Article about Pugs dying when shipped in Cargo

[Rebecca and the Pugs]

Heike, try not to fly in summer. You mentioned you're going to Europe, if possible use Lufthansa Airline.
They have fabulous care for animals.

I flew Pudding in cargo to Crufts Show this year.

They send a bod to check your crate, to see if it is of correct type and size, so the pug can move.
They ensure the pug has a water receptacle. I didn't have one in the crate because I didn't want an object in there but European laws meant I either put a water bowl in there, or she didn't fly.
I put the water bowl in there. A good choice is the type that screws onto the door grill so it can't spill or move around in the crate.
They note when the dog last ate and what it ate. They note how often they fill the water dish. They allocate one person to look after the dog and make sure it has water in its container before it is hand loaded into the plane.

I was more than satisfied, can't speak highly enough of their care but beware some airlines are not as care concious and a problem area is always if they leave an animal waiting on the tarmac to be loaded. You need an airline that takes the dog out last minute and loads just before leaving.

I was sitting in my seat on the plane when Puddi was brought out to be loaded. I was still sitting there on arrival, when a motor trolley came along to unload her and take her inside the terminal before the rest of the luggage came off.............. that's service, GO LUFTHANSA

It sounds like you were really lucky.

[PugSavers]

It sounds like you were really lucky.

You were EXTREMELY lucky! There are SO many times when people (and animals) are left on the tarmac in the heat (or cold) or they get loose. I remember a few years back there was a dog coming home from Westminster who got loose and was killed. I think he had won his breed too.

To me, the life of my pug baby is not worth the risk to their life. If I did it and something happened, I would never be able to forgive myself.

[nanbhack]

also know anoter former PVer who took the Queen Mary ocean liner across the Atlantic so he and his wife could get their 3 pugs to the states.

*gasp*. I want to do that!

To me, the life of my pug baby is not worth the risk to their life. If I did it and something happened, I would never be able to forgive myself.

I agree.

Btw - will Airlines let you buy a seat for your dog on the plane? I know it may be expensive but I was just curious. I have heard that some show dogs - ie the labs etc -are able to do that? Of course this is from a third hand account by someone who was on a plane with a lab and they were in first class.... So there you go!

I wish I could take Aine on the train with me - like you can in the UK. FUN.

[Heike]

It seems to me that Lufthansa is the last of its kind, and nothing is snappier or more of a heart throb than a Lufthansa pilot adjusting his cap and giving someone 'the look.' If you are flying because you have to, take the time to get a notebook and fill it up on research information. For example, your connecting airline from Missouri to NYC is pretty sorry. And your troubles would start there, risking a second on and off with a second class group of people. We just had a service wife move her dogs from Wa or Ca to Hawaiii, three of them including one rather fluffy and not so young. They all made it. But she did a lot of ferreting out data and procedures.

thank you!!!

we will not be flying within the next 3 years. my husband has to finish his army schooling here in MO first. if i want to visit, i will fly alone.
we have lots of friends with pets who either PCSed from europe or back to europe. a lot of them are using PetAir.
we would never fly out of STL. being military we would have the choice to drive our vehicle to a port. so you fly out from the east coast.
we already started our research and will continue until the time comes, if they actually do send us. you never know what's going to happen in the army.
adult pugs cannot be in the cabin with the passenger. a comfortable kennel is too big.
Lufthansa has the best reputation from all the airlines worldwide. horses for Olympic games fly with lufthansa.

i understand that many are kind of upset about us taking our "pigs" to germany, but 122 dogs died over a time frame of 5 years. that's 122 in about 10 mil (+-) i think this is pretty good, compared to the chance that i might die on my next flight. it's rare but i can also happen to me.
Travel | When passengers die on planes, everyday flights turn macabre | Seattle Times Newspaper
does that mean, i should not be driving anymore? i also could be one of the 115 that die every day in a car accident. hope not ;)

[Rebecca and the Pugs]

