From the -48: what you wish you would have brought (and not) (Anchorage: sale, insurance)

[IndianaMatt]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

Nothing. Every single thing you think you need from the lower 48 is available in Anchorage. Other then family photos and keepsakes I wouldn't drag anything else up here.

Thread over!

[JasonAndJulie]

Globetraveler- The reason you probably didn't see my dog thread is because there wasn't one I meant to take the time to sit down and make a thread so everyone could pull it out for future reference, but it hasn't happened yet.

Here's the gist of the situation: I have Great Danes. The large male we have is currently 15 months old and 35 1/2 inches at the top of his back (not head). Essentially he is tall enough to drink from the kitchen sink if he wanted to. Obviously, we don't let him...but on occasion he does counter surf when he thinks we're not looking. This dog will mature to maybe 38" at the top of his back (wither on a horse). He is also currently about 140 lbs but once he turns 2 he will start to put on weight a lot and should hit about 200lbs. We also have another female that is currently 28.5" and may grow another inch, a puppy that is 8 weeks old, and expecting another puppy in December.

So in order to get a dog on an airplane, the USDA says the dog should be able to sit, lay down, turn around, and stand without any part of the dog touching any of the sides. Well clearly this will not happen with a Dane, especially if the ears are cropped. Danes are also not sitting down dogs. They will either stand or lay but rarely do they just go sit somewhere. It is too hard on their frame. You would be shocked at how small they are when they lay down. They usually curl into a tiny ball and you would never know they are a Dane.There are several kennels available the largest that is made commercially is 35" tall. They also make extenders which are just wood pieces that you put in the middle of where the cage top and bottom meet. It allows up to another 4" of space. I think the airlines carry the extenders and you can just make your own, too.

Alternatively, you can custom make your own cage with specifications, I'll include them all when I make my thread at a later time. We were instructed to make our own cage that would be 43" high because this would accommodate the dog but it would still be a stretch. The cargo people agreed to the dimensions, etc.

HAving said all that, the other issue is this: Only a cage up to 37" tall will fit on most major Boeing 737's. It has to do with the cargo door. In our scenario, our dogs will have to ride on a 757 or 767. Well, Alaska Air ONLY flies 737's and smaller, and all the other major airlines quit flying in the big planes mid September. They restart again at the beginning of tourist season which I am assuming is May. We can find 757's all the way to Seattle, but at that point ALL the connections become 737's or smaller, during the winter months. That means, our dogs don't fit.

On top of all of this, like you were mentioning with the weather, you have to consider temperature. So rather than shipping your animals like a piece of luggage, they have a way to ship them that involves a/c and heat, but only in the airports and transportation vans. Once the animal is on the plane, it is what it is. The cargo areas are pressurized, though. So in order to comply with their rules of the shipping animals like animal cargo, it is about $1500 per dog to ship them, and that only gets us to Seattle.

I checked rates for our Suburban plus dogs, plus our family on the ferry. It would be about 6 days and take 2 ferries. It would cost $3000 for all of us. The conditions on the ferry are not favorable for animals.

All that to say, we'll probably drive unless we come up in the summer months when we can fit the dogs on a 757 and take a direct flight on Continental from Houston to Anchorage.

I hope this explains some things. I will get more detailed when I create the other thread.

[akck]

Since the employer is paying for the move, I'd bring everything you want subject to $$ limitations by the employer. If there are any specialty food items (not fresh), you like to eat, I'd get a case of them as long as they have a long shelf life or you go through them quickly. Before Costco, they used to recommend stocking up on toilet paper, paper towels, etc., that is bulky items of light weight. If there is something you like that's local and fits this category, I'd stock up with it. I'd also get a Food-saver and bags there (you might save a few $$). That way, you can prepackage dry goods that are local in portion sizes. The Costco here once had dried red pepper flakes. We bought a container and re-packaged it into smaller packages that fit the spice container for it. We also re-package cheese to keep it from going moldy.

If you find a table and chairs that you just love down there, I'd get it now as long as the employer will cover shipping it. When you're closer to moving, do separate everything you don't want to bring, even getting rid of it before the movers come. We had items we weren't planning on shipping that were loaded into the container when we weren't paying attention. I've even heard of garbage containers full of garbage being loaded.

