Sunday, January 17, 2010

Practice Makes Perfect

Both Charlotte and I have been busy gearing up for the move... I've been going crazy trying to pack (including a breakdown which involved a video chat with my husband of me walking through the house showing him how much I have to do). Charlotte's been preparing by testing out her new pet carrier:

At first she was a bit scared...



And pissed...


But then she started getting the hang of it..


She loves it now! She jumps in and out of it with ease, and lays down fully in it on her own (no pictures of that).




Does anyone have any tips for the plane ride? I plan on taking her on a looooooonnnnnggggg walk before the flight and then giving her benedryl to help knock her out.

16 comments:

  1. so hilarious!
    i didn't realize your dogs name was charlotte!
    it was so meant to be...

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  2. If you've never given her Benadryl before, test it out a few days/weeks before the trip. Wouldn't want a mid-air emergency!

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  3. When we flew our dog from Washington to North Carolina we gave her medicine too. Also I am not sure if you know or not but I had to get a vets note saying that she could fly. I also brought those blue puppy pads and halfway through the flight I took her to the back of the plane and let her pee on that. Good luck!

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  4. I've taken both my pups on plane rides. They rode as a carry on, similar to Charlotte's carrier. THey did great, the bendryl will help. I found most flight attendants were very friendly about them and offered any assistance as needed. We got stuck in Charlotte's airport on a long delay waiting to get to Ohare. They offered to let us out off the plank to let them go to the bathroom rather than go through security. The airport also let us have them out of the bag while waiting in the airport. This helped them be more comfortable.
    Have a safe flight and I hope you have no delays!
    We actually live in Charlotte, Welcome to the Carolinas!

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  5. you have such a cute pup!

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  6. those first pics of Charlotte are hilarious!

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  7. We took our little guy on a flight from O'Hare to Seattle and back. He rode in a carrier like Charlotte's. Just like you are planning, we took him for an extremely long walk before going to the airport and then waited until the last minute to go through security. Then we gave him children's benadryl (per our vet's recommendation), boarded the plane, and put him under the seat in front of me. He turned around a couple times and then laid down and went to sleep. He woke up when we landed. Same situation on the way home. The people who sat in our row had no idea that he was there.

    Someone mentioned a vet's note, we had to get one of those for our airline (Alaska Air, I think?) so check your airline.

    Also, someone else mentioned that the airport let the dog be out of its carrier in the airport. This was not the case for us. After going through security, which you have to take the dog out and walk through the metal detector with him, I had Fred on his leash while we were waiting for the bags to come through the security thing and one of the security guards told me that I should put Fred in his carrier as soon as it comes through because I could get a fine if he wasn't in one. That was at O'Hare and I am sure each airport is different.

    Good luck and remember to stay calm. Charlotte will know if you are nervous and will react accordingly.

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  8. Charlotte is adorable!

    I've never taken my dog on a plane and hope I never have to! Taking him for a car ride is enough of a hassle. :) I was so bummed when I learned that he wasn't one of those dogs that gets excited about car rides and sticks his head out of the window. Oh well!

    Benadryl works wonders for Nigel (my dog).

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  9. Good luck! Cooper (our Boston) is a flying pro. We have a prescription sedative for him and it works wonders! The vet gave it to us (we tried benedryl the first time and it didn't help) and we just give him a 1/4th tablet about an hour before take off.

    Have fun!

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  10. Hi! I have flown twice from NY to SF with my little pug - we have the same carrier as you and love it! If you can help it (if you have a morning flight) don't feed her before you get on the plane, and just give her a little bit of water. Per our vet's instructions, we gave our pug 2 Benadryl tabs (he weighs about 19 lbs - if your dog weighs a lot less, ask your vet!)....I would recommend giving it to her about 30 minutes before you get to the airport. The Benadryl works like a charm for us, and I just make sure I am armed with a disposable water dish, some treats, and a Kong. Good luck!!

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  11. I fly with my dog all the time, we definitely make sure to exercise him lots both the day before and the day of. If you can schedule your flight at a time when you know she will be sleepy that usually works very well. I've never had to sedate him but he is pretty chill by nature. I'm not sure if it helps him but I try to feed him some kibble bits during take off and landing to keep him occupied and he loves to eat some ice from the flight attendants.
    Good luck!

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  12. no help ideas I just wanted to tell you to enjoy the trip, I'm sure everything will be fine.

    Oh, ditto on the relax advice!

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  13. Good luck with your move, but I heard is not good to sedate your dog at all during a flight. This is because they are constantly moved around and need to be able to keep their balance, something they are unable to do if they are sedated. Make sure you talk to your breeder or a vet before you medicate your dog pre-flight!

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  14. When we flew our dog from Washington to North Carolina we gave her medicine too. Also I am not sure if you know or not but I had to get a vets note saying that she could fly. I also brought those blue puppy pads and halfway through the flight I took her to the back of the plane and let her pee on that. Good luck!

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