Home > Dog Travel > Pet Friendly – What Big Cities Don’t Tell You

Posted on October 02, 2010 by WayCoolDogs

Holiday travels will soon be upon us, and you will be arriving in the big city or something close. Fido wants to check out the corner fire hydrants and you and your new charge card are planning on a big fashion buy you cannot afford. Oh well, life in the big city…..

However, unless you have done your pet friendly homework in advance, the minute your feet hit the pavement things could change for both of you. Your pet friendly city may have changed to barely pet tolerant all because you did not do your pet homework. It is rapidly becoming a fact that a few pet friendly hotels are sometimes not too friendly to anything other than very small and enclosed pets.

Anything over ten pounds to twenty pounds is a problem in some hotels, depending on the city and the lodgings. The biggest tip-off is NO DOGS ALLOWED signs scattered around the city. Some pet friendly hotels cater to dogs, others cater to cats, and some cater to neither. It is always in the fine print of the hotel contract, something many pet owners fail to recognize in advance.

Excessive pet traveling deposit fees

• Southwest Airlines collected $13 million dollars last year from pet traveling fees, excessive baggage, and unaccompanied minors. This does not count the $23 million dollars in “early bird” programs that allow passengers to check in early and get better seats – but always at a cost. The price of a pet ticket is sometimes equal to its owner’s airline ticket.

• Many pet owners try to smuggle their animals into the hotel under blankets, inside coats, or dressed up as service dogs. This is because the $25 pet deposit fee can jump as high as a nonrefundable $150 fee. The pet friendly hotels with the lowest fees are quoted by traveling dog owners as being bio-hazard motels, bad hotel rooms, or no place to stay at all.

No boarding of pets in the city transportation

• Arriving at one of the pet-friendly hotels is always your main goal to rest and relax when first arriving. I hope that you have already made reservations in advance. However, unless you have driven in with your own car, you can be told you cannot board a bus, subway or train with any dog unless it is small and in an enclosed crate. If you have a small dog … that is fine. Seriously, what are the odds you will not?

• Trains like the Metro-North only allow very small dogs that are controlled by a leash.

• Taxicabs do not allow medium or large dogs in their vehicles. If you have lots of money and can tip well, you just might get a taxi cab driver to take you a short distance.

• Some cities have pet transportation services like a Pet Chauffeur or Pet Taxi. A smart pet owner has this number already located and memorized in advance, preparing for such a situation.

• If you are visiting family or friends, it is best to have them pick you and your pet up at the station or airport so the problem does not exist.

Obnoxious airline pet rules

Summer is the time when most of us travel on vacation. Nevertheless, if you own a boxer, Boston Terrier, English or French bulldog, Pug, Lhasa Apso, King Charles Spaniel, Shar-Pei, or Shih Tzu – you will not be allowed to ship them on most airlines from June 1st to September 30th because of high temperatures. These rules are excluded if the dog is carried onboard with you in the cabin. However, many large pets are not permitted to travel in the cabin or as checked baggage on certain flights.

Pets who are allowed as a carry-on with customers are:

1. Six months to one year fully weaned cat or dog – one per carrier.
2. Eight weeks to six months puppy or kitten – two per carrier.
3. Domesticated household birds such as canaries, finches, or parakeets.

There are certain countries and certain airlines with specific rules about arriving pets, such as with American Airlines:

• American Airlines does not accept mammals and birds for transport to and through the United Kingdom.
• American Airlines does not accept mammals and birds for transport to and through China.
• American Airlines does not accept mammals and birds for transport to and through India.
• American Airlines does not accept any dogs or cats on tranquilizers.
• American Airlines does not accept venomous and lizards for transportation anywhere.

Pet Friendly Sources for traveling

Pet Airways is the answer to many pet shipping, as the majority of airlines do not want pets on board because of pet dander and allergies.

Pet Airways has a reputation for treating your pet like queens and kings, better than your own airline. Oh, did you know it was pet operated? …just kidding!

To stay organized and know what to take, try the Traveling with Pets Tip Sheet. Documents, medical records, a clean pooper-scooper, poop bags ….they keep track of it all for you!

Check out Pets Welcome for pet friendly lodgings, travel tips, and fun stuff to do. Know in advance what you are up against. There are plenty of pet friendly businesses and establishments available for you, but just as many not.

The thing to remember is you do not have to take anything other than the quality you want and need. But they, as a business, have the right to run their business in the same way. Go for the pet friendly hotels, restaurants, parks, and so on. They want your business. And … pet friendly is not the same as pet tolerant, and it is up to you — Fido’s owner — to properly read the print and make a few phone calls to make plans. Otherwise, just plan on leaving the disappointed little fuzzy butt at home!

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