Is it safe to put my dog in the cargo hold?
In June we are traveling from Portland Or to Kansas City to visit family, We have a 1 year old shiba inu & are wanting to take him with us.
He’s too big to fit in the cabin so would have to be in the cargo hold. He’s been kennel trained since a puppy so that’s no big deal, i’m just worried about how safe it is in there for pets? Will we get to see him on our layover?
Have you ever done this? How was your experience?
We have no one that can take care of him while we are gone, the only option we have is to take him.
You will have to check with the specific airlines about whether they fly pets, and what their temperature cut offs are. For most if any of the departing or arriving airports are over 85 F on the ground you might be out of luck. Airlines don’t like shipping dogs if it is too cold or too hot as the plane may be delayed and not all planes have perfectly climate controlled cargo areas. You’re best off flying in the early morning.
You will need a health certificate dated within 10 days I believe and a crate that is at least one size bigger than you think you need. The dog needs to be able to stand, sit, and turn around without their ears touching the top of the crate. The crate needs to be the enclosed plastic type and have bowls attached to the front that someone can feed or water the dog without opening the kennel. Most people freeze water in the bowl overnight and let it thaw the next day to keep the water from spilling as well. Most require the dog have food and water available when you drop them off. Bring a towel when you go pick him up as often the water spills into the food and some dogs come out dirty. They will make you take off any collars or tags, so be prepared to bring them in your carry-on.
My sister recently shipped her dog and chinchilla to us and both were perfectly fine. They were shipped Delta Cargo since no one was flying with them. Delta has a specific officer that handles animal shipping. We were called when her flight was early and when she arrived. I found their service excellent.
Animals are shipped all the time and the majority are just fine. Every animal you see in a pet store was likely shipped from somewhere, many within the last few weeks.
I expect you won’t get to see him at your layover unless it is extremely long. He will not be treated quite like baggage, but he will be checked in and I doubt you could check him out.
Puppy: Training 20 weeks (Especial “Estabilización”)