Doggone Etiquette —

Pampered Pets?

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

You dogs are very good at jumping (especially up on people, but we won’t go into that) and also at running, but how about flying? No, not flying off the deck, or down the stairs. Not that kind of flying. I’m talking about the kind of flying that you watch the birds doing, and can’t figure out how they do it.  Some of you have been up in a plane, and no doubt told all your friends how horrible it was. If you are very small, you were stuck in a tiny box or doggy tote bag and shoved under the seat where there’s hardly room for people’s feet. If you are a bigger dog, you were in your regular crate and traveled as cargo with the luggage. Well, listen up, because dogs can now board a special canine aircraft and fly like the Very Important Pets you really are, and with more VIP treatment than you even knew existed!  After a trip like that, it could be very hard for a dog to come back down to earth.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

Dogs have been accepted for many years by some airlines with the usual list of restrictions, such as a veterinary health certificate, specific size and type of crate, and even the size and breed of dog. For example, short-muzzled dogs like the Pug may be unacceptable due to possible breathing problems. Some airlines allow one or two small dogs in the cabin, but the majority travel as luggage in the cargo hold and even then, there’s a limit on the number accepted, so early booking is essential. A few airlines with frequent flier programs now include the miles flown by pets, but these days you should be prepared to pay more for your dog’s ticket than your own!

But wait . . . there’s good news! You may have heard about the newest airline on which dogs fly in the kind of luxurious comfort every human passenger would envy. Put your pet on one of these flights and you’ll be saying goodbye with tears of regret – regret that you yourself cannot be on that plane! First Class all the way!

Pet Airways is the newly-created airline which flies only pets, and the special treatment they get is super. Here’s the way it works. You check Rufus in at the Pet Lounge two hours before the flight.  When it’s time to board, he is given a potty break and is then personally escorted onto the plane by an attendant. There he is put in his special “cabin crate.” No cargo for these passengers! All pets are in the cabin. Once in flight, an attendant checks on each individual pet every 15 minutes. Talk about TLC!

They’ve thought of everything. If, for any reason, the dog’s owner would need to drop the dog off a day or two before the Pet Airways flight (or pick him up a day or two after arrival), the airline has special boarding facilities. There’s much more about this innovative air travel for pets which you can look up for yourself at petairways.com. However, don’t plan on a quick getaway – they are already booked through November!

I’d agree that it’s just one more way people have raised the social status of pets far beyond the animals they really are. Some dog owners freely admit their dogs are their “furry children” for whom nothing is too good, and their dogs (clever animals that they are) go right along with every bit of it! But, no matter how you look at air travel, this flight of fancy for pets is truly out of this world, and (with the economy always in mind) not as costly as many of those flights where a dog’s ticket puts him on board merely as luggage.

                               

Until next time – BE GOOD!

-  Bardi

 

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me! which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award last year.