A vacation away used to mean dropping the kids( and Fido!) off at Grandma's for the weekend. Now a rising number of childless couples and singles with pets are taking Fido along for the wild ride.
Traveling with pets poses special challenges. There are horror stories, like one I read this morning on Fox News -- A woman sent her beloved pooch on a plane ride nonstop from Miami to New York. The problem? The poodle took a detour to Hawaii.
That was 25 years ago, but today pet owners are getting savvy about pet travel. Here's our take on the methods used for 21st century pet travel.
- Micro-chip Man's Best Friend - Like it. I've seen this procedure bring home pets who wandered away and settle disputes when someone tried to dognap a salon stylist's puppy. A microchip about the size of a grain of rice is injected under the pet's skin during a visit to the vet. You register the chip with the manufacturer so animal agencies can monitor it if your pet goes MIA.
- Stowing small dogs under your seat - Dislike. Possibly because I've had an experience where the tiny dog was incessantly yipping with it's dainty Donald Duck-like rasp. But, if you do choose to stow your small pet under your seat, it has to not collapse and not turn over in flight. The drawback? You have to make a pet reservation which airlines like to charge at least $100 for.
- Check in with the Vet - Like it. You cannot assume your pet is healthy for travel and most airlines require a health certificate to demonstrate this, especially if your pet will be stowed in air cargo.
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