Troubled after reading a study that found that some 5,000 pets are injured in air transit every year, Nannette Bisher and her Corgi, Harry, decided to give Pet Airways a whirl yesterday:
“Every time I looked at Harry, I imagined this scene: Noisy, crowded O’Hare airport. Harry in a crate being carted off to cargo by a stranger. He is looking at me through the crate door. He’s scared. I’m a wreck. I just couldn’t do it.”
Nannette documents her (and Harry’s) journey in a blow-by-blow blog post on the SF Appeal’s website. So if you’ve ever considered putting your precious pup on Pet Airways, here’s your chance to see what it’s really like.
But if you’ve already given the service a try, do tell us what it was like in the comments!
Hi again everybody – just wanted to pop in and let you know that travelers and bloggers Helen Fazio and her dog Raja are dishing out the tips on The Daily Dog Tip, the Dogster blog that serves up a juicy tidbit of canine information every weekday.
The pair have loads of great pet travel information and will be joining us every now and then as a guest tipster on both Dogster and Catster. Their first tip is live already and can be seen here.
More about Helen and her dog Raja:
Helen feels most comfortable in places where she doesn’t speak the language; she likes to do almost everything, except hunt and watch TV sports. Raja is a Shih Tzu. Directly descended from the Mongolian wolf, Raja is hardy and loves to roam with his pack. Tamed in the monasteries of Tibet, he takes the long view. Finished in the palaces of 16th century China, he is elegant. Rescued from China by the artistocrats of Europe, he is a ham. Make sure you check out their blog, which is here, and follow them on Twitter.
And here’s a video about Raja and the website!
The best way to get The Daily Dog Tip is via email, and if you sign up now, you won’t miss a single tip from our grrreat pet experts. Or to add the RSS feed to your reader, click here. Want it all? You can also get them via Twitter when you follow @dogster.
We’re halfway through the summer, but there’s still plenty of time to squeeze a trip in.
If you plan on traveling and taking your pet with you here’s some good information from the Animal Health Care Center newsletter.
Traveling with your pet can be rewarding but challenging if not enough preparation has been made. Planning will help your trip go smoother and should include acquiring any paperwork that is needed, consideration of the temperatures to be experienced and how to deal with them, and obtaining equipment that will make the trip easier.
It is a good idea to first consult with your veterinarian. Make sure your pet is current on all vaccinations. Ask your pet’s doctor about the region to which you will be traveling and whether there are any diseases that require additional vaccines, i.e. Lyme or Lepto, or other measures, i.e. heartworm preventative. It is important your pet have identification; make sure the tag on the collar is current and the printing is legible. Your veterinarian should also implant a microchip into your pet as a form of permanent identification because collars can be lost easily.
We’re a nation of pet lovers: According to a 2005-2006 study by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 63 percent of U.S. households own at least one pet. Here’s how to take care of them (and their owners):
1. On the menu
If you allow dogs in your store or restaurant, why not take it a step further by putting something for them on the menu? Chef Eric May of Charcuterie — located in Sierra Madre, CA — created a special menu for the town’s second largest species of inhabitants: Dogs. In addition to the restaurant’s traditional lineup of sandwiches and pasta, they also offer special dishes and portion sizes for any pets that may be looking for a meal.
The Lesson: If you’re opening your doors to pets, why not offer them a few special dishes or products?
2. On loyalty
If you’d like pets (and their owners) to keep coming back, try extending your loyalty programs to your four-legged customers. Red Lion Hotels recently launched a special loyalty program that awards pets 500 points for each stay that can be redeemed for pets-only gifts. And while their rewards program is fairly high-tech and involves a point system, yours could be as simple as a punch card or a series of coupons that frequent visitors and their pets can use toward future visits.
I was reading the AJC this morning and came across an article offering advice on places to vacation with your dog.
Towles Kintz shares five dog friendly locations to visit and have a little summer fun. He goes from the beach to the mountains, and a few places in between.
1) Washington, DC
Although monuments and great museums might first leap to mind when you think of the nation’s capital, the city and its Northern Virginia suburbs offer a surprising number of dog-friendly and dog-centric activities. Take a boat ride with your pooch to tour Alexandria’s seaport with Potomac Riverboat Co.’s Canine Cruises (dogs ride free), hike the Mount Vernon Trail, which runs between Alexandria and Mount Vernon, take a hike on Roosevelt Island. Dog-friendly bars and restaurants abound here.
Dog Treat: There are more than 20 off-leash dog parks in the area, and open-air monuments mean that families and their dogs can take in great tourist attractions together.
2) Orlando, FL.
Disney may have a corner on the market in Orlando, but the city has recently been applauded for its efforts to become more dog-friendly. The Winter Park area, which is home to a great off-leash dog park and Sam Snead’s, a restaurant made famous when Gov. Jeb Bush signed the doggy dining law, is particularly welcoming to pets, and there are plenty of hotels – and even some posh resorts – that now accommodate families traveling with their canine companions. Add to that Florida’s natural beauty and state parks (there are eight in the Orlando area), and you’ve got yourself one happy dog.
Dog Treat: Lots of dog-friendly outdoor dining and more than seven off-leash dog parks in the area.
When Lisa and I moved to Atlanta from Albany, NY we decided to drive because we couldn’t stand the thought of putting Bo on a plane. There was no way we would let him be stuck in the cold cargo area, terrified and alone.
Nope, instead we drove the nineteen hours with Bo and our cat Moose, who meowed for pretty much the entire ride. I was just reading about a brand new airline, Pet Airways, that has literally gone to the dogs. If they were around when we moved it’s something we definitely would have considered.
Pet Airways, which begins flights next month between five cities, is exactly what it sounds like: an airline just for pets. But before boa constrictor fans get any ideas, passengers are currently limited to dogs and cats.
Nobody flies in cargo on Pet Airways — it’s first class all the way for Fluffy and Buddy in the cabin of the airlines’ Beechcraft 1900. The plane normally seats 19 humans, but there are no seats for pets, just straps to hold animal carriers (supplied by the airline). The plane holds about 50 average-sized animals, two pilots and one pet attendant. Mind you, the pet need not be “average-sized.” Back in April, the Pet Airways people told me how thrilled they were to get their first reservation for a Great Dane.
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