Gothamist: Puppy Treated Like a Piece of Luggage

Moira

Sat, 04 Mar 2006 15:28:09 -0500

Be careful with that sponge trick...30 years ago, I had a dog that died from eating a sponge. It was a sad day for a little girl, I still miss him.

Brightliner

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 01:41:09 -0500

Kay, Most airlines do allow pets in the cabin, so long as the carrier it's kept in complies with carry-on regulations (can fit under the seat). See this page. Folks with severe allergies can ask for a seat change. Responsible cat breeders use services like Northwest Priority for shipping cats to customers unaccompanied, where the carrier is kept in the cabin, not the cargo hold. (They would prefer you picked up your kitten in person, though, both for safety reasons and to make sure you will be a responsible owner.) They don't feed or water the cat for a few hours beforehand and do include a litter box inside the carrier in case the cat does need to go. A bag of dry food is taped outside the carrier in case the flight is somehow delayed.

Tennille

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 19:09:30 -0500

A direct flight to Montana? That's hysterical!

kay

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 16:51:20 -0500

Can airlines really allow pets in the cabin like that? No offense to you or your cat, Jo, but what about folks with severe allergies? I know a fellow whose asthma kicks up if he looks at a cat wrong. Do they inform the passengers beforehand?

Jo

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 16:16:11 -0500

- Travel with the pet whenever possible. I don't know that I would ever ship an animal without a chaperone. That's asking for trouble. Unlike a child, an animal is stuck in cargo, often ignored, and can't ask for help. - Carry your pet in the cabin if it's small enough and the airline allows it (many of them do). I flew with my cat from Romania to Chicago and it took us +12 hours longer than scheduled (don't ask). We couldn't have known that going in. There were many animals in cargo and I don't know how they fared since they were prepped for much less time alone, whereas I was able to feed/water and walk my cat around a bit between flights and make sure she was ok. - Do NOT knock your animal out. Most vets won't recommend it. When your animal is in that unconscious state it loses the ability to care for itself. For instance, if the temperature in cargo is too hot or too cold the animal won't know it, won't shiver or sweat, etc. It's also REALLY traumatic for them - especially if they wake up too early. - Don't feed/water the cat too much during travel. You don't want to starve/dehydrate them, but you also don't want them peeing in their cage. A tip for long flights is to buy a new sponge, soak it in water and freeze it. Right before you leave for your flight put the frozen sponge in a dish in the cage. As it melts the animal can get some water, but not a lot at once. Also, they can't spill it b/c the sponge will continue to hold most of it. - Throw a tshirt of yours or familiar toys in the cage with them. Animals rely on smell a lot to be comfortable in foreign situations. If their cage smells like home, they may not be as nervous.

Jen

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 14:50:44 -0500

Good point, jash - I wonder if that confused the breeder. And there isn't any word on the Whippet - do those microchips include GPS tracking yet?

woozies

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 14:44:18 -0500

cute picture

MissPinkKate

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 14:02:35 -0500

I think somebody is not telling the whole truth on that Whippet- I think somebody has found it by now.

jash

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:53:27 -0500

direct = same flight number with stops (ex flt 34 LGA-SEA with 1 stop in ORD) non-stop = same flight number (obv) with NO stops FYI

Hil

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:46:49 -0500

I was at Newark waiting for a flight to come in and wandering around. I saw a dog crate that was bashed up and bloody. It had numerous stickers on it that said "Do not touch. Investigation and lawsuit pending." It made me frightened and sad. What did they do to this dog?? It was in the NWA terminal. Also, sometimes you don't have the option of a direct flight.

Allison

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:35:46 -0500

Any word on the lost whippet at JFK??