Flying With Dogs Dog Travel Forum

This topic was posted in the Flying With Dogs Forum on October 1, 2016 3:22 p.m.. If you can help with this question about Flying With Dogs, please post a reply.

Beware

My wife and I were making a move to Brazil and wanted to be sure and take our Golden Retriever with us. Here is our story. We researched several airlines and decided on United Airlines from Dallas Fort Worth to Houston, and on to Sao Paulo Brazil, and then on TAM airlines to Goiania.

I was delighted to find out about United's Petsafe policy. I called United's cargo and they told us that at every stop there was a vet on staff and the workers were trained to feed and water the dog and take him out of the pen to a relief area.

The lady in charge of cargo at United said regulations stated the dog must have at least a 3 hour rest between flights, but she convinced us to have a 6 hour layover at Houston. We thought this was a good idea and were happy that the staff seemed to be living up to the promises. During the six hour layover we decided not to go and see the dog since they told us they had everything covered. So now we were on to Sao Paulo which is a 9 ½ hour trip. We decided on a 7 and ½ hour layover in Sao Paulo but that didn't prove to be enough time and we were told we would have to miss our TAM flight and be re-scheduled for the following morning. What about the dog? Would he be on the flight we missed? This seems like a bad situation, but it turned out to be big blessing. We got a motel and decided to get a taxi and go to TAM's cargo area and see what happened to our dog. Despite the lady from TAM confirming the dog was scheduled to be on the flight, the cargo area had no information about it. So or dog was still there. We asked to see the dog.

When we saw him, we were horrified. Immediately I noticed the bag of feed that I had taped to the top of the crate had never been opened. As we approached the crate we noticed the dog had no water. I immediately removed him from the crate. He was a pitiful sight – obviously extremely dehydrated, and never had any food. He was thin and could barely walk. Worse yet I examined the crate and the tie down straps I had placed to secure the door were never removed. The dog obviously had never been watered, never been fed, and had never left his crate to relieve himself for what was now about 26 hours. United needs to change the name to PetAbuse. Once Golden Retrievers are house broken, most of them will not urinate unless outside on dirt or grass. The blessing part of the story was we missed our flight and the dog was held in TAM's cargo and we were able to rescue him. United, despite the promises from cargo and hype about Petsafe, had done nothing except to transport the dog.

My wife immediately got his water basin and went to a water fountain and he got his first drink in 26 hours. He continued wanting more, but we had to go slowly. I then took him out of the compound and he took a walk and urinated for the longest time I have ever seen. It seemed as though he would never stop. We were there several hours nursing the dog and he never stopped wanting more water. He ate only a little since he obviously was not feeling well.

So what is the moral of this story? First it is easy to get mad at the airlines, especially United since they were totally irresponsible and didn't deliver on even one of their promises except to transport the dog. However, we still must remember the airlines don't have to take pets aboard if they don't want to. I suggest the following:

Understand that all you can expect from the airline is to transport your pet from one place to another, and don't count on any of the other promises. Beyond transport, everything else must be your responsibility. Always be sure your pet and you go on the same flight. If either you or your pet go ahead or behind, you lose any control you had over the situation. If there is more than one leg to your flight, allow a long enough lay over so you can go to the cargo area to feed, water, and take your dog to a relief area. Allowing enough time is crucial since often the cargo area can be several miles away from the airport. Be sure your pet has been loaded before you even take your seat on the plane and that he is in the correct temperature and pressure controlled area . Asking the flight attendant to tell the captain to phone cargo and confirm is not good enough. They will promise to do it, but often forget. Then you will worry the whole flight wondering if your pet will be there when you arrive. I have found the best way to handle it is to take a color picture of your pet and place it on a 5 by 7 glossy print. Write a message to the captain (from your pet) asking him to verify if he (the dog) had been loaded and the temperature and pressure are correct. The old saying is: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Unfortunately the word of some people and businesses like United Airlines isn't worth anything.

Wake up airlines! Establish pet shipping policy based on the above reasonable rules where everyone knows their responsibilities. And never use United.

Originally posted by john from Graham, TX, US
October 1, 2016 3:22 p.m.

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