Read This Before Flying w/Your Pet in Cargo

[incognitotoday]

beamakesthree.com/2012/09/

This breaks my heart. I have only flown with my dogs a few times, but never as cargo (but then again they are all of 10 lbs).

It really bothers me how airlines truly treat your pet like another piece of luggage.

[Deleted]

This breaks my heart.

[niemand88f]

That is so sad
There are far too many similar stories, for cats and dogs. Last year about this time was "Jack the Cat" who was lost through the airlines' negligence and was lost in JFK airport for months. He died shortly after amazingly being found

[mrsjrd23]

How heartbreaking. I will never fly with our dog. Ever. Not worth the risk to me.

[luvmygsp]

Sept 21, 2012 22:32:54 GMT -5 mrsjrd23 said:

How heartbreaking. I will never fly with our dog. Ever. Not worth the risk to me.

This.
Im sorry, never, ever, EVER flying our dog!

[katietornado]

We were thisclose to moving to Europe last year. We would've taken our two dogs with us. How would we accomplish that without flying? Not moving? My H losing his (well-paying, fulfilling) job? I wasn't thrilled about flying either, but WTF do you do?

[incognitotoday]

Katie, I couldn't imagine having to fly overseas knowing there have been so many pet incidents in cargo. It's a tough call. Apparently, this airline feels nothing they did was wrong. However a dog passed so something was clearly not right!

[Deleted]

I think the airlines should be liable for damages they just can't keep getting away with all these "accidents". I mean, who would pay $1800 for a dog to travel and treat them the same way as a $25 checked-in luggage. That's way more than a passenger! For me this is just not acceptable.

I am very surprised and now worried of ever having to fly with our dog since my friend who flew her dog from Asia to Houston 2 yrs ago said United/Continental was the best airline to fly/ship pets.

[midnightmare81]

I agree that it should be avoided if possible, but what if your moving to another country for something like a job or military move? The first thing people do is jump on someone who has to rehome their pet due to moving, but then say you should never fly with them in cargo... What are they supposed to do? Not move and not have a job because they have a pet? I LOVE my animals, but if I have to move, I have to move. My options are fly them and weight the risk or rehome then, and it seems neither of those are good options. Makes me thankful I have a cat who fits under the seat!

[mrsjrd23]

Both DH and I are not in a line of work where we will ever be transferred overseas so we wouldn't be put in that situation. We would not choose to live overseas while we have pets. I'm not saying other people shouldn't do it if they don't have another option, but I never would.

[kellbell191]

Sept 23, 2012 19:24:48 GMT -5 @veggielove1022 said:

My dogs are my entire life and we knew before we got them that we were going to be committed to them in every way possible. I completely understand that most people don't bend over backwards for their pets like we do, but I would absolutely turn down a job overseas for them. I can't imagine the hours upon hours of being kenneled up. Not to mention that they don't understand what's going on and the terror that they experience is heartbreaking.

I personally wouldn't even side-eye someone who rehomed their pet because of something coming up and them having to move overseas. Especially if it was going to be only for a few months or years. I just know my want to have my dogs with me overseas isn't great enough to endanger their life for it.

The implications your statement has re. katie are pretty presumptuous.

I cannot imagine a circumstance under which I would be willing to fly my dogs in cargo. The pet airline doesn't go overseas from what I understand. I know there is an ongoing list of suggestions for moving dogs overseas, etc.

I read this article the other day and was shocked she flew the dogs; there have been way too many incidents for me to feel safe doing it.

[katietornado]

Sept 23, 2012 19:24:48 GMT -5 @veggielove1022 said:

My dogs are my entire life and we knew before we got them that we were going to be committed to them in every way possible. I completely understand that most people don't bend over backwards for their pets like we do, but I would absolutely turn down a job overseas for them. I can't imagine the hours upon hours of being kenneled up. Not to mention that they don't understand what's going on and the terror that they experience is heartbreaking.

I personally wouldn't even side-eye someone who rehomed their pet because of something coming up and them having to move overseas. Especially if it was going to be only for a few months or years. I just know my want to have my dogs with me overseas isn't great enough to endanger their life for it.

Wow, thanks for that.

It's pretty hard to take care of an animal when you don't have a job.

As far as bending over backwards, I think that the one thing I've learned from my years as a pet owner and my years involved in rescue is to be less judgy of the decisions of others re: their pets. It's easy to be judgy when you've never had to choose between having pets and having a job, or between staying married and keeping your insane dog.

