If you are a regular AndASmallDog.com reader, then you already know that I’ve been quiet for the past couple months. There’s a few excuses for this, but the main one is that we weren’t traveling due to a problem with Bodie’s eye.

It started off turning red last summer. At first, we thought it was an allergic reaction to his new surroundings as we had just moved him from his hometown Amsterdam, NL to Florida. Then we thought maybe he had bumped it on something while playing. We took him to our usual vet who recommended we seek the advice of a local eye specialist for dogs (and other animals).

Bodie ended up having to undergo a series of tests and treatments which lasted about 7 months. We tried all types of eye drops and he ended up on 14 drops a day from 4-5 different medicines for several months, with no sign of improvement. His eye, just the right one, just got worse.

We then got the results back from one of the tests that showed an inconclusive result that he had lymphoma in his eye. This is a type of cancer that is usually fatal but is rarely found in the eye. It came down to the decision to whether or not we should remove his right eye based on this result.

This was a hard decision to make – on one hand we wanted him to be healthy and cancer-free, but on the other hand we had no conclusive evidence that it was cancer and we didn’t want to remove his eye if he could still see. We saw a different eye vet just to get a second opinion, and he told us to do the same thing. There was already so much damage to his eye at this point (glaucoma had become very bad so he could barely just make out the differences in light with no real vision) so we decided to proceed with the operation.

Bodie the day after his surgery

It has now been over three months, and the real Bodie is back. We thought he was slowing down because he was reaching “middle-age” (he’s 6), but in reality he must have been in so much discomfort which made him just want to sleep all the time. He still naps a lot, but he also wants to play a lot, also! The day after his surgery he was already wanting to play (even though he had that silly cone on his head!). He has since fully recovered and doesn’t seem to miss his eye at all. He still has better eyesight then my husband and I put together (or so it seems – we are both are blind in one eye also!).

Bodie just had his 3 month check-up to see if there were any signs of the cancer anywhere else in his body, and the answer is still no. We decided to celebrate by bringing him back to his home country (the Netherlands) for two months this summer. We just got here a couple days ago and he’s already settled in. He is definitely a trooper and a globe trotter! We just love our one-eyed Jack (Russell)!

Bodie enjoying the view in Amsterdam

Thank you to Dr Denis and everyone at Animal Eye Associates in Maitland, Floridafor taking such good care of Bodie! Visit their Facebook page to say thank you on our behalf!

This is a guest post from Mary-Alice Pomputius, who has two blogs. Dog Jaunt offers advice about traveling with a small dog and Pet Carrier Reviews offers unbiased reviews of carriers and crates for dogs, cats and other pets. AndASmall Dog loves reading Dog Jaunt – always something new and informative!

Chloe ready for her next vacation

I write about all aspects of traveling with a small dog (our dog, Chloe, is a young Cavalier King Charles Spaniel), but most of the questions I get are about taking a small dog on a plane. And most of those questions are about choosing a carrier. It’s a bewildering task: There are lots of choices, and there are lots of parameters to worry about. Nearly all of the U.S. airlines allow small dogs to travel in-cabin, and many international airlines do too, but there is no standard accepted maximum carrier size. Take a look at the “Guides” section on my blog, Dog Jaunt, and you’ll see that the maximums range from extremely small (Sun Country’s 8Hx16Lx11W) to the relatively palatial (THAI Air’s 12Hv22Lx15W). What’s a dog owner to do?

Here are five tips:

1. Assess your dog

The very first thing you need to do is measure your dog’s height. The crucial measurement is the distance from the floor to the top of your dog’s shoulders — not his head, his shoulders. Imagine that your dog has put his head down to drink water. His head and neck have bent low; the remaining body height is what you care about. That’s because your dog will spend nearly all of his time in his carrier lying down, either curled up or stretched out. He needs to be able to turn around freely in his carrier (that’s merciful, and it’s also an airline requirement), but he doesn’t need to raise his head completely to turn around or be comfortable.

