Dogs Holiday

[Genabee]

I thought I would ask all the seasoned puppy owners for their advice about travelling interstate by air, with their pups.

Our family live in Perth and we are in Melbourne, so we travel a fair bit back to the West. I am due to go over next month for a few days and am contemplating taking our puppy (who by then will be about 22 weeks). My family have dogs too and have been at me to bring Genevieve home with me, to meet the rest of the family.

I know that many puppies start their journey's to their new homes by air, as they are often sent interstate. However, this was not the case for Genevieve as she came from a local breeder. As she has never flown before, I am concerned about how she may travel and the subsequent recovery.

Some people have suggested to me that if they fly frequently enough from a young enough age, they become used to it... A very good friend of mine travels for work a lot, and her dog goes everywhere with her without any worries. Yet other people have said their dogs have never been the same after such travel and would never do it again.

The Australian Air Express gentleman who I spoke with, said that they put several dogs on planes every day and most of them go to sleep, and that I shouldn't be too concerned.

I'm not sure what would be more traumatic for her, four hours on a plane or being left by herself at a boarding kennel.

Any advice or suggestions?