You have no idea what I've done/do for my own animals, let alone the 100+ fosters that have passed through my home. But thanks for the reminder that you must be better than I am because you wouldn't take an amazing opportunity because of your animals.

-------------

Re: kenneling...Cal survived possibly months as a stray and two weeks in a shelter. Nite spent the first 5 1/2 years of his life living on a racetrack. I think they would survive being kenneled for 6 hours.

[foundmylazybum]

Sept 24, 2012 21:23:24 GMT -5 @veggielove1022 said:

Sept 24, 2012 19:32:01 GMT -5 katietornado said:

Wow, thanks for that.

It's pretty hard to take care of an animal when you don't have a job.

As far as bending over backwards, I think that the one thing I've learned from my years as a pet owner and my years involved in rescue is to be less judgy of the decisions of others re: their pets. It's easy to be judgy when you've never had to choose between having pets and having a job, or between staying married and keeping your insane dog.

You have no idea what I've done/do for my own animals, let alone the 100+ fosters that have passed through my home. But thanks for the reminder that you must be better than I am because you wouldn't take an amazing opportunity because of your animals.

-------------

Re: kenneling...Cal survived possibly months as a stray and two weeks in a shelter. Nite spent the first 5 1/2 years of his life living on a racetrack. I think they would survive being kenneled for 6 hours.

I'm truly thankful for everything you've done for the animals that you've helped, Katie, but it doesn't change my opinion that I believe animals don't belong in a cargo pit of an airplane. A sweltering pit and being thrown about like luggage is nothing I would subject a baby to so I sure as hell wouldn't put my dog through it. I guess that's my unpopular opinion.

I never said I was better than you in any way and I don't believe that at all. There's things that I don't agree with and I'm sure there's things that you don't agree with and life goes on.

I work with the military. You should seriously look into how many military families leave animals behind when they move to various places. It's seriously sad. The pets either end up in shelters or just let loose on the streets. I'd rather see the pets flown and kenneled than dumped. Your ideals are seriously one sided.

[patches31709]

Sept 24, 2012 19:32:01 GMT -5 katietornado said:

Sept 23, 2012 19:24:48 GMT -5 @veggielove1022 said:

My dogs are my entire life and we knew before we got them that we were going to be committed to them in every way possible. I completely understand that most people don't bend over backwards for their pets like we do, but I would absolutely turn down a job overseas for them. I can't imagine the hours upon hours of being kenneled up. Not to mention that they don't understand what's going on and the terror that they experience is heartbreaking.

I personally wouldn't even side-eye someone who rehomed their pet because of something coming up and them having to move overseas. Especially if it was going to be only for a few months or years. I just know my want to have my dogs with me overseas isn't great enough to endanger their life for it.

Wow, thanks for that.

It's pretty hard to take care of an animal when you don't have a job.

As far as bending over backwards, I think that the one thing I've learned from my years as a pet owner and my years involved in rescue is to be less judgy of the decisions of others re: their pets. It's easy to be judgy when you've never had to choose between having pets and having a job, or between staying married and keeping your insane dog.

You have no idea what I've done/do for my own animals, let alone the 100+ fosters that have passed through my home. But thanks for the reminder that you must be better than I am because you wouldn't take an amazing opportunity because of your animals.

-------------

Re: kenneling...Cal survived possibly months as a stray and two weeks in a shelter. Nite spent the first 5 1/2 years of his life living on a racetrack. I think they would survive being kenneled for 6 hours.

Can I sit by you? I mean, I wouldn't fly my pet with me in cargo for regular vacations or anything, but if I'm moving overseas long term my dog is absolutely coming with me (provided he wouldn't need to be quarantined for some crazy amount of time). How many pets are flown in cargo daily? It's horrible that this happens sometimes, but I certainly don't think the % of pets who pass away in cargo is 50% or anything, so if my options are move overseas or lose my job, my dog is coming with me.

[babyblue712]

This is a heartbreaking story. But, what I can't wrap my head around is why pet owners who claim to be so in love with their dogs would subject them to an airplane for a vacation. Everyone knows the conditions pets are exposed to on airlines are much less than ideal, so to knowingly put them through it for a vacation was definitely not for the benefit of the animal.

I can understand if you're moving overseas and have not other choice. But, because you selfishly don't want to let your dog stay with someone else for a couple of weeks? No.