Should dogs fly in the cargo hold?

Here I’m going to share my honest opinion about pets flying in cargo, and share my personal experience with Roo..

Obviously I don’t think it is any loving pawrents first choice of travel, we’d all much rather be able to book an extra seat for our beloved furrend to sit in the cabin with us, but this often isn’t possible...

---

When I first found Roo, it was only 3 weeks later that she was being flown to the UK, and honestly, I didn’t have much time to even think about it all, just that it is possible to do, as all types of animals are transported all over the world for various reasons.

Although I knew it would be a scary experience for her, she had nowhere to go, so I also knew that one day of confusing travel would be worth it for a new life

filled with love & happiness by my side..

She had to be taken to the airport a few hours before her 8+ hour long flight, which would bring her to the UK, then she'd have to wait a few more hours before being cleared through customs and be officially authorized for collection..

The flight is only half of it.. Luckily she didn’t seem phased by the travel at all, and was super exicted to see us again! Her tail was wagging and she didn't seem frightened, just happy and reassured to be with us again. The only thing I did notice further down the line, was that for an all round confident dog, she was quite fearful of lifts, which I believe could be from the plane experience… but other than that, nothing had changed!

Tips for if your dog is traveling via cargo:

• triple check all of your paperwork!

• Make sure the crate meets airline standards

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions

• Let your dog travel with a familiar blanket,

  one with all their usual comforting smells

---

It’s not as simple and straight forward to travel with a dog, so we’d decided to road trip through Europe which made traveling with Roo much more easy! It wasn’t until a couple of years later we were faced with an over seas journey, which unfortunately couldn’t be made without traveling via aircraft.

For the particular route we needed to travel, there was no in-cabin option for Roo, unless I could afford a private jet which obviously I could not.. This meant I reluctantly had to book her as manifest cargo, meaning she’d travel in a crate below the plane..

I was very anxious for her, and obviously didn’t want her to travel in that way. Unsure of what’s going on and without me there. But I knew she’d done it once before, and she would be ok.. and knowing Roo, she'd much rather come than stay behind! - I personally wouldn’t recommend traveling with your dog in cargo unless it’s necessary. If your going on a short trip, the travel and transition probably isn’t worth the stress for you, or them. But if you plan on going somewhere for a long time and your dog loves to explore by your side, in my opinion, it’s definitely better to travel with them than leave them behind!

That being said, all dogs are different and I appreciate there can be all types of special needs and requirements which can make things difficult, they might even be a severely anxious dog who would definitely feel very stressed by the whole thing..

So it’s up to you to do what’s right for you, and your dog!

If you’re interested in more specific travel requirements for dogs traveling via the euro tunnel, or entering the UK from barbados or visa versa, check out some of

our other blog posts!