Flying with a dog

ktd84

I am planning to take my dog with me to Lanzarote next summer. I will be going for 2 months. She is a miniature Jack Russel weighing 4kg. Does anyone know what airlines would take her and if they would allow her in the cabin with me? Any other information would be great too! Thanks!

paul71

ktd84 wrote: »

I am planning to take my dog with me to Lanzarote next summer. I will be going for 2 months. She is a miniature Jack Russel weighing 4kg. Does anyone know what airlines would take her and if they would allow her in the cabin with me? Any other information would be great too! Thanks!

Are you aware of the rabbies quarantine laws? I would suggest that the impact of vacines and the prescribed quarantine period would be un-nescessarily onerous on the dog for the sake of a two month trip.

ktd84

Yep, Lanzarote is in the list of countries where quarantine is not necessary anymore! I wouldnt do it otherwise. She needs rabies vaccine and a pet passport. Also the rules are changing again from Jan 2012 so you only need to leave 21 days between vaccine and travel, unlike the 6 months needed before.

Delancey

No way you will be allowed take your pet in the passenger cabin.

ktd84

According to Iberia and Thomson websites, pets can be taken in the cabin if they weigh less than 8kg. Obviously I would have to fly through UK but that is not a problem. Just wondering if anyone has done this?

Bannasidhe

My miniature Jack Russell has flown on Air Lingus to London and Qantas to Sydney - and back to London via Singapore. I did find Aer Lingus less then helpful on the Cork - London leg. There was a very small time period to book (30 days if I remember correctly) and she got bumped off the flight twice for racehorses which had huge knock-on effects for the London to Sydney leg. Lucky Qantas were very accommodating!

On the return leg we travelled the London - Cork route by car/ferry as I just didn't have confidence in Aer Lingus.

dazed+confused

So when you say "flying with dog" Can you fly, or is it just the dog that can fly?

Zapperzy

Would love to bring my guy over with me to walk with in the evenings but I doubt it would be worth the trouble for the sake of a week or two!

ktd84

Bannasidhe wrote: »

My miniature Jack Russell has flown on Air Lingus to London and Qantas to Sydney - and back to London via Singapore. I did find Aer Lingus less then helpful on the Cork - London leg. There was a very small time period to book (30 days if I remember correctly) and she got bumped off the flight twice for racehorses which had huge knock-on effects for the London to Sydney leg. Lucky Qantas were very accommodating!

On the return leg we travelled the London - Cork route by car/ferry as I just didn't have confidence in Aer Lingus.

Thats great! thanks for that info! Yea Aerlingus sound awkward alright! Did you take your dog in the cabin with you or did it go in the hold? Im worried she'll have to go in the hold and she'll panic!

Delancey

ktd84 wrote: »

According to Iberia and Thomson websites, pets can be taken in the cabin if they weigh less than 8kg. Obviously I would have to fly through UK but that is not a problem. Just wondering if anyone has done this?

Wow ! I stand corrected - never heard of an animal allowed in the cabin - lets hope the cabin crew and check-in staff know about this rule :rolleyes:

bandit197

Bannasidhe wrote: »

My miniature Jack Russell has flown on Air Lingus to London and Qantas to Sydney - and back to London via Singapore. I did find Aer Lingus less then helpful on the Cork - London leg. There was a very small time period to book (30 days if I remember correctly) and she got bumped off the flight twice for racehorses which had huge knock-on effects for the London to Sydney leg. Lucky Qantas were very accommodating!

On the return leg we travelled the London - Cork route by car/ferry as I just didn't have confidence in Aer Lingus.

:eek::eek: I draw the line at letting horses travel in the passenger cabin, honestly..

anniehoo

Delancey wrote: »

No way you will be allowed take your pet in the passenger cabin.

It can be done...even to the US!A friend recently emigrated back to the US with her dog lying very happily on the cabin floor. A few hoops to jump through but not as difficult as you might think if you take your time and do your research!

Bannasidhe

ktd84 wrote: »

Thats great! thanks for that info! Yea Aerlingus sound awkward alright! Did you take your dog in the cabin with you or did it go in the hold? Im worried she'll have to go in the hold and she'll panic!

She had to go into the hold. To comply with Aussie regulations we had to get a special carrier built that was double lined, had room for her to have a fair bit of movement and a drinking vessel that could be filled externally.
The vets I used had a good deal of experience and recommended she not be sedated as she would find that more distressing - they reckoned she would just go to sleep.

Not sure if AL still carry pets to UK as I recently read:

Animals/pets cannot be carried on flights to and from the UK and Europe. It is the passenger's responsibility to ensure that they adhere to the regulations of the country to which they are traveling. All animals will be transported in the cargo hold.

on http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Aer_Lingus/pets.php

Bannasidhe

This is a good website to get info:
http://www.pettravel.com/

anniehoo

Bannasidhe wrote: »

The vets I used had a good deal of experience and recommended she not be sedated as she would find that more distressing - they reckoned she would just go to sleep

An airline wont and shouldnt take any animal that is sedated,its a rule for all. Any airline that accepts a sedated animal i wouldnt go with no matter how cheap they are..you wont find one anyway.

Sedation cant be monitored and at an altitude it can majorly affect their respiration.Their body temperature drops and with a sedative in a cargo hold, with no supervision animals can and have died in transit. No vet should agree to this unless they're physically flying with the animal themselves and monitor the animal(not going to happen)!

If you are planning on flying your pet anywhere id recommend crate training weeks beforehand tbh. A long flight is stressful even for us, let alone a pet, but dont sedate fullstop! A pet used to a crate/semi confinement for certain periods of time should be fine!

Bannasidhe

anniehoo wrote: »

An airline wont and shouldnt take any animal that is sedated,its a rule for all. Any airline that accepts a sedated animal i wouldnt go with no matter how cheap they are..you wont find one anyway.

Sedation cant be monitored and at an altitude it can majorly affect their respiration.Their body temperature drops and with a sedative in a cargo hold, with no supervision animals can and have died in transit. No vet should agree to this unless they're physically flying with the animal themselves and monitor the animal(not going to happen)!

If you are planning on flying your pet anywhere id recommend crate training weeks beforehand tbh. A long flight is stressful even for us, let alone a pet, but dont sedate fullstop!

Don't worry - she wasn't sedated and we gave her plenty of time to get used to the crate. While in Oz we kept it outside and she would occasionally use it as a kennel.

closifer

Lufthansa's website say they allow dogs (even in th cabin if under 8kg). Does anyone know if you need a pet passposrt to bring a dog to UK on a ferry? Also, how hard/costly is it to get one?

Toulouse

You don't need anything to bring your dog to the UK, there is free passage between both countries.

Bannasidhe

All the info on pet passports here: http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/pets/

No passport needed between UK and Ireland as both are rabies free. I know that Cork-Swansea ferry has kennels if you don't want to leave dog in car.

Chimerical32

Bah! I saw your thread title and thought that sounds awesome "flying with a dog". I was imagining his tongue flapping in the wind as ye zoomed along watching the people far below with "we're walking in the air" for a soundtrack. If on the off chance you ever do figure out how to do that please let me know.