I have information from a friend who has been involved with flying horses all around the world (to and from Australia, Europe, North America and Asia). Lufthansa is NOT the only airline flying horses to the Olympics and these horses DO NOT get shoved in crates in the hold. They are loaded into special "sky-stables" on a low-loader (three to a pallet) which is then put onto an elevator with a roll-on/roll-off mechanism. They are then put into a special cargo plane, in what would be THE CABIN on a passenger jet. There is one specially trained expert horse-attendant to every three horses. The temperature at three levels of the horse (legs, torso, neck and head) is constantly monitored. During the flight the attendants offer the horses feed and water every few hours. The attendants have to climb through special sections in the sky stables to check the horses. They will check their legs for swelling, hydration levels and temperature.

How does that compare with the dog sitting on the tarmac in any weather, waiting to be put in the hold where he won't see daylight or another living thing for hours and hours and hours? Noone to check if he's hydrated; too hot or too cold; hungry; terrified; lying in a crate that's come loose and is slamming around the hold; suffocating because the air hasn't been turned on.....sorry. There is NO comparison

[PugSavers]

I have one question...with odds like that would you ship your child cargo? Dogs are just as helpless and depend on their owner to make good choices to keep them safe. Betting the "odds" that they won't die in cargo, to me is just negligent.

[Stazz]

Thanks so much for posting this, its been a worry niggling on my mind for ages, as we plan to move to the UK end of next year. OBVIOUSLY I want what is best for Yoda, and I will do anything and pay anything to make that possible. But the thing is....of course, its a risk. But Im thinking that this is a matter of opinion. You can't slate people for trusting 100% in travelling with their pugs or any dog for that matter, as cargo. It is done every single day. Its like allowing your child to catch the school bus, school busses have accidents. Anyway, my point is...This is a fantastic article. Thats my honest opinion done and dusted :) I will do thorough research before I make any decisions what so ever. I've been told that from Dubai, no airline allows dogs or animals on the plane, only in cargo. So what happens if someone has no choice but to fly their pet as cargo?

[Stazz]

Thought that I best mention that on the Lufthansa website, its stipulates that the pet may be allowed in the cabin, weighing up to a MAXIMUM of 8kgs. Thats certainly not Yoda, he's 9.8kgs. And must be in a "box" of 50 x 40 x 20cm. Thats not much space at all.

[Rosiepug]

Thought that I best mention that on the Lufthansa website, its stipulates that the pet may be allowed in the cabin, weighing up to a MAXIMUM of 8kgs. Thats certainly not Yoda, he's 9.8kgs. And must be in a "box" of 50 x 40 x 20cm. Thats not much space at all.

That is exactly why I chose to fly Pudding cargo and not on board. Couldn't bare to stuff her in a bag of aviation size that would fit under a seat when she could be sprawled out in her own crate. Luck plays apart in everything but I don't think I was extremely lucky. I did my homework and checked out airlines and routes and made sure my crate couldn't fall apart so she would be scrambling around in the hold as someone mentioned could happen. Crates are tied down and the animals airspace is pressurised and temperature controlled. I know many reputable breeders who do fly pugs around the world and they go from the UK and Europe to as far as Australia and South Africa. Serious breeders of show pugs actually do that. Let's not forget that accidents happen everyday. I had an English Toy Spaniel die while she slept with me. She had a brain aneurism. Had she been on a flight instead of in my bed, of course I'd have blamed the flight but it wouldn't have been the cause of death. Life is a series of risks but if you have no choice but to go cargo, do your homework.
For the record, I've been flying dogs and cats around the world for the last 15 years between Canada and France and Uk and Belgium. I've never actually met someone with a horror story, only heard about them.

[Stazz]

Thanks a million Jacqueline, you made me feel so much better about it :) Its been playing on my mind the whole day now. Thinking of what to do etc. I will only fly with Lufthansa because of your good experience, when we move to the UK. Ive been doing all the research, and I'm comfortable with it. Thanks again for helping me feel better about it