Pets on a Plane: the Good, the Bad & the Goofy

As the old joke goes, "Sure I let Rex fly the plane. But don't worry, I keep him on the leash every second!"

​Our pets are, of course, cherished members of the family, and bringing them with us when we move adds a whole extra layer of excitement. I’ll never forget the sensation Rich caused in the security line at Chicago O’Hare Airport when he revealed his tote bag held live goldfish, swimming around in a plastic water bowl.
 
Incredibly, some of our less sensitive friends had suggested we simply flush the little dears down the toilet and buy new ones when we got to Ohio. What kind of fiend would do that?

After the entire O'Hare security staff had chuckled and exclaimed over the unusual carry-on, Rich, the fish, and I were waived through. That was before 9/11; today, of course, those fish would be arrested and probably end their days swimming in Guantanamo Bay.

​On another occasion, a Dutch friend brought a miniature dachshund puppy from Amsterdam to San Francisco as cabin baggage. Somewhere over the Atlantic she took the puppy out of his cage for a snuggle. When she dozed off, the puppy climbed down off her lap and proceeded to scamper joyfully up and down the aisle, causing pandemonium throughout the plane while my friend slumbered on, oblivious.  
 
Then there’s my harrowing dog-lost-at-the-airport tale. Don’t worry, it has a happy ending, and no humans or animals were harmed. Upset, yes. Stunned by the callous indifference and staggering incompetence of a major international airline, you bet. Here’s what happened.
 
It was late November and we were moving to Spain with our dog, Eskimo Pie.

Eskimo Pie in our Ohio garden

​She was too large for cabin travel and had to go in the cargo hold, so I bought a roomy crate and researched pet-friendly airlines with heated cargo areas. I got her vaccines updated, had a tracking chip injected into her shoulder, and filled out reams of paperwork. When the day came, I watched her crate being loaded onto the plane. So far so good.
 
I stepped off the plane in Madrid and asked the first airline representative I saw where I could go collect her.
 
“A dog? Here?” the woman exclaimed incredulously. Clearly she’d never heard anything so absurd. What next? Asking directions to the nearest flying saucer? She had no idea where I could find Pie. She almost seemed offended that I’d asked.
 
I spent four hours showing Pie's documents and photo around Madrid’s five terminals, and then, having rented a car, half a dozen outlying cargo areas.

 
​Eventually Pie’s crate was discovered on top of a 20-foot stack of wooden pallets. Her nose was pressed against the bars, she had a fierce gleam in her eye, and I could almost hear her thinking, “You’ve a lot of explaining to do.”
 
Pie was an old country dog, and while she loved many things about our urban Seville lifestyle — the perros in the dog park, late night walks through the city, jamón (ham) — she had some trouble adjusting. I turned for help to Spanish veterinarians, and I have to say they were wonderful: clinically savvy, compassionate, and emotionally invested. It was like being in an episode of All Creatures Great and Small.
 
I’ve lost touch with those particular vets, but this week I had a chance to chat with two bright, dedicated young women who recently opened Clínica Veterinaria Pets&Co in Sevilla Este, six miles east of downtown Seville. I knew at once the vet Cristina and her assistant Sara — who have been friends since they were five — were my kind of animal lovers.

“We love our dogs. We really do,” said Sara. “We go home thinking, ‘How is Mini? Did it work? Are they feeling better?’”
 
Cristina nodded. “This is something you take home when you leave. You take home your animals. I say to clients, ‘This pet is yours, but a little bit of him or her is mine.’ And when the animals are ill or when we have to do something that we don’t want to think about, I cry a lot.” Despite the occasional sympathetic tears, a cheerful atmosphere prevails, thanks in part to the lively presence of Roxy, Sara’s pug (listed on the website as “the Boss”) and Cristina’s two rescues, Gordo and Margarita.
 
The clinic is sparkling clean, modern, fully equipped, and very innovative. The two species they serve, dogs and cats, each get their own separate entrance, waiting room, and examination area to reduce stress (and avoid possible bloodshed) among the patients. The clinic offers a health plan so pets with chronic or complicated conditions can access services without running up unexpected bills. Both women speak English and French as well as Spanish.

Most unusually for a Spanish vet, they offer online consultations via Zoom or WhatsApp.

​“Imagine someone is thinking about flying over,” said Sara, “and needs to chat with a vet for peace of mind. ‘What am I going to face there? Which is the vaccination protocol?’ If you have a worry, you can ask Cristina.”
 
Cristina’s best advice? Allow enough time.

​She’s so right. It can take months to figure out the rules, sort out the paperwork, and schedule vaccines and tests — some of which need to take place a specific number of days before the flight. In many countries, including Spain, pets don’t need to be quarantined so long as they’re  vaccinated, microchipped, and documented. Be sure to check US re-entry requirements as well.

Service animals and emotional support animals require special documentation; just saying you want your Best Friend with you onboard won't cut it. Photo: DoD News

I can hear you thinking, “Yikes! Where do I find all this info?” Below are handy places to start. This is the most current information available, but I don’t need to tell you that America is in a state of flux, with laws changing in the blink of an eye. Re-check often to make sure there are no last-minute surprises.
 
US State Department Pets & International Travel (what's required to transport pets into and out of America)
 
About the Destination Country’s Policies (pet entry requirements, quarantine rules, and application forms for dozens of nations)
 
Pet Policy Guide for all US Airlines
 
Transporting Animals in the Aircraft (tips from Lufthansa, winner of the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association award)
 
USDA Pet Travel Guidance from the USA to Another Country
 
Traveling with Pets in the EU
 
Navigating a Pet Friendly Journey (best airports, railway rules, and more)

Here a friend tries to teach Pie to read Spanish. I'm not saying she mastered it, but she did move her lips.

 
​Is your pet worth all the fuss? Mine sure was. Pie sustained me through the upheavals of the transition, introduced me to countless canine neighbors, and inspired chuckles every day.

​One of her favorite things was riding up in the elevator; she couldn’t get over the fact we went in one door and exited through another, on a whole different floor. Every single time, she looked up at me with astonished delight, as if to say, “Did you see that? It did it again!”
 
She’s been gone for many years now, and I still miss her. It’s comforting to think that Robert Louis Stevenson might be right when he said, “You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.”
 
If so, I picture Pie spending eternity making joyful noise like this dog, captured on a nanny cam after neighbors complained about the racket.

​HOT NEWS! 
My new e-book is now available for pre-order and goes on sale Monday, February 17. For the launch, I have temporarily reduced the price to 99 cents, to make sure it's totally accessible to all my readers, friends, and family. Enjoy!

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This book is a love letter to my home city. When I sent out early review copies, the response was enthusiastic.
 
“I loved this book!
 
“Witty, wise, and informative”
 
“An entertaining read and invaluable guide”
 
“Captures both the soul and the stomach of San Francisco.”
 
“You don’t need to visit San Francisco to enjoy this book!”
 
My regular readers will find this goes far beyond the San Francisco stories from last summer’s blog posts. I’ve expanded and updated the practical information and mixed in even more offbeat historical tidbits, outrageous urban legends, and wacky anecdotes. Writing it was tremendous fun, and I hope you'll get the same rib-tickling pleasure from reading it.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON KINDLE

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​
THE AMIGOS PROJECT
This post is part of my ongoing exploration of how moving, living, and traveling abroad can enrich our lives and help us avoid the isolation that's become a global epidemic.
See all my Amigos Project posts here.

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