Traveling With Pets

My blood really boils every time I fly with Rhyley.

Airline policy is that pets must be in a carrier and put underneath the seat in front of you. I get why the pet needs to be in a carrier, it prevents a lot of chaos that could ensue. But really, underneath the seat? Not only in that unsafe for the animal, but where are my legs supposed to go?!

I got pretty lucky yesterday - on my first flight, the attendant let me hold Rhyley's carrier in my lap except during take off and landing, and I was able to keep her carrier in my lap the entire duration of the second flight. I wasn't so lucky earlier this year when they made me stuff her under the seat on a flight across the country. I think this is just awful.

I know that some pets are fine in a carrier and don't panic like my dog does. But it is beyond stressful when your dog is flipping around in its carrier, scratching at the walls, and panting like crazy. I kept taking her pulse and checking her breathing the entire time (I gave her some xanax prior to the flight) and her heart was POUNDING, I mean probably 200 beats a minute! I felt so terrible for her. Not to mention that she was incredibly overheated even when in my lap, but can you imagine being in a tightly enclosed space and being stuffed under a seat where there is less airflow?

Now I don't want to come off as sounding like pets are equal to children. (Well, personally my dog is like a child to me) but how is it any safer for a parent to have their baby/child in their lap during take off than for me to hold my dog's carrier during take off? Last I checked, babies and pets have a lot in common - they both breathe, eat, go potty, they both have sensations of pain and discomfort - and it obviously would be "unethical" to stuff your child in that space under the seat. So why is it any different for a pet? God knows that if something were to happen during take off or landing, I'm going to be reaching down and grabbing my dog. It's a hec of a lot safer for me and my dog to just have her in my lap.

I think I speak for many people when I say that it is a lot more disturbing to be next to a crying child than to be next to my dog sleeping quietly in her carrier on my lap. You have allergies? Oh, I can switch seats with someone. There is just no excuse. I even had a father tell me on the plane that traveling with pets is just like traveling with children. It really isn't that much different except that one is a human and one is an animal. How people can feel right about the treatment of animals on airplanes is beyond me. My dog's life is much more important than policies put in place by people who clearly have little care for the welfare of animals. And don't even get me started on pets in cargo...never do that to your animal!!

I really like this article about flying with pets. I absolutely think that planes should have a "pet class" section. I wouldn't even mind it being in the back of the plane and very limited to just a few people. Just to have a place where your pet could sit safely in it's crate next to you would be ideal.  How is it that a living, breathing animal is considered property? My hope is that one day pets will no longer be thought of as property but as part of the family.