1- Max, our Westie, is too big to go under the seat in the cockpit with us. So he will have to go underneath in Cargo which is heated.

2- We will be travelling out of Buffalo and there are only two airlines I have found that will take dogs. United through Washington (Dulles) and Delta through Atlanta.

3- We can only book Max as "Luggage" in cargo 7 day prior to our departure with limited room for pets.

4- If the tempurature is below 20F in Buffalo he can not fly. This I can not figure out as the baggage are is heated and the hold is heated.

5- So now we have to decide to try for mid December where the average lows are 22F or January(when we really want to go) where the average low is 19F.
If it is too cold Max can not go and we have to leave him. With who or where. Possibly have our driver wait and see if he can fly and if not bring him home and take him to a kennel.

VERY FRUSTRATING!!!

"El Muchacho De Eagle Beach"
Eagle Beach Boy
Ontario, Canada

Boy oh boy, who would have ever thought that you would have to go thru all of this to take your dog....Got anyone who could take him?. Hope you can figure this all out b4 it becomes a hassle.

Cindyo

Girls at the Maid of the Mist- Toronto
Boat ride to Rennaissance Island
Next Aruba trip in

I responded in another forum, but you know that I sincerely wish this works out for you and Max.

Aruba Bound! ~ Hoosier Kitties ~ Our-Cruises ~ Blogging to Aruba
Back to paradise Trip #18

I want to thank all that have responded. At this point we are going to take Max over to a Pet Smart and try him in an underseat carrier.

If he is just TOO big I think he will have to go to the Doggy Resort again.

For those don't know me. We are going for 8 - 9 weeks. The AM management told me that I couldn't stay next season UNLESS we brought Max.

"El Muchacho De Eagle Beach"
Eagle Beach Boy
Ontario, Canada

i hope he fits!
our 18 lb cockapoo barely fits in the underseat carrier.....she can sort of stand up and can turn around.
i do like the kennel. belle loves the kennel, but i still want her with us when we go away.
amsterdam manor is very pet friendly and that is terrific.

i hope that max fits.....as long as he can turn around and around and around he'll be fine. (benadryl helps if your vet advises)
andrea

Eagle Beach Boy, we have two westies. We've never flown with them, but would love to be able to take them on a trip. How big is your westie? Ours are about 14 and 18 lbs. I wonder if airlines would let us take two on the plane if they fit under the seat? Something for us to think about. We hate leaving them at "camp" when we go away.

Cherry

Hi, If your Maxie fits in the carrier at all, I would try it. I fly often with my two dogs. Once the plane takes off, you can unzip the top and let the dog's head out. Sometimes, nice flight attendants even let you hold the dog, but this is rare. The idea is just to get on the plane, after that it is much simpler. Good behavior is essential for the dog. If you have any concerns, Benedryl in the recommended amount works quite well. Put the dog in the carrier and keep a low profile at the airport. Do not draw attention and it should go smoothly for you. If you have all the paperwork in order and a quiet dog zipped into a Serpa Bag, no one asks to weigh the dog or check it in any way. I STRONGLY recommend a Serpa brand bag ON WHEELS. It is amazing how heavy a small dog can be lugging it around the airport. Best of luck! We are going to Aruba for three weeks on July 19th. I am interested in buying a retirement home in Aruba someday. Mollie

Just a note - if you choose to go the benedryl route with your westie, try it at home first. It doesn't affect dogs like it does humans and some dogs it doesn't help at all. Be sure to get a dosage from your vet - you may want to have him prescribe low-dose valium if the benedryl doesn't do the trick.

Reply to some posts.

We have decided after trying Max in a Sherpa Carrier we are going to take him in a Crate as a second bag underneath. After talking to our Vet and others that ship their dogs we will not be giveing Max any seditives. Max sleeps in his crate and travels in the car in it also.
One of the problems we would encounter with the Sherpa idea is when we transfer in Washington, Dulles there is not a place to take him for a walk between flights.

"El Muchacho De Eagle Beach"
Eagle Beach Boy
Ontario, Canada

Sorry to hear this has been such a hassle for you. I hope everything works out just fine for Max's trip to Aruba....Cheryl