Taking our Yorkie--any advice?
 

We will take our Yorkshire Terrier (7lbs) on the plane with us, under the seat. Not going into England; planning to go from IAD to Amsterdam, or maybe Zurich; then by leased car to our Lake Como summer. Would welcome any suggestions or comments, eg experiences with particular airlines (haven't bought tickets yet) regarding the doggie.

I'll watch him =) I have a little Cavalier myself... 11lbs.

Most major air carriers will take pets in the cabin. But they all charge different fares for the pet. I would call and price the cost of your ticket and the cost of the pets ticket. You need to plan ahead for this, because the air carries are restricted on how many pets are allowed in the cabin at any one time.

I cannot caution you enough to check all the requirements the airline will make as to having your pet in the cabin...and that includes the restrictions involved in allowing/not allowing the animal OUT of the carrier.

I had a very unfortunate experience when sitting next to a woman who was carrying her cat in a carrier under the seat. At one point she allowed the cat out of the carrier (had it in her arms) and WW-III had broken out.

The flight attendants went crazy; the co-pilot was called into the cabin when this passenger refused to put the cat back in the carrier and it got worse after that.

I love my dog enough to make sure I know exactly what it will have to go through to travel with me.

First airline - make sure they will take pet of your size in the cabin and exactly what kind of carriers are allowed (hard size, soft size and exact dimensions)

Find out cost of pet's ticket

Reserve ASAP since typically they allow only one pet per cabin

Find out what documents you will need for pet to enter each country (vaccination certificates, note of overall health from vet etc)

I would also be sure that your pet has the enbedded computer chip in case of any problem

Get a second name tag with your vacation info on it (Your home info won;t help in europe)

Be SURE your pet will be happy flying (does s/he love riding in the car - and in the same carrier that will be used for the trip to europe)

Chip embedding, or a visible tatoo, is a legal requirement for entering Holland. So, in effect, is a pet passport, or at any rate paperwork and a audited vaccination history that practically amounts to the same thing. www.tiny.cc/gx3WI.

Although there's no control on pets entering and leaving Switzerland to and from the rest of mainland Europe, Switzerland might have different detailed requirements for pets arriving from third countries, so you need to google its rules too if you plan to fly into Zurich.

Very few airlines serve Amsterdam or Zurich non-stop from Washington. Be very, very wary of surreptitous codesharing, involving plane changes at an intermediate European airport. They're practically NEVER with the same airline, and the "other" airline may have quite different rules about carrying animals. They may even route you through a country (UK, Ireland or Sweden) with completely different rules for allowing animals in (even in transit) at all.

Check out the Northwest Airlines website even if you're not considering flying with them. They have excellent information on flying with pets, including info on the international documentation required.

And don't forget, I believe you'll need to get a Health Certificate in Italy within ten days of returning home.

Thanks everyone---the dog has a chip and I am reading everything about the subject--only looks like England is too tough to tackle;

United does have a 777 flight nonstop from IAD to Amsterdam.

Thanks for the warnings.