Angelina (Gigi) Chow, who writes about international dog travel at Wet Nose Escapades, contributed to this guest post. She has taken her extremely bossy Yorkshire terrier Roger Wellington on over 50 flights to more than 20 countries in the past five years. She is here to advise you on how to avoid pitfalls when traveling with a small dog.
With canine proprietorship on the ascent, many individuals are new to canine being a parent as well as canine travel. During the pandemic, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates that more than 23 million households in the United States adopted a pet—or nearly one in every five households nationwide. And compared to just 19% a decade ago, approximately 37% of pet owners travel with their animals. Over two million pets, according to estimates from the US Department of Transportation, travel by air each year.
These figures are anticipated to skyrocket year after year as travel demand surges following the pandemic. Notwithstanding the typical travel, many canines are currently flying on planes interestingly.
Even though it appears to be glitzy to take your dog to a Parisian bistro or wander around the Jardin de Luxembourg, the stakes of going with it are high, if not done accurately. Regardless of whether your canine grounds securely at the objective, it doesn’t be guaranteed to imply that the flight was certainly not a distressing or horrendous experience for it.
In-cabin air travel is typically a small dog’s playground unless you have a service animal. Those who are too large to fly in the cabin (usually between 16 and 20 pounds), depending on the airline, must be transported as shipping cargo or checked baggage in the cargo hold.
Animal welfare organizations like the Humane Society and PETA generally advise against flying your dog in the cargo hold due to the lack of monitoring, poor ventilation, rough handling, and extremely hot or cold temperatures. Therefore, flying in the cabin is always safer.
After north of five years of globetrotting with my 7-lb. I’ve learned, Yorkie Roger Wellington, that every in-cabin flight requires preparation. When traveling with a small dog, you must avoid these nine rookie mistakes, whether you are planning a weekend getaway or a trip abroad.
1. Insufficient time spent on carrier training
The most crucial step in flying with a small dog is carrier training. Before a flight, the goal is to make your pet feel at ease and secure in the carrier. This step needs patience, time, and a lot of treats, so it shouldn’t be skipped. You ought to contribute something like a few months doing everyday transporter preparation before your pet’s most memorable long-stretch global flight, and a month at least before a homegrown flight. Otherwise, the journey may be a stressful one for the animal.
Everyday reiteration is urgent for progress. I spent at least 20 minutes a day for three months before Roger W.’s first international flight to Paris transforming the carrier into the most exciting location in the world. To captivate him, I put his most loved toys and treats inside the transporter, so he would go in for a sniff.
I suggest starting slowly, which means letting your dog explore the carrier for a few minutes each day before gradually closing it once it voluntarily enters the house for the third or fourth time. To create a haven inside the carrier, increase daily training time. Before travel day, you should train your pet to feel at ease there for at least one to three hours, depending on the length of the flight. The calmer your canine feels inside the transporter, the better it will adapt to the flight.
2. Not investigating the return flight necessities
A great many people who anticipate voyaging universally with their canines center around directing one-way research, for example, step-by-step instructions to get their dog to Paris or Rome. They don’t do much research until it’s almost time to go home for their return flight.
You must ensure that you meet the requirements for your dog to return to the United States, which may differ depending on where you have traveled with it unless you are moving permanently. There may also be additional requirements in your state of arrival.
For instance, dogs imported from outside the United States into New York State must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) issued by a veterinarian within 30 days of entry. A record of rabies vaccination for one or three years ought to be included on the certificate.
It is essential to comprehend that your dog’s location ultimately determines whether or not it can return to the US. For instance, dogs from “high-risk” countries with rabies (such as Brazil, Cuba, China, Russia, etc.) are temporarily suspended until January 2023. Your pet must have a CDC Dog Import Permit or a current, valid US-issued rabies vaccination certificate, as well as proof of an ISO-compatible microchip, to return to the United States from a country classified as such. Additionally, upon arrival (at one of the 18 designated airports with a CDC quarantine station), it must be at least six months old and healthy.
3. Making your dog’s first international flight Long-haul flights
are challenging for everyone, including your furry companion. No matter how confident you are in your small dog’s ability to travel internationally, it should never be on a long-haul international flight as its first flight. Before traveling internationally, it is in your dog’s best interest to allow it to settle in by taking at least one domestic flight. Before committing to a 10-plus-hour flight from Los Angeles to Paris, I flew Roger W.
on four flights from San Francisco to Los Angeles (and back), as well as from California to New York City.
Dogs, in contrast to humans, do not know where they are going or how long they must stay on the plane. Therefore, the more flight time your small dog gets, the better it will do on the long travel day.
Additionally, your pet should be familiar with the airport as a whole as well as with flying itself. For example, getting your small dog used to plane noise, airport noise, crowds, TSA screening, and boarding is helpful. Overall, comfort comes from being familiar.
