Our older one is a chocolate lab and we aren't so sure he would do too well on a plane, and we actually are not even sure of how the process works to board them on.
Our younger one is a 3 year old blue heeler X collie mix and gets car sick and also is not very friendly with other animals.
Any suggestions are much appreciated.
Answer
Angblue:
I would buy a dog kennel and have the dogs take turns riding in it. Maybe you can have the Blue Healer fly on the airplane.
Your Veterinarian will give you tranquilizers for them if you ask. They have to be in a dog kennel on the airplane.
The flight is only 6 hours at most? Call the airlines and find out exactly how they handle the pets. I know I would be worried about my dog too.
The more information you can get (from the airlines) the better you will feel about it.
Knight:
Contact the airlines as to their requirements.
Most likely they will require a health certificate from your vet, and will be traveling in cargo.
Karen:
If they are used to riding in cars, it's just another car ride to them. You might want to check with your vet about medication for the carsick one. If they are not used to riding in cars much, now is the time to get them used to it. Take them for a ride every day, to somewhere for a walk or even just out to the store and back. If the only place they go in the car is to the vet, they'll never relax in a car. Many motels take dogs, but it would be wise to plan a route with not too much driving every day--plan on at least 5 days, longer if you can-- and book ahead, since not all of them take dogs and when they do they sometimes have only one or two "pet rooms".
Plan your route to stop at provincial parks and rest areas and so on, several times a day, so the dogs get some exercise through the day and aren't bouncing off the walls at night. Stopping in cities with dog parks is good too, and walking a dog is actually easier closer to the middle of many towns than finding a decent walking place near a side-of-the-highway motel. Do I need to tell you to always have them on a leash when you take them out of the car in a new place?
Bring a crate for each dog if you can possibly fit them into the car. If they aren't used to crates now, you may want to get them used to them. Keep in mind that motels/hotels do not allow you to leave a dog uncontained and alone in a room, and usually not even alone when in a crate. You may have to plan your meals around that since you can't all go out for dinner and leave the dogs in the room.
When you stop for the night, unload the crates, dog blankets, water bowl, etc, and all your stuff before you bring the dogs out of the car and into the room, or have one person walk them while someone else unloads and sets up so all the familiar stuff is there when the dogs come into the room. If you don't go the crate route, then I hope your dogs are the type who will lie down on their designated blanket and stay there. As soon as everyone is settled, take them out for a walk if they haven't already been, then feed them. Take them for a before-bedtime walk too.
