xxx

Is it safe to fly a large dog cross-country?
Someone told me that airlines are not required to report the deaths of animals in the cargo hold but that it is very common for animals to die in route in the cargo hold?
Anyone know about this? I'd love to take my dogs on a two week vacation but fear putting them in the belly of a plane.

Tates

For a two week vacation, I would leave them home or with a sitter/kennel, somewhere safe.
The only time that I would consider flying my large dog anywhere would be on a private plane or if I were moving somewhere and had to fly him.
Dogs and cats are lost and die flying all the time. It is sad but the airlines do not care and the baggage handlers are terrible.
There was just a case on the news this past week about a couple who sued an airline and won when they moved somewhere and their beloved 15 year old cat was lost, there was a big hole in its carrier case and the cat was gone!
Be kind to your pet, leave it home.

Gretchen

I would leave your pet at home also. Too many stories from people I know about problems. The cargo area is not tempature regulated and can get very hot or very cold. Leave him at home. I would leave him at home it will be better in the long run.

xxx

There are companies out there that specialize in shipping animals (all those horses must get to the Kentucky Derby some way). Do a google search.

xxxx

I agree. Leave the pooch at home. I have flown my dog a couple times from Chicago to Florida for 2 weeks at Christmas, and then began driving from Chicago to Florida so that I wouldn't have to put my dog through another flight.

A year ago I moved to Europe from the States, and had to fly my dog again. It was a very long flight, and he was ill for the first 3 months of living over here. He is healthy and happy now thank goodness. But I felt incredibly guilty.

Airlines in the US do not have to temperature control their pet holds. I drove 5 hours to Atlanta to get a Lufthansa flight that flew directly to Frankfurt so that I would not have to put him on a US aircraft. (BA and Lufthansa are known for their special pet holds that are temperature controlled...any yes, they have flown horses on their aircrafts.)

Just FYI, I believe there is a pet embargo for all US airlines during the summer months. No animals allowed in hold of a plane on US domestic airlines during the summer months.

My dog always arrived ok, but had this look of terror on his face when I collected him at the baggage claim. (on the transatlanic flight, he chewed his paw the entire flight over due to being nervous...you never know how your dog will react to a flight.)

Leave your dog at home where he/she will be safe and sound.