time, one of the major carriers had just switched to charging for all dogs based on "cargo" rates. The cargo rates were grotesquely costly. So, just be aware that pricing could be very different between the different airlines.

Up dates
 

Westjet will fly us if there is room. Good tips about the kennel door and the "pad". The cost is $105 return which seems fair.

I've got a little while to pull it all together, when she starts to show I'll have to get moving.