That number is the minimum height that your carrier needs to be. If you’re blessed with a mini Dachshund, for example, you’ll likely be able to purchase a carrier with extra vertical room. We, however, have a dog that is 12″ tall, and so is her carrier.

Another crucial measurement is your dog’s weight. In general, a dog that weighs more than 15 lbs. is going to be too large to travel in-cabin. Some airlines have maximum weight requirements (look out, especially, for some very low international maximums), but the main problem is that a dog larger than 15 lbs. may not fit in a workable carrier and still be able to turn around freely. Chloe weighs 13 lbs., and she is at the upper limit of what works.

2. Buy a good-quality carrier

If you plan to take only one plane trip with your dog (say, for example, you hate to travel, but you need to relocate from Houston to Seattle — please note that I’m choosing two cities not serviced by the pet airline Pet Airways, which will carry your dog in-cabin for you), ignore this advice. Buy an inexpensive but complying carrier, like the small Bergan Comfort Carrier (available on Amazon), and call it good.

If you plan to travel frequently with your dog, however, don’t chintz on the carrier. Yes, a good carrier is expensive, but it will be sturdy and have features that contribute to your dog’s comfort and to your peace of mind. The features I look for include sturdy and big/numerous mesh ventilation panels, good-quality zippers, visual access to your dog from above (since your dog will spend most of your journey at your feet), patting access to your dog from above, at least one good-sized pocket, and minimal weight. A bonus feature is the ability to slip the bag over the extended handle of my own suitcase.

The features that airlines require include mesh ventilation panels on at least two sides, water-repellant fabric, padding, the ability to completely contain your dog, and sufficient room for your dog to turn around.

My choices? Chloe’s go-to carrier, the one she uses for her longest trips, is her large SturdiBag. My other favorite, and the one I use when I suspect that under-seat space is going to be tricky, is her Sleepypod Air carrier. If she weighed 10 lbs. or under, I would use her Creature Leisure Pet Pilot XL carrier (it’s a heavy carrier, though, so I wouldn’t use it if I was concerned about weight maximums). Please note that none of these carriers is a Sherpa bag, which is the original (and still most popular) soft-sided pet carrier. They have many good qualities, but their tops are solid, and I insist on being able to see Chloe from above, for both her comfort and mine.

3. Choose a carrier that flexes

The simple fact is that most pet carriers you see in use at an airport are non-complying. Only the tiniest of dogs can fit in a carrier that is 8-9 inches tall. The bag you will see most often, a classic Sherpa bag in size Medium, is 10.5 inches tall. No ticketing agent or gate agent will turn a hair over a medium Sherpa bag, and there is, in practice, a bit of leeway afforded to traveling pet owners. Don’t take it to extremes (a large Sherpa bag is too large, as is an extra-large SturdiBag), because even if you can charm your way past an agent, you still have to fit your dog in an airplane’s under-seat space. Since that space is fairly shallow, your dog’s carrier needs to fit oriented left-to-right. A carrier that is 18 inches long works; 19 inches is iffy; 20 inches is too long.

The three bags I like flex in important ways. The SturdiBag’s top and sides flex considerably, but its length is fixed at 18 inches. The Sleepypod Air can lose about an inch in height, but it is designed to (temporarily) lose up to 6 inches in length. The Creature Leisure Pet Pilot XL flexes in a different way: Zipped up, it just fits under most airplane seats, but as soon as you take off, you can pull it out from under the seat and unzip a large gusset that gives your dog a good deal of travel room during flight.

That last point is an important one to remember. Your dog needs to fit under the seat in front of you for takeoff and landing, but during the rest of the flight you can pull his carrier out into the space under your knees. With that room, the top of the SturdiBag pops back out, the ends of the Sleepypod Air flip back down, and your dog has the maximum scope his carrier allows him.

