Need advice on 8-week old pup in airplane cabin

[CHUKAR]

Hi;

I am planning to pick up a GWP in early Sept. and fly home with him in the airplane cabin.
He will be 8 weeks old when I pick him up.

The airline requires that the kennel fit under the seat and that he be able to stand up in the kennel.

I have been looking at a Sherpa Large Kennel which is 20 inches long by 11.5 inches wide and 11.5 inches tall (the add says the kennel will compress to fit the
actual under seat height of 9 inches)

How much does a 8 week old GWP (or DD or GSP) pup weigh?
The kennels description says it fits dogs up to 22 pounds.

Has anyone used one of these Sherpa Kennels for a 8 week old pup?

Any better ideas? I do not want to put him through the cargo hold routine at that age and 3000 miles is too far to drive.

[Fireside]

The last time I flew, a woman had a 9 week old Bernese Mountain Dog puppy in a sherpa and it did just fine. Since the BMD is a much larger breed, I would think that your pup would have plenty of room. She had been flying since dawn and it was then well into the evening. She said he had slept 90+% of the time in the air. He was a little tiny bit fussy at take off, then conked out as soon as we were off the ground.

[kninebirddog]

You better check the air line to which your flying

as an 8 1/2 week old brittany could not sit up in a 10 high by 17 inch long kennel which was one of the bigger allowances for carry on

Be sure you can do carry on cargo just incase

[Karen]

I flew from St. Louis, MO to Newark, NJ with an 8 week old Brittany pup 2 years ago. I bought a soft sided duffle bag type carrier, carried her in the cabin, and she sat on my lap with the carrier unzipped most of the way home, quiet as can be and being fussed over by everyone. I checked my seat assignment shortly before the flight, and changed my seat so that there was a vacant seat next to me, and I didn't even have to put the carrier under my seat for take-off or landing. When bringing a puppy in the cabin with you, the airline seemed to be less stringent than when you're shipping them as cargo (as far as crate size goes).

[bossman]

Generally speaking, what is less stressful on a pup. A two hour flight in the cabin of an airplane, or a ten hour drive listening to the Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Willie, etc?

[Scott Linden]

Generally speaking, what is less stressful on a pup. A two hour flight in the cabin of an airplane, or a ten hour drive listening to the Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Willie, etc?

Cut out the Fleetwood Mac and he should be fine.

[GSP 4 me]

I remember picking up a 10 week-old German Shepherd pup and driving him to the vet...he got car sick and threw up all over my passenger. Never had a pup on a plane, but I would think the plane ride would be much easier on the GWP pup....unless you hit lots of turbulence (then you can both share a motion sickness bag).

[CHUKAR]

Here are a portion of the American Airlines Regs for a pet in the cabin:

"Pet Carrier Guidelines
The maximum size for cabin pet carriers is 19" long x 13" wide x 9" high. Animals must be able to stand up, turn around and lie down in a natural position in the kennel. Soft-sided pet carriers are accepted as long as they are constructed of water-repellent, padded nylon with mesh ventilation on two or more sides."

Thank You for the responses. I am still concerned tho about how much an 8-week old GWP weighs and weather he would meet the criteria above.....

Jim

[Rich Heaton]

Where ya flying the pup to and from? I personally think he will be fine in one of those soft sided cases,,,,, a little pup like that they won't mess.

[snips]

I would not buy the carrier until you take the pup and fit him into it. Our friends flew down to get their Wire pup and their carrier was 1/2 the size of pup. They could not return it and had to buy another:(

[LookoutDog]

Go to Wal-Mart and buy their medium-sized soft-sided black pet carrier... Cost only about $25. I flew on a Delta commuter regional jet from Wichita to Atlanta with two eight-week old Red setter pups earlier this month and worked great. The height exceeds the limits to fit underneath the seat in front of you by an inch or two but you can flex the soft sides and squeeze it in. Had both pups in one bag and they slept and did fine for a two-hour flight. I was expecting a hassle from the Delta agents at the check-in counter but there was no problem.

Be sure you reserve a non exit-row seat and ask the airline to block the seat next to you if it looks like there will be a lot of open seats on the flight.

[bossman]

Good News...Bad News..The good news..I now feel comfortable flying my next pup home in the cabin of an airplane...Thanks!!..Bad News..I guess I won't see Stevie Nicks as a guest on Scotts's new TV show..Oh well, I'm still looking forward to it. ( gosh I hope someone knows who Stevie Nicks is!)

[CHUKAR]

Go to Wal-Mart and buy their medium-sized soft-sided black pet carrier... Cost only about $25. I flew on a Delta commuter regional jet from Wichita to Atlanta with two eight-week old Red setter pups earlier this month and worked great. The height exceeds the limits to fit underneath the seat in front of you by an inch or two but you can flex the soft sides and squeeze it in. Had both pups in one bag and they slept and did fine for a two-hour flight. I was expecting a hassle from the Delta agents at the check-in counter but there was no problem.

Be sure you reserve a non exit-row seat and ask the airline to block the seat next to you if it looks like there will be a lot of open seats on the flight.

Is this the carrier you had?

