How do big dogs fly in a plane?

I have a siberian husky that is really furry doesn't like the heat but will tolerate it when she has to (with proper hydration). Shes 60lbs and travels a lot in the car but I wonder about a plane.

I need to know if its possible to fly with a dog like mine. It would be for about a hour and half. No stops. During the cool of the day.



How can I make this happen? Does anyone have experience with this? Looking for some pointers.How do big dogs fly in a plane?Kenneled in the cargo area of the plane. You will need an airline-approved dog crate, you can buy it at Petsmart, Petco, ETC. You also have to keep food %26amp; water in said kennel.How do big dogs fly in a plane?
Big dogs have to fly in cargo in a crate. I show dogs but would never fly mine personally. Dogs have gotten lost, sick, and remember Vive the whippet getting lost after Westminster. . . that is just one incident! When my dogs and I go somewhere, we drive (van or rv), but I do know many who fly their dogs. If you do so, one thing is to make sure there is no connecting flights. . . get a straight through flight.How do big dogs fly in a plane?Hi. I am a federal k9 officer and I happen to work in an airport. If you are flying for a short flight, your dog will probably be okay, for starters. I would warn you to stay far away from Northwest Airlines with your pets (we are not even allowed to fly our work dogs with them if that tells you anything). Continental, American Airlines and United are supposed to be pretty good. There are two different ways your big dog can fly...

1. Checked in as "excess baggage"

2. Checked in as "cargo"



They both have their positives and negatives.

Excess baggage is just like it sounds. It is slightly less safe, but is cheaper than checking it as cargo. Excess baggage price will go by the weight of dog plus the crate, just as though you were bringing an extra suitcase. When you arrive to your destination, your excess baggage dog will be brought into the terminal somewhere near where you collect your luggage (but not on the luggage belt!). If you check it in as cargo, you will have to pick up your dog at the cargo facility which will most likely be in a different building. The belly of the plane is supposed to be climate-controlled no matter how your dog travels, but this depends on the pilot KNOWING that a dog is in the belly. If they screw up, it is fatal. The heat/cold problems come when the plane is sitting on the runway being loaded or offloaded, because the doors are open and the outside temp is what your dog experiences at that time. Make sure you simply ask the airline what their policies are regarding temperature and how long the animals are allowed to sit in their crates on the runway exposed to the elements. It sounds like a no-brainer, but this is when animals have problems and when accidents happen. Your husky will be fine in cold weather, but would be uncomfortable if left in the sun. Checking your dog as cargo usually means dropping your dog off at the airline's CARGO facility before you ever go to get on your plane in the other building. A lot of people only use this option when they are shipping a dog but are not flying as well. Depending on the airline, being "cargo" makes the animal easier to track and usually involves attaching the crate to a pallet so it doesn't slide around under the plane so much. But your dog will be in it's crate a little longer.



-crate--they don't provide it, you have to. They have to be able to stand up, turn around and lie down in it. If your dog can't do these things, the airline will refuse it. You can line it with shredded paper or a blanket/toel if your pup doesn't eat these sorts of things.

-vaccinations--you will have to prove that your dog has been vaccinated for rabies--within the last year but not less than one month before travel (it takes 1 month for vacc to take affect in k9).

-tape a freezer bag full of dry food securely to top of kennel.

-i.d.--make sure your name, addy and phone are taped securely to kennel. your dog should be allowed to wear its collar, but not a choker. make sure it has an i.d. tag on it and try to have it microchipped--if your dog is somehow turned loose, you might never get it back, alive or dead, if it doesn't have an i.d., grim but true.

-water--get a water dish for your crate that clips on/screws on to cage part. put the dish full of water in the freezer the night before so it melts slowly when in the crate. if you do not do this, your good intentions will slosh out the first time the airport personnel handle the crate. this doesn't work for water bottles, only water dishes. if your dog isn't used to using a water bottle, she probably won't learn how in a couple of hours, so stick with what she knows to keep her as comfortable as possible.

-you only have a short trip, but you might want to consider with-holding food/water at breakfast that day so that your dog will be less likely to make a mess in her crate.

-do not sedate your dog. it is very dangerous. with lower temps and pressure changes, sedating your dog lowers heart rate even farther and can cause them to die.

-TSA will often make you take the dog out of crate at check-in to prove that you do not have drugs/bombs/etc in the crate. You should request to do this yourself, otherwise they sometimes just send you along and do it themselves.

