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shippingmy pet to germany

25 10:06:28

Question
QUESTION: We are a military family and relocating to Germany we have a 6 month old pug and trying to get some advise on what is the best and safest way to take him with us.  I have contacted the airlines and there is room to take him in flight with us (or would it be safer to check him as cargo?) but I'm not sure where to get a carrier for him or what kind.  Or even if that is safest for him PLEASE HELP!

ANSWER: Hi Margaret,

Thank you for your question.  Pugs are short nosed dogs. They should NEVER travel in cargo.  They are prone to suffering from respiratory distress and traveling in cargo could kill them.  They are brachycephalic dogs.  Many if not most airlines, will not fly pugs in cargo because of the increased risk of death.  All airlines will make you sign a waiver stating that you are aware that your dog is brachycephalic and that you take full responsibility if he or she dies or gets ill during transport.

The only way you should travel by air with your pug is if your pug travels in the cabin with you.

Your alternative would be to travel on Cunard's Queen Mary II. They are booked pretty solid through mid 2010 last I checked, but travel by ship is also another safe method.

Here are some links you should read:

http://www.dogtravelcompany.net/Short-Nosed_Dogs.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19638029/  

http://www.petflight.com/brachycephalic


Please let me know if there are any other questions we can help you with,

Sincerely,

Chris Shoulet
DogTravel Company
www.dogtravelcompany.com



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much for your advice.  I did purchase a carry on bag for him at Walmart it is a cloth one that collapses. The only problem is it is to small for him he can not stand up in it he is hunched and also can not turn around.  It says its a large and for dogs up to 22 lbs he is only about 15 that you know of is there anything bigger that I can purchase somewhere else to make him more comfortable?  Again thanks for your help.

Answer
Ahhh! You got tricked by the weight measurements!  What you need to do is measure how tall, wide, and long he is and find a travel bag that meets those requirements.

I am not an expert on travel bags for dogs as we, at DogTravel Company, don't crate dogs, or put them in carriers.  I know that Sherpa bags are very popular, they can be a little on the expensive side, but they are very well made.  I would go by the measurement of your dog and find a sturdy travel back that is a few inches taller and wider than he is so he can turn around.  Also make sure that the bag is built to hold at least 15 lbs..

Here is the sherpa Pet website http://www.sherpapet.com/  

There are many other companies out there that make travel bags, unfortunately I don't know the quality of these other bags... but here's a link that may also give you some ideas

http://www.nextag.com/dog-travel-bag/search-html

We can also special order a bag for you as well if you put in a request at http://www.dogtravelcompany.com

Sincerely,

Chris Shoulet
DogTravel Company
http://www.dogtravelcompany.com