Moving with my 2 dogs

[lorakim]

Hi all! My husband and I may be moving to Aruba for my work. My biggest concern would be moving with our 2 dogs. They don't fit under an airline seat. I am nervous about checking them as cargo.

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by lorakim

My biggest concern would be moving with our 2 dogs. They don't fit under an airline seat. I am nervous about checking them as cargo.

In all likely hood, they will not be able to checked as cargo due to the heat.
http://www.aruba.com/forum/f33/moving-my-2-dogs-51370/#post203382
www.aruba.com/forum/f34/question-about-large-dog-transport-46973/

Originally Posted by aquaman

Hi Liz,

We checked with several airlines. It turns out that there is a Federal law governing this from what we were told by the airlines. If the temperature at either the departure or arrival airport is 86 (or expected to be) the airlines cannot take the dog. ( You may want to check what happened yesterday with American Airlines and the 7 pups that died from heat
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100805/...e_dead_puppies )

I have emailed 2 companies who represent shipping companies who have passenger accomodation on container ships. Should be interesting to see what they respond with. I am told there is a weekly ship from Miami direct and it takes about a week. Not sure about passenger accomodation though. There is also a ship that goes via Jamaica but takes longer

[Andrea J.]

ARFaruba and ARA (both rescue and spay neutor organizations) have had to use cargo to send some larger dogs off island and to new homes i the usa or canada or other places.

i am getting in touch with stella and kathy to see if they can advise you

[sugar]

Depends on which time of year you will be moving and where you are moving from. Delta has an embargo on pets as checked luggage until September 15.
American will take them as checked luggage, but there are temperature restrictions. American will also send dogs as cargo, but it is very expensive.
We usually send them out of Aruba as checked luggage or under the seat.
Bringing the dogs into Aruba, you will need a health certificate issued by a USDA vet. Cheryl has brought her dog with her on vacation, but she fits under the seat.

If you have any questions, you can check with the airlines. You can also send me a private message or email me.

Kathy

[luvsun]

We will be bringing our dogs with us. They do not fit under the seat. I've talked to someone at United, they will go in with the baggage if you are on the plane. If they fly by themselves they go in cargo. They are the last to get on and the first to get off. We'll be flying out of Chicago in the early morning on a direct flight. So with doing that we hope they don't turn us away. Chicago shouldn't be that hot right away in the morning. There is a light turned on down there and it is heated and pressurized.
I've checked into this a lot and this is the best way for us to go. Its a 5 hour flight, so they should be fine........ ;~0

[Cheryl]

Hi Lorakim - traveling to Aruba with your two dogs requires some preparation but can be done. It all depends on the time of year and airline you travel. Time of year due to temp. requirements so check with your airline. American and Delta are the only ones that will transport in the compartment below the plane. They can also tell you about the pressurized section that animals are put in. They are not just thrown in with the luggage. You must also have a health certificate within 5-10 days and rabies certificate. Whichever airlines you choose, you can go on-line and search for "traveling with pets" and get more info. Feel free to PM me for more specific questions. We trasport dogs all the time from Aruba and occasionally I transport my own dog to Aruba.

[chell]

Originally Posted by lorakim

Hi all! My husband and I may be moving to Aruba for my work. My biggest concern would be moving with our 2 dogs. They don't fit under an airline seat. I am nervous about checking them as cargo.

Hi Lorakim,

I arrived in Aruba about a month ago with my cat. He flew as checked baggage with no problem. I flew with Delta and most airlines have information on their websites on pet travel. When it comes to the heat restrictions it depends on where you leave from. Obviously leaving Aruba an animal can not go as checked baggage because of the heat but they have animal transport companies that specialize in this so that is something to consider. The temp has to be below 75 or 85F depending on the airline. Try to pick the shortest flight possible or try to stay overnight mid trip. Usually the health certificate needs to be valid for about 15 days prior to travel but I usually get mine a couple days before just in case. I have travelled all over the world with my cat and dogs and they have been just fine, hydration is key. One thing that is new is that you MUST have 2 water dishes attached to each kennel. or they will not board the animal. Some breeds of dogs (short nosed) can not fly at all. Hope this info helps.

[lorakim]

Thank you all for your help. I am hoping to find a charter plane or take them on a ship. I don't feel comfortable putting them under the plane. Good luck to the rest of you having this issue.