4. Choose black

Black bags look smaller. If you are the owner of a dog small enough to fit in a fully-complying carrier, buy one that’s neon orange. Live it up! The rest of us need to minimize the visual impact of our pet’s carrier.

5. Consider wheels

If you are traveling far enough that you have a layover, you’ll want to make it a long one, so that you and your dog have the chance to exit the airport, find the pet relief area, and return through security. Some pet relief areas are conveniently located and easy to find, but many are not — and sometimes the gate you arrive at is a remote one. You’ll need to hurry to achieve your goals, and wheels help. Chloe’s a small dog, but by the time I get to the pet relief area in Denver she effectively weighs about 57 lbs.

Only one of my favorite carriers (the Pet Pilot XL) has wheels, and it’s really too small for Chloe. Wheeled carriers that comfortably fit a dog Chloe’s size are typically too big to work as in-cabin carriers, unfortunately, but owners of dogs under 10 lbs. should give wheels serious consideration.

Thank you Mary-Alice for your wonderful and informative post! Please be sure to check out Dog Jaunt and Pet Carrier Reviews for more information.

Rachel from PetRelocation.com asked me to provide an answer to a question they received about taking a road trip with a dog. Since they mainly deal with moving pets around the world, they asked for my expertise in answering the question

Thank you for the opportunity!

Read the post here!

Earlier this week, I co-launched a new campaign with the gang at GoPetFriendly.com called “Give Big Dogs a Break!”. We have decided that the pet weight limits imposed by most hotels and resorts are not fair, and that larger dogs have the right to vacations just as much as little dogs!

For more information and to show your support, please visit www.GiveBigDogsABreak.com.  I will be posting news and updates on our progress, as well as ways that you can help!

Planning your spring or summer vacation? Why not take your pet? More and more hotels are allowing pets – as pets are part of the family too! It can be a bit of a pain to find the right hotel – especially when traveling with large dogs, multiple pets or exotic animals – but I am here to help! I have a background as a travel agent for humans, but now specialize in the growing niche of vacations for the whole family – including your pets. Just email me with your travel request and I will do the research so you don’t have to! Items to include in your email are:

• Chosen destination(s) – or if you need help, just let me know!
• Dates
• Type of pet(s) and their weight(s)
• How many travelers in total
• Any additional information that will help me suggest the perfect vacation spot for you and your whole family

If you are looking for things to do with your pet at your chosen destination, head over to GoPetFriendly.com to find some ideas!

Happy Travels!

Leila

Planning a road-trip and need suggestions on what to see and do with your furry friend? Have a look at GoPetFriendly.com for ideas and information for locations across the U.S. There is also a handy roadtrip planner and access to hotel information. For more information on this great resource, check out my full review on Examiner.com.

Boone and Kenzie in San Francisco

Introducing Boone and Kenzie, two globe-trotting Scottish Terriers, who love to travel and share their photos and stories. These two adorable dogs have traveled all over Europe and the United States and they keep an online journal of their travels. The stories are amusing, told in first-person (first-dog?), and are about all their adventures. The highlight of the website, however, is the photos! These two dogs, one black and one white, have photos of themselves perfectly posing in front of famous landmarks all over Europe and the U.S. These two dogs have a lot of experience with traveling, so I asked them a few questions about their experiences.
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Q: Thank you Boone and Kenzie for sitting down for an interview for AndASmallDog.com! AndASmallDog.com is a website with information about traveling with a small dog – something you both know a lot about. Have you been on any trips recently?
A: Our most recent trips were to eastern Washington to see family and in the spring we went to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, which turns out it had more daffodils than tulips this year when we went.

Q: You traveled extensively through Europe, similar to what we did with our Jack Russell. What was your favorite place and why?
A: We enjoyed a lot of the places we travelled, however the one that sticks out in our mind the most was our stay in Milan, the first city in Europe that we visited (but Italy in general was nice).  Everyone was very friendly there.  We got to eat inside nice restaurants like Charlie Brown’s, visit dog parks all over the city, go through a castle, ride the trollies and visit the Piazza del Duomo and neighboring areas.