-your dog may be treated more respectfully by the airlines if you LIE and write that it is a working dog of some sort on the crate :) I'm assuming your dog is friendly--do not say it is an "attack dog" or that it bites because if you do, they will not open up that crate to help your dog, even in an emergency!



Make sure you contact the airlines in plenty of time to see what their individual requirements are. If you are flying with a pet, I highly recommend putting their safety and comfort over yours, even if it costs more than the "cheaper" flight....call around and see what they have to offer YOU, their CUSTOMER :) Good luck!How do big dogs fly in a plane?
the dog are grenrally fine but make sure they are vet checked first and many airline have rule and regulation on weight and temp. so make sure the vet give the dog the ok and then make the airline will let you fly the dogHow do big dogs fly in a plane?I think that she would be fine. I would talk to the airline and see what their procedure is on that. Some airlines have to have reservations and they make you pay an extra fee.. Some are climate comtrolled so that would be better for a huskey. Make sure you have an aircraft approved kennel and get a doggy water bottle instead of a bowl to keep the water from spilling. Good Luck.
in a kennel and on a plane it would cost $250-$279.

I fly some of dogs with me when I go out of state on a trip!How do big dogs fly in a plane?
When I was showing my dog (a bullmastiff) I never flew him to shows. It is very dangerous. One dog who was headed to Westminster came from a flight in FL with a broken leg. Dogs have died in cargo holds--frozen to death. They have also suffered heat stroke sitting on the tarmac waiting to be loaded into a plane. The guys working in these areas wear headphones. Can you imagine how loud that is to a dog with their sensitive hearing?



Also, airlines lose luggage all the time. The thought of my dog ending up lost, in the wrong airport with no one to walk him, feed or water him, or make sure he's OK is frightening to me. I would never fly a dog.
I have flown across Canada twice on WestJet with my Border CollieX. WestJet guarantees ALL animals are flown in climate controlled pressurised compartments, in fact they take reservations for them. There was an extra charge. I bought a large plastic travel kennel, put a blanket in the bottom and she was fine. I just left it in the living room with the door open so it was a familiar thing to her.



Don't take my word though, go on-line and research the airline you will be using, their web-sites are usually helpful. I researched WestJet and AirCanada and was happier with the info for WestJet Then call them and get more information. Then call back the next day to confirm ALL the info with some-one else.



Check-in is a bit earlier with a pet. DO NOT give them anything like gravol. I asked my vet, a wise older fellow, about that and he said when he's asked that he rather give the tranquilizer to the owner......LOL.and airlines will absolve themselves of responsibility if you have drugged your pet and there is a reaction to it or the altitudes affect on the drug.



His advice was to treat it like any other day. I did, drove her there, walked her into the airport on leash, put her in the kennel at the counter and checked her in. Remarkably enough she didnt even bark, she felt safe and just lay down as they carried her away.



Upon arrival she whined as she came down the belt, a seperate freight belt, but was fine. Make sure you have the lead and off you go. If you can, have someone else claim your luggage so you can go out to the closest grassy area or quiet spot.



It is stressful for them but not unduly, just dont get all worked up over it ot you will stress the dog more.



ALL that being said, an hour and a half drive aint much, I had a 7.5 hour flight.....driving that far was not an option for me....look up Vancouver BC to Halifax NS



Good luck!How do big dogs fly in a plane?
I had to fly overseas with my girl twice, once going and once coming back. Coming back she was full grown and was a little heavier than she is now (she weighs right at 100lbs now) and due to her height needed the giant crate and it cost over $400. Considering the fact that your dog is probably smaller, you should be able to use just the large crate and it will be much cheaper for you. I flew Northwest and had no problems at all. In fact, what made me feel better is that her crate was tagged with forms that they pulled off and a stewardess handed to me everytime her crate had been loaded onto the plane (the orignal loading, plus we had to change planes twice). My dog never seemed upset or frazzled, but then she's generally pretty placid. Airlines do not fly from May - September and, usually, not when the ground temp at any airport you will be at is 85 degrees or higher or 20 degrees or lower. Also, you will need a current health certificate dated within 10 days of travel. Going overseas, when my girl was a pup in the large crate, it only cost me $110 on American (but that was in 2004). If heat is a concern, I'd probably look at taking a night flight after the sun goes down and things cool off.