Statistics for pets lost, injured or dead while in an airline’s care

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve never put an animal in an airline’s care before, but I have friends who have. Friends of ours shipped their dogs to and from Singapore. One person took a parrot and another shipped two cats. All went well in these instances.

The situation where the dog was lost by United Airlines this past week is not common, I would guess, otherwise it wouldn’t have made it to the national news. Grant gave a Gadling heads up, and this article on ABCNews this past Monday outlines more specifics about the unfortunate situation when Jeddah, the beloved dog of John and Ronia Weisner went missing at Dulles International Airport after only an hour in the airline’s care.

If you are wondering what the statistics are for problems when shipping pets, and the airlines involved with the mishaps, check out this PDF file to Air Travel and Consumer Report published by the Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings: Aviation Consumer Protection Division.

May 2008 was just posted this month. On page 38, you’ll find the recent stats for pet troubles. Here’s the summary:

No animals were lost in May.

Two were injured. (Alaska-1; Skywest-1)

Four died. (Continnental- 3; United-1)

The chart doesn’t list the specifics of the incidents, but you can click on the airline name in the chart in order to get the report summaries.

In the Weisner’s case, I can’t imagine what it must be like to have such a significant change already in ones life such as a move to Saudi Arabia for a year only to have it start out with a missing dog.

10 present ideas for your traveling pooch

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’re a person who likes to include your pets in your holiday festivities, here are 10 items that range from the useful to the over the top. I’ve looked around for those that might serve as ideas for taking your dog on the road. Perhaps, you’ve really wanted to have that funky dog car seat that looks like a frog, but haven’t felt like you could spend the money. You could use the holidays as an excuse–or use the chance to go to a New Year’s party in style as the reason for a splurge. What dog wouldn’t delight with such a gift?

1.This hoodie would make a Christmas hike all that more festive. (This is from a company in Great Britain, but I’m sure you can find a similar choice if you are in the U.S.)

2. How about a leather pet carrier? If you pet doesn’t like it, it looks perfect for a file holder to take back and forth to the office. (Also from a British company, as are numbers 3–6)

3. This overnight bag with goodies might be just what your pooch wants under the tree. It comes with all that might make a weekend away that more fun.

4. This snuggle rug blanket actually does look useful. It’s big enough to go over a car seat to keep dog hair from getting everywhere. Sure you can use an old towel, but where’s the style in that?

5. Maybe you carry a plastic grocery bag wadded up in your hand for the moments your dog leaves a deposit on your neighbor’s lawn or on the sidewalk. With one of these classic poop bag holders, won’t you look all that more prepared? (We actually have something like this that my husband found on a walk one day. It attaches to a leash.)

6. If the Christmas hoodie is too much, how about this dog scarf? It’s made to fit over a collar. At least that’s what I saw in the description. It comes in various color combos as well. (I did buy our dog a scarf once. Silly? Maybe.)

7. Here’s spill proof water bowl. This link leads to other ideas that are also actually useful. This one is an American company as are the remaining 3 gift ideas. (We use an old metal mixing bowl and that does not work at all when the car is moving. Sloshy.)

8. This carrying case is the rugged cousin to the leather case already featured. This one’s called the Sherpa Bag. I’m not sure what a sherpa would think about carrying one of these, but if you need a carrier to carry, this one does have the bells and whistles.

9. To carry food, this item called the Travel-tainer is what gave me the idea for this post. You can buy it at PETCO besides buying it on-line. This was featured as a gift idea in the Columbus Dispatch’s travel section a couple weeks ago.

10. I actually did buy our dog a portable bowl. It was featured in my son’s school’s fundraiser book. The Outward Hound Bottle and Bowl pictured here looks like it would be useful if you’re hiking and camping. The water bottle for the dog is not a bad idea.

The Camopup: A Travel with your Dog Idea

by Jamie Rhein on

When a friend of mine hikes, she takes her dog with her in a backpack. Her version is a regular backpack that she doesn’t zip up all the way. If you are traveling with your pet here’s an on-line resource I found. Hands N’ Paws has some interesting pet carrying solutions. The “Camopup” is one of them. Just sling your pooch over your shoulder or pick him or her up like a handbag and off you go. The straps adjust to fit either method. According to the description, you can even adust the straps to turn the carrier into a fanny pack.

The same item also comes in blue or pink gingham. This one’s called “Country Boy.” (I suppose the pink is country girl?) Of course, even though the sizes come in small to large, consider your dog’s size. I used to have a Russian Wolfhound.

How To Fly With Your Dog

by Jonathon Morgan on

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.

Traveling with Bowzer: Dog-Friendly Hotels

by Karen Walrond on

Sick of locking your pooch in a kennel while you go see the world?  Well, according to Yahoo!Travel.com, pet travel options are growing significantly.  Tara Kain, brainchild behind the website DogFriendly.com which publishes a list of dog-friendly hotels, says, “A lot of times, people travel with their dogs because they don’t see the dog often enough during the time they are working.”

According to the Travel Industry Association of America, more than 29 million Americans took trips of more than 50 miles with their pets during the past three years, and 80% of those Americans traveled with dogs.  Nowadays, the article says, “from the French Alps to the New York Catskills and the California wine country, companies are offering tours where dogs are welcome and arrangements for man and beast are all made ahead of time.”