The only way to avoid the two worst sections for pets is to take the ferry from Prince Rupert to Haines and drive from there. The longest time between ports is about 8 hours, which most pets can endure. You'll need to have passports though. If you end up taking the ferry from Bellingham, while I've never done it, you might try this. Get a large piece of astroturf. Lay it in an areas where your dogs go and get them to go on it. Once they're comfortable going on it, bag it up and bring it on top of your vehicle. Whenever you stop, pull it out and let them use it. The idea is to get them trained to go by just seeing/smelling the astroturf when it's laid out.

[wcgornto]

Delta flies 757s year round from MSP to ANC. I think they also fly 757s year round between SLC and ANC. Seattle is not the only way to get to Anchorage.

[JasonAndJulie]

When I called Delta they told me that they DID have flights out of MSP but that they would stop in Seattle or SLC and change planes to 737's or smaller. I am going to look into it further.

The reason I was saying Seattle is because it was as far as I could get (domestically) on a 757.

[JasonAndJulie]

I know why the Delta Cargo guy told me it wouldn't work. It's because out of Houston there are no flights to Minneapolis from Houston except those that stop in Atlanta. They are all on small planes to Atlanta, like the kind with 1 seat on one side and 2 seats on the other side. Then from Atlanta they are 737's to Minneapolis. I also checked out of Dallas. There are flights nonstop to MSP from Dallas however they are all on smaller planes, too. Sigh.

Getting to SLC is the same thing, small planes. I didn't even check to see if they have one-ways on 757's out of SLC to Anc since I can't get there anyways.

Although, it's news to me that 757's come in to Anchorage in the winter, I guess that is one new thing I learned today. Sigh.

[JasonAndJulie]

AKCK, Thanks for the input on the shipping stuff. Also on the astroturf. That is a good point about training them to go on something. As of now, I am training them to the voice command "go potty". I don't know how they will feel about going on the concrete deck though, so you might be on to something with the astroturf. My other obstacle is trying to figure out how to keep 3 or 4 of those giant kennels in my Suburban meanwhile keeping the car seats in. It would be one thing if we could remove the 2nd and 3rd rows but we can't because we need the seats for our kids and their car seats to be buckled into. If it means adding another car, it is another $1500, or $1800, I forget. I wouldn't feel good at all about leaving my dogs (or any dogs) unsupervised in my car for 6 days, much less 4 Great Danes. Aside from the obvious things like chewing out of bordeom or not being able to hold their potty, what if they got into a tiff? They never have cross words now but being locked up for 6 days in a confined space might be a lot to ask.

I have never checked into the driving part of the trip, although I had heard it existed. I had figured my husband could drive all the way to Seattle with the dogs then take the ferry by himself and the dogs but that doesn't seem fair...until I think about flying to Anchorage by myself with 5 small kids, then it doesn't seem unfair.

All in all, I think we're back to the idea that if we can't get a direct flight out of Houston or Dallas to Anchorage on a 757 we will just drive the whole way, up through North Dakota and over. I know his company will pay for plane tickets but if the dogs are $6000 ($1500 each) plus the ferry which is $2000 if it's just him and $3000 for everyone, plus a car rental for a week to transport the dogs on the ferry, we are looking at a minimum of $8000 plus car rental. It can't cost us $8000 to drive and it will certainly be more scenic.

[Dakster]

I think you have done all of the math and looking into things. Seems like being prepared to drive all the way is what you are deciding. Multiple vehicles will add to the safety of the drive. If one breaks down you can at least drive to safety and help. The drive is going to be very scenic... At times it will be very remote....

FWIW, If I had to move what you are describing I would drive all the way too.

[JasonAndJulie]

Um, did I mention the HORSE? We are thinking of bringing him too (and maybe picking up another one on the way...there are some really nice horses to be had in Montanta and North Dakota...) LOL

If we drive I can almost guarantee we'll bring him. If we find some way to fly, we might just end up selling him.

[wcgornto]

Originally Posted by JasonAndJulie

I know why the Delta Cargo guy told me it wouldn't work. It's because out of Houston there are no flights to Minneapolis from Houston except those that stop in Atlanta. They are all on small planes to Atlanta, like the kind with 1 seat on one side and 2 seats on the other side. Then from Atlanta they are 737's to Minneapolis. I also checked out of Dallas. There are flights nonstop to MSP from Dallas however they are all on smaller planes, too. Sigh.

Getting to SLC is the same thing, small planes. I didn't even check to see if they have one-ways on 757's out of SLC to Anc since I can't get there anyways.

Although, it's news to me that 757's come in to Anchorage in the winter, I guess that is one new thing I learned today. Sigh.

Yeah, getting to MSP or SLC is the trick. You could possibly make it work but with strange routings, multiple airlines and higher cost.