Travel Testamonials
by Michele and Greta
I would love to give testimonial to how "untraumatized" Greta
was from her first flying experience. I would say that after
having taken her with us on Spring Break, I was amazed at how
well she adjusted to flying, staying in motels, and just being
in a different atmosphere. From now on, if we go on a trip -
she goes with us.
I don't know if I mentioned this to your Helene, but I am the
biggest chicken when it comes to flying. Flying with my children
is nerve racking enough, but having my little baby in the kennel
in cargo below us where I wouldn't know how she was fairing -
nerve racking! Greta showed me what a traveler she is - just
like the kids. I seem to be the only one with a flying problem!
The day we left for our trip, we had to drive down the mountain
in a snow storm. This made us arrive at the airport about one
hour prior to boarding. By the time the gentleman at the check-in
counter got us checked in and Greta's kennel all decorated with
stickers we had very little time left to get her checked over
in TSA and ourselves through security. Thanks to your suggestion,
I had drilled a little hole in the front of the kennel so I could
attach a Tielock to the front and prevent anyone from opening
the kennel just to pet her. The gentleman in TSA thought that
was a very good idea. We went into TSA and had them check out
Greta's kennel and then that is where we said goodbye to her.
When I was checking in, I was very concerned for her comfort
especially with the weather and I was told that she would be
waiting in a heated room until the very last minute, and then
they would take her out to the airplane.
We arrived at the gate with a minute to go and were ushered
to our seat. Before I even walked down the aisle I told the head
flight attendant that we were traveling with a puppy underneath
and that I needed to know that they were aware of this and to
also make sure she was put on the plane. On both occasions, traveling
there and back, I was informed by an attendant that my dog had
been placed on board.
The flight to our destination was very uneventful and it was
a bit of a wait before she arrived at baggage claim. It was quite
a wait for the luggage too, so it wasn't anything we worried
about. The minute I saw her I knew she was fine. She was so excited
to see us (as were the kids to see her!). We kept her in the
kennel until we got into our rental car and drove to the hotel.
This was a 20 minute drive from the airport. I took her out of
the kennel, she went to the bathroom and started sniffing around
her new surroundings. I can not stress enough how unaffected
she was by the flight.
On our return flight, the attendants checking us in were just
as helpful and loved that we were flying with our dog. TSA once
again agreed that we should put on the plastic tielock and even
offered to use one of their own. The ones I had used were very
small and thin - enough to deter someone from opening it but
would make it easier to open in the case of an emergency. When
we boarded the plane, I told the attendant again that I was flying
with a dog below and wanted to know when she was loaded on. Once
again, before we started moving she came up to me to say that
Greta had been placed on board. The weather that night was extremely
bad with high winds and the flight out was no less than a roller
coaster. All I could think about was Greta, but then I looked
over at my kids and saw that they had fallen asleep through all
the turbulence. My guess was that Greta was snoozing away too!
Regardless when we finally landed, I couldn't get to baggage
claim fast enough. DIA has such a great time on delivering luggage
and we were just finishing grabbing all of our bags from the
carousel when I saw them walking up with Greta on a cart. She
was fine. I would say that the second flight was even more uneventful
for her than the first one.
I never really thought about giving tranquilizers to Greta because
I was more concerned about medication than the flight itself.
She definitely proved me right by coming out of the kennel the
same as she would in my home. I think medication would have made
things so much worse - so please don't consider it. Believe me
before you know it your dog will be a seasoned traveler.
I don't know that anyone else who has flown with there dog has
ziplocked the kennel - but I would definitely do this for peace
of mind. The airlines are fine with it and like I said before,
security thought it was a great idea. I know that Greta was very
happy to be part of our vacation and the process of flying was
so much easier for her than it was for us. Taking our dog with
us on future flights is a no-brainer.
I hope that this helps allay any fears of flying with your pet.
If anyone has more questions feel free to e-mail me.
Michele
Read More About Traveling With Your Dogs
Flying With Dogs in Cargo and
in Carry-on - Helene Riisgaad Pedersen
This article was written by Michele Vance for the use of the Danish/Swedish Farmdogs Club of America, Inc. (DSFCA) Web sites. This article shall remain a part of the DSFCA archives.The article was freely submitted for posting not copied, thus granting an implied license. Permission to use this article other than on www.farmdogs.org must be granted by the author and DSFCA's Board of Directors. - First published on farmdogs.org 06/05/2009
August, 2011
