Travel with a Dog on Planes, Trains, Buses & Cruises

Video Transcript

"Let’s talk about planes, trains, busses and cruises. I’ll start with air travel first. First both the Humane Society of America and the ASPCA which is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, both recommend that you don’t ship your pets in cargo areas of planes. I’ll talk more about this in a few moments. If your dog is small, you may be able to keep her in the cabin with you. Check with the airlines you are interested in as they all have different rules. Some won’t even let you bring small dogs in the cabin. Generally your dog can travel in the cabin considered as a carry on if it is small enough to fit in a kennel under the seat and if there are at least 8 weeks or older. You will probably also need a form filled out by a vet stating that your dog is in good health and has had certain vaccinations. Also there will be an extra fee to fly with you. Try to get him used to his carrier a little bit each day well in advance of your flight. To keep your dog’s need to toilet in flight to a minimum, don’t feed him 4 to 6 hours of your flight. If you are thinking of having your dog fly in a cargo area of a plane, please reconsider. Pets are treated like objects and are placed in an area not designed for living things. It is a sad fact that pets are killed, injured and lost on commercial flights. Other unpleasant things often happen in your carriers too. When later you pick up your pet, you may find that they are covered in drinking water, food, urine and worse. They might also be understandably frightened. If you would like more information regarding both reasons to avoid air travel and how to make it safe as possible if you must ship Fluffy. Check out the website of the Humane Society of the United States for their article titled tips for safe pet air travel. The last time I checked they had about 15 things to make flying safer and more comfortable. There is also good information on the ASPCA website. Regarding trains and busses at this time, both Amtrak and Greyhound do not allow pets. As for cruises, I’ve seen harbor cruises for 2 hours or less that do allow dogs. You may want to ask a travel agent if there are any ocean cruises available for dogs. Lastly if you can’t travel by car with your dog, with some research you may find a non-commercial airline or ground service that specializes in safe pet transport. "