XXX (aka a flamer too cowardly to use a real name or address), let's see: when we boarded our dog briefly, she lost weight, wouldn't respond to her very nice caregivers, had stress diarrhea (as our vet described it) and was extremely anxious for some time after we returned. When we took her to Paris, she leaped out of her crate with her tail wagging and full of energy, showed no signs of stress whatsoever, definitely not appetite loss, and was completely relaxed and confident for the whole trip. Her tail practically never stopped wagging the whole time in Paris, what with having our constant companionship and nonstop attention from admiring Parisians--definitely NOT the experience she would have had in a kennel. XXX and Tom, Ellen asked about the experiences of people who've taken a dog to Paris. I have. You have NOT. And the experience was positive for our dog as well as us. XXX, if you have the guts to come out from hiding, send me a REAL email address and I'll send you a photo of a relaxed, happy dog enjoying herself immensely in the City of Lights. Until you have any shred of evidence that MY dog suffered from her trip, drop the know it all crap because you DON'T know it all.

On November 2 we flew to Florida and an older charming woman had a cat with her. Unfortunately, flying did not agree with a cat. She was tranquilized but also vomitted all over her little cage. A lady who owned a cat appologized to everyone and cried stating she will never do this again to her cat and all people on a plane. What a mess but I felt sorry for this woman.

BTilke, we too had to leave our dog at a kennel for 10 days, while we went to Paris..we had no pet sitter at the time. When we got back he had hot spots all over his legs that had to be shaved and treated with antibiotics for weeks, he lost weight also, and it took weeks for him to stop jumping up at every noise he heard. I cannot think that a plane ride, sitting by my side, would be more stressful than that, and as long as they can hear your voice or smell you nearby, they are soothed.A lot of this fuss is by people who are just having gut reactions based on things they have read,not on any real experience..which is fine, share your thoughts, but stop condemning people for wanting to take their pet with them when they travel!

Re: the cat lover...I too carried my little cat on a plane, in his little bag.He was totally quiet, when we were in the air I let him sit in my lap.The flight attendants kept bringing him treats and everyone sitting around me wanted to pet him.*and for all the overly concerned about animal noise and the other passengers, have you ever flown 6-8 hours overseas and listened to a baby cry the entire trip-if so,you know how happy you would be too hear an occasional meow or bark from a tiny pet.

Michelle,<BR><BR>Glad you had a good experience. You must have a calm cat. One of my cats is high strung and makes incessant low guttural growls when upset; Even growled at the customs agent at CDG. <BR><BR><BR>Back to dogs…. <BR>

Haha, growling cats~ OK back to dogs--my dog is a standard poodle, so I have no choice, he would have to ride with my luggage:) and that is not going to happen...so I think if we ever get to move to Europe, I will have to take the Dramamine and get us all on a ship, because that is the only way I can get him to Europe and be sure he will be in the crate and alive when I get there..on ships, you can take your dog out,take him for a walk, he will be happy, I will be seasick...see, how much do we love our pets???

Another animal lover wades in..I have had a dog for 12 years until he died and have had cats for 12 years since...have never ever boarded my animals and wouldn't. I have someone stay in my house and look after them..you can find someone and I have never paid more than I would pay a kennel and my pets are in their own home and stress free. Animals have no sense of time so aren't counting the days till you return. When I travel I would never consider taking them. Hopefully anyone who does would only do so IF it was unavoidable and certainly not if they were subjected to being in the luggage hold.

I agree a kennel is not an ideal situation. Have an animal sitter. Also a lot cheaper if you have more than one animal in the household. Out of all the senarios that is the least stressful for an animal. NO FLYING IN CARGO, PLEASE!!!!!

I feel terribly for people who have had bad experiences with kennels. Things like that DO happen. <BR>I think the trick is to get personal referrals to kennels in your area. If you are considering pet sitters in your home there are a couple of organizations to help you:<BR>NAPPS: National Organization of Professional Pet Sitters<BR>PSI: Pet Sitters International<BR>ABKA: American Boarding Kennel Association<BR><BR>Double and triple check references. Be sure your dog or cat is up on their vaccines and current info in ID tags.<BR><BR>If you are having a person come to your home, be sure they visit once or twice while you are there, so that you can observe how they interact with your pet. (I always have a relative stop by at least once during our time away to double check that the sitter is doing their job)<BR>Take your dog to the kennel, check the sanitation, call the Better Business Beaureau to see if a lot of complaints have been lodged against the kennel you are considering. <BR>The best references are word of mouth. I am sure you know another hardcore pet lover, ask them who they use. <BR>

I always have a daughter of a friend or a niece/nephew etc. come in..I find someone who I know and the cats know and usually it's a university student or young adult who lives at home and loves the break away from their house for a few weeks. It's also a safety issue for the house. When I was in Italy this year, my friend's mom came to stay for 2 weeks. She is widowed and lives with her son so this was an ideal "vacation" for her (and for her son!)...she loved it. She says she'll pay me next time!

Here I am again, re: dogs and kennels..my standard poodle has a sitter now, he stays at her house, which is great for dogs, and she has 3 bichons...so as a result, my large brown poodle thinks he is a bichon, runs around the house behind the little white dogs, barking his head off..quite a funny sight..and that is how I am allowed to travel,when he can go to his friends for overnights:) C

I wonder if Ellen has been convinced to leave her precious pet at home. I hope so. Hopefully she also knows a nice neighbor or family member that can dogsit for her.

If you really love me, leave me at home! But since you qre probably going to drag me along anyway (it is definitely in the cargo now on almost all carriers) be sure to bring the pooper scooper...Paris is at last getting serious!

Well, the pet thing does bring up a riot most times. My advice as a pet owner is to leave your dog at a very good kennel. I ask our vet got an excellent recommendation, and our 14 year old dog has a great time. I would never take a pet on vacation, and won't get started on how I feel about them in the cabins on aircraft.<BR><BR>Anyway, we had a horrible experience with a home sitter, but did find a great place to board Barney! He is so happy, that he must be on a little trip too. We just came back from three weeks in Europe, and I couldn't have been more pleased with his temporary home, and never had to worry about him at all.