Airline options if need to bring my Corgi (vet, breeder, puppies)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have an older Corgi that is about 13 years old and still is in fairly good health. There are not really any relatives local to me that I can ask to look after him if we go on a trip out of state, and I'm reluctant to have someone we don't really know in our home to dog sit or even make visits during the day. So I've been bringingi him everywhere whenever we go on road trips, and if it's a plane trip, I usually stay home and look after him or another family member will. We just aren't comfortable leaving him in a "pet hotel" for 10-14 days. Some relatives tried that with their little dog when they came out to visit us, and upon their return to pick up their dog, they found that he did not get much to eat and wasn't himself for a good while once home. It took a while to recover.
Anyway, now we would like to go out of state to visit family together and want to look at options to take our dog on a plane. I've looked into Southwest and was told I'd have to put our dog in a carrier that is ventilated and will fit under the front airplane seat fully. I was told I couldn't buy a seat next to me for our dog and put his carrier on that. I asked because our Corgi is about 28lbs an I'm not sure he'd fit into a carrier small enough to slide under a standard economy airline front seat (I could be wrong?).
Could someone confirm if any domestic airlines that go from Northern California to Detroit Michigan would have front airline seats with undersides that could fit a carrier for a 28lbs Corgi? Or allow the purchase of the seat next to me to place his carrier on there?
I'd rather not put him in a cargo bay area of an airplane either.
I don't think you are going to get an adult corgi under an airline seat. Your dog will have to go accompanied baggage, which means in the cargo hold.
I don't think they will allow the pet carrier up on a seat during take off and landing, or during turbulence. But you can ask the ticket agent about airline policy.
Each airline has it's own specific rules. Alaska has a zero tolerance policy for animals on seats. Delta and Southwest have both allowed my partner to sit in a vacant sea, but I always check with the aircrew first.
You should also be able to determine the height of the underseat area based on type of aircraft.
I doubt a 28 lb corgi will fit under the seat. The only time I know of corgis flying under the seat was when they were puppies. My breeder flew hers all over the country to show and they flew as cargo once they were adults. I'm pretty sure she had some females that were around that size.
It's also a long time for an old dog to be in a small crate not able to move much. I think it would be a much better idea to get a pet sitter. Do not get one from Rover or Wagg though. Find local company that has been around for a while and is bonded. Ask your vet for a recommendation.
You absolutely need to check with the airline you intend to fly. Each airline has very specific rules about flying animals. I'd be sure and check with Southwest about the size of crate they will allow in a seat. For most airlines IIRC the crate has to be big enough for the dog to stand up and be able to turn around. I'd be surprised that a crate which is large enough for a corgi to turn around in will fit under (or in) a seat.
In addition if the dog has to go as cargo, there are probably temperature limitations on when they will accept a dog as cargo. Most airlines won't fly them if it's above a certain temperature.
An adult Corgi isn't going to fit under an airplane seat, and no airlines I know of will allow you to purchase a seat for him. So your choice is the cargo hold (potentially dangerous) or finding a reliable pet sitter. I strongly suggest the latter!
I have found reliable pet sitters through Rover website. We just always set up a 'meet and greet' beforehand so I get to meet the sitter and see how they react with my 7-year old Cardigan. There's been a few that I ended up using over again because I got to know them.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
