No one wants to board their dog or leave them home during travel, but tossing your dog into your car or walking him onto a plane is not as easy as it may sound. You need to prepare yourself and your dog for travel to prevent running into some devastating problems that you could have avoided to begin with.
Vet Up
If you are traveling across state lines or out of the country, you are not the only one that needs a health clearance. Your dog must be up to date on the required vaccines in accordance to your destination. Furthermore, it is law that your dog must have a certificate of health from a licensed veterinarian in order to travel out of state at all. Even more importantly is that the certificate you obtain cannot be more than 10 days old from the time you begin traveling. If you or your dog are found to be without this information on hand, your dog could end up in a holding facility for quarantine to prevent the spread of any diseases he may, or may not have. Skip all the hassle by simply getting your dog a check up at his vet.
Know the Fees
Even though scam ads across the Internet promise you free travel with your dog certified as a service animal or emotional support animal, this is not a valid option. Pets travel at a cost, including a carrier, vet costs and air travel fees. If you do decide to get your dog certified as any kind of working animal when he is not, don’t be surprised if you end up with a ticket and court date. It is a felony in the United States to impersonate a pet as a working service or emotional support animal. If you are not disabled, don’t pretend to be. Meanwhile, if you research your airline, train, or cab fees for your pet you can have the money ready when the time comes to pay it so you don’t get stuck with a bill you can’t handle.
Pack More Food
The food your dog eats is important for his health and maintenance. He cannot dine out when you get stuck during a layover at an airport, so make sure you pack more food than you actually think you need. Where you are going may not carry the same brand or formula of dog food that you are in need of, and feeding your dog a bit of chicken from a restaurant or food he is not familiar with can upset his already stressed out stomach. Travel alone is tough on a dog, you don’t want or need to compromise his health because you did not pack an extra cup of kibble.
Carriers Are Important
Not all carriers that say they are airline accepted really are. In fact, it all depends on the airline you will be using. If your dog is small enough to ride on your lap or under the very small space between the bottom of your seat and the floor of the plane then a carrier is easier to find. If you have a medium or large dog, however, the airline may require that he ride with cargo in a safe, hard sided carrier. Call your airline and discuss carriers before you run out and buy one for your dog. The size of your dog will mean you need a certain size of carrier, and some brands may be more secure than others. Discussing this beforehand with your airline’s customer service can save you and your pooch a big headache.
It Can Be Fun
Traveling with your dog really can be a fun and fairly stress free event if you can prepare everything in advance. Staying safe and keeping your pet healthy should be number one on your to do list, and once you take care of all that needs done the two of you can be soaring in a plane or barreling down the train tracks to a new destination.