One day my dog will ask me, “Daddy, where did I come from?” And I would be forced to reply, “Son, you were purchased out of a bag from a man wearing stone-washed jeans on the side of the road. I pulled over to pay a toll in Mexico, and there you were.”
Gadling reader Sir Isaac Lime snapped this shot outside Puebla, Mexico. I wonder if he took one home?
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Air Canada is set to become the first Canadian airline to ban pets from riding in the cabin of its aircrafts. This news comes after one passenger had a severe allergic reaction to the the presence of a cat in a seat near her. Unfortunately, because the air on flights is recycled, allergic reactions often won’t go away simply by moving the pet to another seat away from the allergy sufferer.
Meanwhile, Air Canada‘s competitors, particularly Westjet, are taking advantage of the ban by attempting to woo pet lovers.
I’m an animal lover but I kind of agree with Air Canada — it’s not fair for allergy sufferers to bring your pets in the cabin. It’s also not really fair to make animals suffer in the belly of the plane, but I think pets suffer from any journey, no matter where they are on the plane. Here’s my solution: leave Fido at home or drive.
Every airline seems to have a different policy when it comes to flying with your pet. Some charge to bring them in the cabin, and some don’t. Some won’t let short-nosed animals, like pugs or Persian cats, on the plane at all — fearful that their short nasal passages will make breathing at high altitudes too difficult. Because of the complications arising from sedating animals in-flight, Continental requires passengers to sign a waiver saying they haven’t sedated their pet — though most airlines have yet to adopt this regulation.
If you’re finding it hard to keep all this straight, here’s a list of the basic guidelines that both airlines and pet-owners are required to follow by law. While some of it’s common sense, a few of the rules may surprise you, and all the tips are helpful. For instance, did you know that you shouldn’t feed or give water to your pet two hours before departure? Or that American Airlines requires paperwork certifying that pets were fed and watered within four hours before delivery?
In any case, flying with a pet will probably be stressful for both you and the animal. However, by knowing the rules, and planning ahead, you can make the process as easy as possible.
Forget traveling with the kids. On my flight out from Jersey into Orlando I noticed unusually high numbers in canines on board and few children. Unless everyone flying in with their dog was heading home then they had to be taking their pet to some animal-friendly hotel, but where? Since I don’t have any pets, nor do I live in Orlando I didn’t exactly set out to find pet-friendly hotels in the Orlando area, rather just hotels catering to puppy and kitty in general. That being said, I bring to you Wag Hotels. Based out of California, this line of uppity, yet affordable pet boarding and kenneling, looks like a pretty nice place to take your pooch. During their stay at Wag Hotels pets will have the opportunity to play with other pets and make new friends all under the care and supervision of the extensively trained staff. Does your dog need a massage? How about a swim the pool or even a peaceful nap? Wag’s experts can see that it happens. In short, if you happen to be in the Sacramento or San Fran, CA areas or heading there make sure you don’t over look placing your pup in some average old pet-friendly haunt. Give them star treatment!
Poor pups. What a horrible blow to the self-esteem of all these poor doggies that they are being judged in the “World’s Ugliest Dog” contest. That’s the kind of treatment that would cause one to bite the hand that feeds it. This series of photos of scrawny, mangy, bug-eyed canines from this year’s Sonoma-Marin Fair is enough to make you want to give poor Miss Ellie a Scooby Snack laced with strychnine. Just to put her out of our misery. But then again, the dog bears an amazing resemblance to Phyllis Diller, and she turned out to be pretty successful, right?