BajaNomad

Flying with cat and dog

livencabo - 2-27-2008 at 12:22 PM

I would appreciate knowing what is required on Alaska from Cabo to San Diego. The only answer I get from Alaska is not specific enough, they just say the information is available at check-in. Another note on the web-site says 24 hour notice is required. The Baja pet rescue people in San Diego say they are driving pets and the one time they used a flight the information they had been given was wrong.
I have a cat and a dog, both from Todos Santos where they adopted me and there is no way I could leave them behind.

livencabo - 2-27-2008 at 08:00 PM

Thanks to Betty and Kate. I did persist and finally got a number to talk to a person, a very nice person named Theresa. In Mexico the 1-800 number needed the 001-880 change plus 574 9308. I gave my flight confirmation number and she checked for available space which was confirmed.
My vet wrote the health certificate and checked the rabies vaccination date. It is less complicated than some internet sites made it seem.
We are good to go and maybe someone else can benefit from this note.

Gadget - 2-27-2008 at 10:59 PM

Flying with cat and dog
Quote:


Personally...I would get the hang of it first myself before you made them go with you. You should always use two hands and arms. :biggrin:

[Edited on 2-28-2008 by Gadget]

livencabo - 2-28-2008 at 09:36 AM

Thanks Gadget,

I find it is always best to use your brain before you move anything. That includes your mouth. My trial run was with flying the dog cage from SD.
I had most of the information I needed but ran into problems when I tried to complete the process on the Internet and by phone to contact an agent in reservations. That is why I pass along the correct number if anyone is ever needing to arrange this service from Mexico.
My hands and arms are fine. My problems are low vision and legs which have limited mobility from an accident many years ago. Since I can't stamp my feet and demand attention, I try to anticipate my needs and make arrangements in advance.

Gadget - 2-28-2008 at 03:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by livencabo
Thanks Gadget,

I find it is always best to use your brain before you move anything. That includes your mouth. My trial run was with flying the dog cage from SD.
I had most of the information I needed but ran into problems when I tried to complete the process on the Internet and by phone to contact an agent in reservations. That is why I pass along the correct number if anyone is ever needing to arrange this service from Mexico.
My hands and arms are fine. My problems are low vision and legs which have limited mobility from an accident many years ago. Since I can't stamp my feet and demand attention, I try to anticipate my needs and make arrangements in advance.


No insult intended linencabo, I was just clowning. It's a funny heading when you first see it on the todays posts is all. That was just the first thing that came to my goofy mind. My wife can testify that I am indeed a "pest".

livencabo - 2-28-2008 at 04:47 PM

Gadjet,

None intended, none taken. I did mean for the subject to draw attention, a play on raining cats and dogs and that old favorite flying pigs. Sorry if you were mislead by the urgent nature of my request. See you in SD!

Frequent Flier Doggies

Marla Daily - 2-28-2008 at 11:01 PM

Our two dogs fly Alaska Air round trip LAX—Loreto with us five times a year. Never had a problem. When we make our reservations we also let Alaska Air know we will have two dogs going in cargo (in Vari-Kennel crates). Cost is $100/dog/each way. At both ends current health certificates are required (proof of rabies and shots). Yes it is extravagant to fly with them, but it sure beats leaving them at home or boarding them! They see the crates and get very excited—they KNOW they are going to Mexico! Our little guy, 28 pounds, was a street dog born in the bushes behind La Palapa restaurant in Loreto almost 12 years ago. Named Loreto of course. He used to fly free as the official mascot of AeroCalifornia until they were shut down. People ask his breed, and we just say he is 300 years of Baja evolution!

bajamigo - 2-29-2008 at 08:39 AM

Quote:
People ask his breed, and we just say he is 300 years of Baja evolution!


Best definition of a Mexi-mix I've heard yet!

:yes:

livencabo - 2-29-2008 at 09:27 AM

Marla,
Thank you for your encouragement. My dog Suerte is named "lucky" because she was thrown away with littermates in a trash bag and rescued by the owner of german shepherds who killed the other pups. She is now 15 years old and just about matches my years in dog years. So we are a couple of old ladies not yet ready to give up the ghost. I could write a book for cat fans about the cat, Don Quititote de la Mancha, Spot in English. He packs himself in my suitcase every time I get ready to leave and sprays it when he sees he's not going.
Pets are an essential part of living in Baja. I hope that people who move here adopt from the shelters if they do not bring their own. More than that I hope they will find a way to take their animals if and when they leave.

Pompano - 2-29-2008 at 09:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by livencabo


Pets are an essential part of living in Baja. I hope that people who move here adopt from the shelters if they do not bring their own. More than that I hope they will find a way to take their animals if and when they leave.


They certainly are, livencabo.

And bravo for your concern. Pets.. whether they be dogs, cats, or ringtails.... make the scene much more enjoyable for us in Baja and everywhere else we live.

A good thing has been happening along that line. We know dozens of visitors who have fallen in love with roaming Baja dogs and cats. They adopt the animals, giving them special care, then nuetering and vaccinating before taking their new pets home to the USA. Thanks to this common and kind practice amongst animal lovers we now have good vet services thoughout most of Baja. Sadly, this was not always the case.

