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Flying Puppies in the Cabin


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It appears that I will be purchasing a Border Collie puppy (working-bred) from a breeder located 8-10 hours away by car. I really don't have the time and inclination to do a 20 hour round trip by myself. The breeder and I had discussed shipping it to me by cargo, we think that this will be feasible temperature wise in September. The puppy could be shipped into an airport 10 minutes from my house. It would have to go thru a major hub, but that would be the case, if it were flown into the major airports in my state.

 

The other option is my flying to pick-up the pup and then returning home with it in the cabin. The puppy would be in a Sherpa-type bag under the seat. It appears that the maximun height under the seat is 8".

 

So, my question is how feasible is it to fly with an 8 week old puppy under an 8" tall airplane seat? I've looked at various types of planes and no matter the type, the seat heights seem to be 8-9". I know someone who just transported an 8 week old BC pup under the seat and she said that it worked out OK, but 8" seems awfully low to both me and the breeder. The breeder did say that her puppies are about average size for a Border Collie at 8 weeks.

 

Has anyone flown with a puppy under a seat? Did it work out OK?

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I flew with mine at 10 wks old. They smash down pretty well! Seriously, I felt more comfortable being with her so that she wouldn't be so alone and scared. She did great until landing, then started some soft whining.

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I flew a pup to AK in the cabin with a couple of friends of the puppy buyer who happened to be in the lower 48 visiting family, and by all reports it worked just fine.

 

She was later flown back to me in cargo so I could start her on sheep, and that worked fine too, but she was older by then. If I had a choice, I'd send a pup in the cabin.

 

J.

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I received my pup (he is 5 years old now) via flying in the cabin. The breeder was flying through an airport hub about 3.5 hours from me so she brought my puppy with her in the cabin. She said he did fine on the trip (about 2 hours), and when I picked him up, he was happy. They are such happy little bundles of joy at that age. I immediately brought him outside to pee on some grass. Luckily he held it until then because I should have brought paper towels with me in case he peed when he was transferred between our carriers/crates.

 

Jovi

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I also flew with a pup in the cabin under the seat. That was 8 yrs ago though. A friend went with me to get him and his brother. We had no issues and even had a connecting flight. The biggest problem for us was getting through security as they kept stealing the puppies and spoiling them. Each pup had their own sherpa bag. It is not a big deal and I felt much more comfortable havin the pups in the cabin with me. They were so good that the passenges had no clue we had puppies until we were getting off the plane.

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Just double check the airline's policy about height and type of carrier, if they require certain vaccinations, etc. I wanted to fly with Rudder when he was about 10-11 weeks old but based on the height restriction he was too tall already. Most just specify they need to be able to comfortably stand up. Shouldn't be a big deal you just want to know their policies inside and out so you don't get stuck unable to travel based on a technicality or with crazy fees. And congrats on the new pup, be sure to post pictures!

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I flew Texi home from Texas in cabin when he was just shy of four months. He was small for his age, but the carrier was a bit tight. Another week and it would have been too tight. The carrier I used looked like a backpack. He did very well. We had two flights home; the first was about an hour and a half and the other less than an hour. During our layover one of the security people let me take him outside for a potty. He was very good on the plane too. He just curled up and went to sleep.

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I've flown with ansd known many people who flew with young pups in a sherpa. another route is van services that transport pups across the country. I've used them before and it is a fantastic service, with door to door delivery (they may show up at odd horus though), they stop and potty pups every 4 hours and are very careful. It is a very good alternative to planes.

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Can't help it. Every time I see this topic title, I visualize chubby little bc pups with tiny black and white wings, soaring around in a rustic home.

 

Am I the only one?

 

No, you are not! I read it as puppies flying around in a log cabin, oh my. :lol: :lol:

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Can't help it. Every time I see this topic title, I visualize chubby little bc pups with tiny black and white wings, soaring around in a rustic home.

 

Am I the only one?

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs, who might be a trifle embarassed by me right now

 

 

So happy to hear that I am not the only one who visualized this!!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

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