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=ce ... =inline&zw

They do say on the Walmart site that they are airline approved AND about 1/2 price compared to sherpas!! Should work fine for my one-time use.

Thanx for the tip..............

[fuzznut]

Since you have time, also check Marshalls.... they often have the soft side carriers and their prices are good. Or, maybe your breeder will find one for you to fit the puppy so you won't have to guess..... (hint, hint) I'll bet they will if you ask nice!

Fuzz

[CHUKAR]

Since you have time, also check Marshalls.... they often have the soft side carriers and their prices are good. Or, maybe your breeder will find one for you to fit the puppy so you won't have to guess..... (hint, hint) I'll bet they will if you ask nice!

Fuzz

Pretty Please...

[GrayDawg]

Chukar,
I just did this last month. The details:

- I flew American Airlines from Boston to Cedar Rapids, IA (via Chicago) out & back in the same day.
- I picked up an 8.5 week old GSP female pup.
- I used the medium Sherpa carrier and had MORE than enough room! You don't need a Large and I believe
the dimensions of the large ARE NOT allowed on most airlines as I checked United, American, Delta, Northwest,
Southwest and a couple more.
- Here is the one I purchased


It's dimensions are: 18" L x 10½" H x 11" W

Here's a link to this specific product on PetSmart:

Deluxe Medium Sherpa Bag Pet Carrier
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... g#prodTab1

My advice to you is to check with your specific airlines that you've booked with FIRST- prior to purchasing any pet carry-on bag
as each airlines have DIFFERENT size restrictions. HINT: American has the most lenient size restrictions. Don't worry about length
or width...... just height!

The carry-on container shown above is accepted by American- I know, I just did it. Also, make sure you obtain a health certificate from the breeder
when you pick up your pup. The cert MUST show the dog's date of birth and the pup MUST be at least 8 weeks of age to travel. Vaccinations aren't
really scrutinized as most check-in staff at the airlines don't know squat about them. But the DOB must show that the pup is at least 8 weeks old.

I hope this helps,

rob

[CHUKAR]

Chukar,
I just did this last month. The details:

- I flew American Airlines from Boston to Cedar Rapids, IA (via Chicago) out & back in the same day.
- I picked up an 8.5 week old GSP female pup.
- I used the medium Sherpa carrier and had MORE than enough room! You don't need a Large and I believe
the dimensions of the large ARE NOT allowed on most airlines as I checked United, American, Delta, Northwest,
Southwest and a couple more.
- Here is the one I purchased


It's dimensions are: 18" L x 10½" H x 11" W

Here's a link to this specific product on PetSmart:

Deluxe Medium Sherpa Bag Pet Carrier
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... g#prodTab1

My advice to you is to check with your specific airlines that you've booked with FIRST- prior to purchasing any pet carry-on bag
as each airlines have DIFFERENT size restrictions. HINT: American has the most lenient size restrictions. Don't worry about length
or width...... just height!

The carry-on container shown above is accepted by American- I know, I just did it. Also, make sure you obtain a health certificate from the breeder
when you pick up your pup. The cert MUST show the dog's date of birth and the pup MUST be at least 8 weeks of age to travel. Vaccinations aren't
really scrutinized as most check-in staff at the airlines don't know squat about them. But the DOB must show that the pup is at least 8 weeks old.

I hope this helps,

rob

Thank you Rob!! I also am flying on American Airlines. The Pup will be 8 weeks old to the day when I fly home. My main concern was weather the pup would be small enough to fit in the kennel and meet the airline specs. for travel in the cabin. I am much more comfortable now thanx to you and Fuzz.

Jim

[GrayDawg]

Jim,
Feel free to either PM me or ask any questions on this thread. I was extremely anxious about the whole thing
and in retrospect- I had done my homework well.

One question- will you be taking any regional aircraft during this trip? If you are, please keep in mind that the height clearance
under the seat in front of you on a regional aircraft is about 1.5 inches LESS than that of a Boeing 757/767, McDonnell-Douglas MD80,
AirBus300 series or L1011. More than likely, you'll be on a 757 or 767 if you're flying on a "big" plane- as most of the American fleet has
been transitioned to 57's or 67's. But any regional flights (like my flight from Cedar Rapids to Chicago) is on a much smaller regional aircraft.
Luckily for me, my flight from Iowa to Chicago was only about 1/4 full, so I was able to move to an empty row and put Katy on the floor next to me.

BTW, the pup will sleep the whole time while the plane is in the air....... you can make book on that!

Rob

[Az Draht]

Chukar,

I responded to your PM. Did it go through or did I do something wrong? It isn't showing up in my sent box.

Brent

[CHUKAR]

Brent;

Just checked and it must not have gone through as I don't see it.

Jim

[bossman]

Thanks to everyone that posted comments and made suggestions on this issue about a month ago. Just got back from flying from Dallas to Illinois to pick up our new pup. Because of all the good input...I had no problems and he slept all the way home (as a matter of fact he is sleeping at my feet as I type this)..Graydawg..The Sherpa was perfect!..Thanks again to everyone. It sure beats driving for 24 hours round trip!...This forum does work...