[Edited on 2-29-2008 by Pompano]

toneart - 2-29-2008 at 11:01 AM

Does anybody have experience flying a large (100lb.) dog in a crate in the cargo section? Any reason to think it is any more of a problem for the dog in terms of comfort? Are the costs more than $100? Do you tranquilize your dogs? Do you have access to watch to make sure it gets loaded on your plane?

BCSTech - 3-3-2008 at 07:55 AM

I just flew my dog from La Paz to LAX Saturday on Alaska so I can give you some additional information. The pet carrier needs to have food and water containers accessible from the outside, as well as handles or lifts. Mine did not have any food containers so I used some cable ties to attach a couple of plastic containers to the door. I used two of the containers Costco sells with their cashews and mixed nuts.

I was told you need to call the airline at least 24 hours in advance to make a reservation for your pet so I did that. Once at the airport, there is a grassy area next to the Alaska terminal where you can walk your dog. My dog weighs about 50 pounds so I got a Sky Cap with a four wheel cart to bring him into the ticket counter.

Once there, they charged me $103, and I filled out a form that contains flight and contact information for the owner. They attach the form to the outside of the carrier. I had also written my info and cell number on the outside with a marker pen.

Our flight was delayed for two hours, and after about an hour, one of the employees came to find me. They said I needed to put a lid on the water container so it would not spill out. Fortunately, I had brought the lids although it seemed a little funny that that they would require you to include a water container that your pet could not access!

Once we were finally inside the plane, they gave me a sticker from the form, letting me know my dog was on board.

Once at LAX, there must have been 3,000 people waiting to get through immigration. It took 40 minutes. Once through, I went looking for my checked bags and dog. My bags were at Carousel #7 although I found my dog along the wall next to Carousel #1 where Alaska puts all the oversized luggage from all flights.

Next stop was the customs inspector who wanted me to throw away the dog food in the container. I told him I would need something to cut the cable ties or else I would have to remove the dog and turn the carrier upside down to dump out the food. He rolled his eyes and told me to leave it.

At all inspection stops, beginning in La Paz, I was asked if I had a health certificate (I did), but not one inspector ever asked me to actually show it to them :spingrin:

Tip passed along by a friend: Put a tee shirt or other article of clothing you wore the day or night before into the carrier. Your scent will comfort your pet during travel (I hope!)

one more pet question...

pacificobob - 3-3-2008 at 08:18 AM

will alaska airline allow one passenger to ship 2 large dogs and a cat? or is there some limit on how many pets a single passenger can ship?

BCSTech - 3-3-2008 at 08:29 AM

I would call the airline to confirm this. I was told that space was limited due to the size of the baggage compartment, so that's why the need for the reservation in advance.

[Edited on 3-3-2008 by BCSTech]

livencabo - 3-3-2008 at 10:42 AM

Techie.
I read your latest information as I was packing and it was essential to avoiding problems. I thought I would slide on the food and water because it is such a short flight. NOT! So many things could happen. So I did the Baja thing and improvised handles and a plactic bowl for food, another for water with a lid and put them in a clear plastic bag that my hair rollers came in along with a note in English and Spanish.
A friend who works in loading the planes said I should give the cat a tranquilizer because the workers sometimes get annoyed if the animals are agitated. He really howls when he is upset. The cat, not the friend. Well, maybe the friend too. So the vet said to get Calmivet, a one time pill.

BCSTech - 3-3-2008 at 01:02 PM

The tranquilizer is a good idea. My dog was not happy, and I wished I had one (for both of us ;>;) He did NOT like being separated, and whined and barked at anyone who got too close.

Definitely was an unplanned long day for both of us. He was in the crate for six hours before I was able to get him out again in LA.

livencabo - 3-4-2008 at 10:20 AM

I always appreciate when people come back to report how everything turned out, so here goes.
I did a Web check in, but the result was not the usual boarding pass. Instead it included instructions for contacting a clerk at check in at the airport. The good news was that the Web check in line was short. A friend was essential to watching my bags and cat while I got my FME, the pass to leave and come back to Mexico from Immigration.
The cat had calmed down so se passed on the tranquilizer. It only lasts for half an hour, so I don't know if it would have felped anyway.
The problems were at Lindberg field. The Immigration/Customs officers offered to information at all either for help with the cat or my disability. The cat was the last to arrive in baggage claim after all the luggage. Lucky it was't the dog, I was able to lift the cat from the oversize baggage rack on to a cart. I was at the end of a very long line with the cat howling.
It was only after I was through Customs that an officer told me I should have contacted my airline for help. Then when I said I had done that, a customer service woman from Alaska stepped forward. Her excuse was that she was notified that someone with a pet would need assistance but that the flight attendants didn't point me out.
Since I was the only person with a pet I think that for whatever reason she made no attempt to find me.
The cat was in the crate for five hours. I will be doing everything I can to shorten the time for the dog. He won't be put into the crate until the last possible moment. On arrival I will find the customer service person and have the pet unloaded right away, then I will go straight to the exit.
The heightened Security has made all aspects of travel more difficult. More than that it has affected the attitude of most everyone including other passengers