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My husband and I will be moving to Maui in February 2015. We have a large 4-year old Golden Retriever moving with us and I have been researching the best way to transport her. We are familiar with the 120 day direct release program and have started that process. However, because she is >70 lbs, she would have to fly in the cargo hold on a regular passenger jet, and I've read numerous horror stories about pets being injured or dying in the process.
I know the cost for a private charter is considerable (~35K), but if there are a few other parties interested in splitting the costs, we are willing.
Thanks. I actually did a search before I posted. I also tried to be as descriptive as possible in the subject line, so that I don't waste the time of folks who have no interest. I am going to utilize other boards and sites as well. Any suggestions are appreciated.
I doubt you can even do it for $50K - you need to round trip charter the plane as the likelihood of getting someone to charter it back to mainland is unlikely.
Have you checked out shipping your large dog by sea? I found place that claims to ship dogs and people long distances, such as from the west coast to Hawaii. This particular web page says they are booked though 2010, four years ago. Maybe the company no longer exists or they don't update their web pages.
Other links I found, like another forum for sailing called SailNet, people were advising not to take dogs on long voyages in small sailing boats. Perhaps cargo shipping companies could ship large dogs. How are horses shipped? Maybe the same method could be used for large dogs. I'm sure that would be very expensive too.
Thanks for the suggestions. Currently, the only pet-friendly cruise line is Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 for transatlantic voyages. I was told that Alaska Airlines offers better transport conditions for larger dogs and they have non-stop flights from Oakland to Kahului, so I will also check into that.
I've done incabin and also cargo back and forth between SF & Honolulu without any problems for my two dogs. Not one problem. It's only a 5 hour flight. Most deaths seem to be older short snout dogs. I talked to everyone the first time and they all assured me that they were animal lovers and would take great care. Be sure your animal is aclimated to the crate and throw in an article of clothing you've worn. Be sure your crate is sturdy and zip tie the crate last thing at the airport. Tip the handler at departure and have some flyers with cute dog pic and hand to pilots and attendants when boarding. Morning flights are best and you get in noonish before the afternoon heat.
They do pets - there used to be a regular poster who worked for them and he/she mentioned that they moved lots of animals and put them right behind the cockpit. Try a search for them. probably a lot of good posts on that service.
Last edited by mdand3boys; 09-24-2014 at 10:01 AM..
Reason: fixed link
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