Boone and Kenzie in London, England

Q: You went to the UK when you traveled through Europe – did you have any problems with the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)?
A: We planned ahead pretty well to avoid the 6-month quarantine by getting our rabies shot and ISO chip, but we were forced to stay an extra day in Calais because we needed to get a sign-off from a vet for flea and tick and de-wormer medication.

Visit http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/index.htm for information regarding the rules of importing pets to the UK.

Q: What was your least favorite place in Europe, or the least doggie friendly place?
A: Naples was our least favorite place in Europe.  After arriving by train, we walked outside only to find garbage dumped all over the roads and flies swarming on top of the garbage. It turned out there was a garbage strike.  So we ended up leaving that same day back home. Spain also because they need a doggie train pass, otherwise the cost is prohibitive to ride them.

Q: What do you prefer: planes, trains or automobiles? My dog, Bodie, definitely prefers automobiles but also loves a good train ride.
A: We definitely prefer trains the most, especially when passing by cows.  We always tend to pay the most attention to the scenery when we see them.  We wish we could travel by rail in the United States, but sadly Amtrak doesn’t allow pet travel on their lines.

Boone and Kenzie ready for the plane

Q: When you fly, can you fit under the seat or do you ride in cargo? Do you have any tips for calming nerves when flying?
A: When we fly, we’ve only done where we fit under the seat, since we’re pretty much the max width, height and weight for in-cabin flying.  Tips for calm nerves during flight would be to go potty just before leaving and get fed treats during takeoff and landing.  Also it’s a good idea to practice being “kenneled” in the bag/kennel you’ll fly in for long amounts of time to get used to being in there.

Q: The highlight of your website has to be all the photos! Have you thought about putting a book together with all the best ones?
A: Yes we have and we look forward to doing that sometime in the future.

Q: If you could choose, where would you vacation next?
A: We’d love to visit Greece, Egypt and India next if we had our choice.  If quarantine wasn’t an issue, we’d also try visiting China, Hawaii and Australia.

(Note: Hawaii no longer requires a long quarantine. For more info, click here)

Q: Do you have any travel-related tips, stories or reviews you’d like to share?
A: We tend to point people to our FAQ, though we don’t have it properly linked from our website:  http://scottietails.com/faq.html

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Boone and Kenzie haven’t had time to update their travelogue lately due to the birth of their new family member, Brendan. ScottieTails.com is still a delightful website and the photos are definitely worth seeing. Boone and Kenzie are two cute, lucky dogs who have traveled more than most people!

Thank you to Boone and Kenzie, and to Ben and Shelby (and little Brendan), for participating in the interview. I hope to read, and see more photos, of your future adventures.

Links:

ScottieTails.com Homepage

ScottieTails.com Photo Gallery

ScottieTails.com Videos

PetRelocation.com offers a slightly different service then AndASmallDog. While we focus on vacationing and spending time with your pet, PetRelocation.com offers assistance with relocating them across the country, or across the world. The website has many cool features including customer reviews and advice, and “Ask the Experts” section and photos of “happy pets” from around the world.

Check out my article on Examiner.com for more info!

AndASmallDog.com is looking for contibutors!

Did you take your dog with you on your summer vacation? Perhaps it was just a day at the beach or hiking in the mountains. Or perhaps it was a road trip across Europe? If you have something to share, please email us to be featured on our site!

We are also starting a Flickr group to gather photos of pets on vacation so stay tuned (easiest way is to subscribe to the RSS feed or to follow us on Twitter)!

Happy Travels!

Bodie at the Beach, Barcelona

Here is a link to my new article on Examiner.com – a checklist for traveling by car with your dog!

Enjoy and send feedback!

Road trip checklist for your pet link