Hello everybody,

I am planning to travel to Europe with my chiuhahua this coming Chrismas and I was wondering if any of you has ever travelled with their dog to Europe and can give me some advice. How has your dog handled the long flight? Were you allowed to take the dog out of the carrier during the flight? Was it hard going through custom?

Thanks for your help!!!

My boss has a friend that takes her dogs from Holland to Spain every year and her pooches are required to have their own passports! She also had to have proof of certain vaccinations being current due to regulations in Spain. You may want to see if there are these kinds of requirements in whichever country/countries you plan on visiting. This ties into your concerns with Customs. They are likely to want to verify that your dog meets their country's pet vaccination requirements and that he/she has "official/acceptable" picture identification. Also, be sure to be familiar with the laws and regulations of the region you are going to be in.

For example:
In San Diego County, you can be cited if your dog defecates or urinates on property other than your own or the property of the person responsible for its care. This includes both public AND private property. You can be ticketed even if you pick up after your dog. To avoid citation, dogs are to be directed to GUTTERS to relieve themselves and --if applicable-- picked up after! (Crazy, huh?) So, if your dog pees on your neighbor's lawn and it upsets them, they can tattle on you and get you ticketed! Apparently being on a leash and picking up after them isn't enough anymore!!

Moral of the story? Do your homework! Know the laws to avoid (ridiculous) trouble!

Moving on!

Flights from the U.S. to Europe tend to be 12+ hours... Some airline companies permit small dogs as "carry-on", but some require that all dogs, regardless of size, be kept in a crate/carrier with baggage in the undercarriage of the plane. This is typically done to better accommodate those with pet allergies, and to spare their other patrons from the unpleasant odor of potential potty accidents.

In the event of your dog having to fly with baggage:
While water is a must, so is clever packaging. Water in a traditional bowl -- even one that fastens to the gate -- is GOING to get spilled. They are careful with the dogs, but not careful enough to avoid spilling food/water in the crate. Use something similar to the water dispensers for rabbits, if possible. If you don't already have one, get a PoochPad. Your pooch is gonna HAVE to pee at some point. These pads absorb the urine and pull it to the center core, away from the dog. Result? Doggy stays dry! Also, airline companies suggest that you do not have a collar on your dog to avoid potential strangulation (if it were to catch on something in the crate/carrier).

In the event your dog is permitted as "Carry-On":
It is doubtful that you would be permitted to take your dog out of the crate/carrier. There is quite a bit of liability on the airline's behalf if something were to happen. While you may be confident in your dog's temperament/behavior, you have to remember that he/she is in a strange, scary new environment and may act unpredictably -- which may lead to injury to you, another passenger, or your pooch...

Hope that helps. I've never traveled by air with a pet, but I've done some research out of curiosity. Hopefully someone else in the Chihuahua Group will have more information! Good luck!

We've traveled on Jetblue with our two chihuahuas under the seat back and forth from the east coast (5-6 hours) about 5 times. Once you are in the airport terminal, they can't come out because other people might be allergic. When they were puppies and had difficulty being crated for that long, I would take them one at a time into the bathroom, let them out, and put a potty pad down on the diaper changing area (it folds out over the toilet) and let them go potty. It would also give me a couple of minutes to hold and pet them.

I do know that dogs coming into the US need to be quarantined for a little while (Hawaii is 6 months, as is Japan, not sure what the mainland is), so you will also need to check to see if your dog will be allowed back into the US after being in another country and if he will need to be quarantined.

Good luck!