Hello all,

Next week my 8 week old GSD pup will be flying to her new home from Washington, to Cincinnati, a 4hr15min direct flight via Delta's pet express. I don't doubt this will be a stressful journey for her, so I thought I'd check to see if anyone here has sent or received a pup this way, and if so what recommendations or suggestions you might have in order to make it a good trip?

Thanks in advance -
Dan

I got my puppy on petair.. don't know who that's under, but she came in fine.

She was drugged for her flight, which was a long day flight < not easy to get to AK sometime. >, but it wore off by the next day.

My pup wasn't happy at all, scared, and not very able to walk on her already unsteady legs, but once she got some food in her system and a bath, she was a much happier pup.

I don't know if I have any sort of good suggestions for you, just maybe warn the owner if you're gonna drug 'em. I was kinda scared when she couldn't walk much less hold herself up, but she had to be pretty stiff from being in the crate for the whole day, too.

I have had dogs shipped to me from other countries and from across the USA. I cannot stress enough that the dog should NOT be tranquilized, it's very dangerous & should never be done. Be sure to use zip ties to secure the kennel door so it can't be opened. You will need to attach one of those little water dishes to the door (they look like bird cage food holders). Fill it with water, then freeze it the night before. Attach it at the last minute, this way the dog will be able to lick it if he gets thirsty. Tape a zip lock bag to the top of the crate with whatever kibble you would want the dog to have in an emergency. Check the weather conditions at the destination city, you may need to have a Certificate of Acclimation along with the health certificate & rabies certificate. If it looks like the weather may be at all warm, put the dog on a flight that arrives early in the morning or in the evening. Even though the dog is a puppy, it's a good idea for him to wear a collar with contact information just in case someone opens the crate & he gets separated. Delta has a really good track record when it comes to taking care of dogs. In fact, they are my favorite airline when it comes to flying dogs. Last thing, tell the person who is picking up the dog to arrive early. I did have a situation on another airline where someone actually tried to leave the airport with my full grown GSD - luckily I walked up just as the nice porter was helping her take the crate & dog to her car!!! I know other people who have had this experience too. Having said all this, I want to assure you my dogs have never been stressed out (just me), & all things considered, I have always ended up a happy camper.

Edited by susan tuck (06/14/2007 04:47 PM)
Edit reason: add weather info

I flew from Kansas City, MO to Ontario California with Starbuck in the belly of the plane. I was with here as long as possible in the airport before the flight and I picked her up in Ontario right after the flight. The flight had a stop over and plane transfer in Denver, CO. Total time was about 6 hours. United Air Lines was the carrier.

Starbuck had a very small amount of food and water before the flight, I did not want her to get motion sickness on the flight.

Starbuck did awesome, she was calm the whole time before the flight, even on the 2 hour drive to the airport, and was just happy to get out here in California.

I would ask the breeder to get the pup accustom to the crate the week before the flight. Feeding and sleeping in the crate.

I have heard that most people do NOT like to drug the dogs for the flight.

Check out the United Airlines Pet page: http://www.united.com/page/middlepage/0,6823,1047,00.html

And the airline that you plan to use.

I have a now 3 1/2 year old Leerburg bitch that flew from Wisconsin( Minn/St Paul airport) to NY (actually the southern border of CT) & arrived here in the middle of a blizzard!!! The plane was diverted to the Albany, NY airport due to the storm. My 9 week old pup was put onto a bus along with all the other passengers from the plane & driven to the original airport where the plane was to land. She left the kennel at 7am and arrived here just before midnight after 17 hours of travel. She popped out of the crate very happy & excited about where she was & what new adventure she was about to embark on. All the passengers on the bus told me that she was very well behaved on the bus ride down. So if you have a pup that has good nerves & a stable temperment it will pretty much just take it all in stride. Edited to add... that the dog was not drugged in any way prior to shipping.

Hi Dan -- my dog was shipped from Seattle (I think the same breeder as you) to Albany, NY with a layover in Chicago at 8 weeks old.

There were absolutely no issues -- she was safe and secured with zip ties in the crate (NOT drugged) with a bag of kibble taped to the top. There was a water bowl clipped to the crate door - not sure if anyone had offered her water though? I had a heck of a time getting all the ties off the crate to get her out. So a suggestion would be to have some scissors and water.

The breeder had taken care of the health certificate and sent the tracking number for her once she was on her way. Thay had also informed me of the exact flights she would be on.

At the airport I picked her up in the cargo section -- she was off the plane and coming out of the cargo doors before passengers and baggage.

Oh I remember that day so well even now. Bet you're excited.

My first suggestion would be for you to review the past threads about this subject, we've discussed it in detail many times before.

Next....never fly an animal via NorthWest Airlines *ever*!!

A little late, but I thought I'd follow up on this post -

Carmen flew on using Delta's Pet Express, and it was just as described by other posters. No problems, and though she was a little cranky from an extra hour delay (at takeoff, not after landing), she was ready to play as soon as we opened the door. Several of Delta's cargo workers were anxious to see her, so we had to do an introduction right there in the cargo area. It was a nice experience, and well worth the $175 cost to have her sent "first class" pet-style across the country.