Pet Lovers

[KathyM23]

No way would I put a 13 year old animal on a plane.  Could experience a lot of turbulence, long waits, holding times for landing, etc. too much stress for any animal especially an older one.  A totally strange and frightening experience for your baby.  Have you flown lately?  It is not the same experience as in the past  As mentioned your dog has never been crated or confined.   Add that stress to the other stresses of flying and it is just much too much. Makes me cringe thinking of putting my dog through that.  Would not even consider it.

If you are planning to spend the winter in Florlda, take the time to drive - make it a pleasant trip by taking your time.  Avoid the expense of renting a car while you are there.  As another poster said, if it is a short week-long vacation, look for a good boarding kennel and check it out in advance.

[Kachina624]

@mollymaggie. There's no doubt having elderly, disabled or multiple pets can cramp your style.  Travel for me has gotten prohibitively expensive due to sitter and boarding fees.  I know many people who just don't travel because they prefer not leaving or traveling with their pet.  Its one of the trade-off of having a loving companion live with you.  You have to decide which is most important...traveling or having your pet safe and comfortable.

[mollymaggie]

I am overwhelmed at how many people took the time to respond  Thank you so much  There is no way I am chancing putting my baby through stress   We think we are going to lose her every time we have fireworks or thunder   She is more important to me except for God than anything in the world  You have all just put this entire idea out of my mind

[GingerPeach]

@mollymaggie

I understand there are special airlines that carry only pets.  That might be an option if you need to go to Florida for long term (not just vacation).  I haven't researched any of them for safety or cost, etc.

I never went anywhere during the time I had dogs, especially since they were already older when I adopted them. 

Their safety was primary for me, above and beyond my preferences.

On the other hand, I'm thinking air travel may be too much for your 13 year old Bichon, especially if she is not crate-trained.  And no drugs, as many have mentioned already.

[Marp]

@mollymaggie, as others have mentioned you need to check with the airline for their specific policies and requirements.

You must also go beyond checking more than once because airlines frequently make changes to their policies and requirements. I would go so far as to check the day of your flight.

I would also urge you to take a non-stop or at least direct flight from your location to Florida if at all possible.  If you have to change planes be sure to check the policies on the connecting flight.

[FuzzyFace]

Iteachscorps, you raise a good point.

Perhaps the flight attendants--well before take-off--could annouce that there will be animals in the cabin on the flight, and those who wish to change their seats may do so. Or perhaps the airline can collect data on who's flying with a pet and arranged seated based on that.

[FuzzyFace]

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@chessylady wrote:

Does your dog bark? It would be really hard to be in a plane with an incessantly barking dog.

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Well, at least you could put a muzzle on a dog. Has anyone ever endured a flight with a shrieking baby? I had to fly cross-country a couple of times when my son was less than 2 years old.

1) We bought a regular seat for him and paid full price for it so we could fasten on his car seat in it so that it would be something he's used to and would keep him comfortable

2) Now a lot of you are going to chew my behind for this but so be it:

This was when Children's liquid Tylenol still had alcohol in it; we gave him a dose before each flight, and once or twice more if necessary. To be clear, he wasn't flying sick; we just didn't want him bothering the other passengers.

It's too late to call CPS on us; he's all grown up now and can knock himself out on booze if he so desires. Mostly he did that in college, and the night he came back to his dorm at 2:30 am and puked ALL the mixed drinks he'd been swilling down, he learned his lesson).