Annie

Dogs in the Sky

For several years we maintained two homes, a non-working farm in Indiana and our house in Florida.  We traveled back and forth from one to the other as the mood struck us.  Until late 1990 the farm was our permanent home and the house in Florida was used for getaways and little vacations.  This was early in our marriage, and Annie was a rescued 15" beagle—our first dog.

We thought it would be unfair to Annie to board her in a kennel during our several trips to Florida each year, so we decided to get a carrier and take Annie with us on the planes.  I must say Annie was a veteran flyer in no time.  She'd walk into the airport on her leash without showing the least sign of apprehension.  We always gave her a long drink of water to last her through the 2 hour flight, and then when it was time, we opened the carrier door and Annie happily and voluntarily walked into the carrier, curled up on the little blanket inside, and prepared for the journey.  After her first flight, she knew what was to be expected, and I'm guessing she slept most of the way, just the way she did on a quiet afternoon at home.

We flew without much worry about Annie.  Granted, riding in the baggage compartment wouldn't be very pleasant for you or me, but Annie had what she needed—a toy, her blanket, and plenty of space in the carrier.  Her carrier rode up the ramp to the luggage area, and sometimes I watched from my window seat on the plane.

One trip back from Tampa to Cincinnati did give us some worries about her safety.  Tampa wasn't the most convenient airport for us—Sarasota was—but Tampa offered non-stop service, and we didn't want to take a chance that she wouldn't get transferred to a second plane in a plane change in Atlanta.  All seemed fine as we checked Annie in, and we watched her ride the conveyer behind the check-in desks into the baggage handling area.  We flew home comfortably knowing Annie was in an air conditioned and pressurized baggage compartment, probably right below our seats.

But when we got to Cincinnati it took much longer than usual for her carrier to appear on the carrousel.  When we finally saw the carrier, we were relieved, but I noticed another baggage tag had been added to the original one.  It seemed she had made the trip to Cincinnati on a different plane from the one we were on.  We never heard why the switch, but since it all ended well, there was no harm done.

I never had any fears she could be lost, as the carrier was well marked with her name and ours.  It also carried a Delta Frequent Flyers' Club tag, which is supposed to get you a little better service on Delta.  Also Annie was never without her collar which had identification tags.  I think that time might have been before microchips.

Many people have mentioned the danger to dogs flying as luggage.  We've all seen the trains of baggage carts baking in the sun on an airport apron.  I'm told live animals get priority treatment by the baggage handlers to avoid overheating them in the summer.  Some airlines serving southern cities will not accept animals in carriers during the summer.

These days we live in one place all the time.  It suits us to be home-bodies, and our dogs are quiet, stay-at-home types.  And it's a good thing too, because these days the airline industry is so huge, impersonal, and computerized that I'm not sure I want to transport the canine members of my family as baggage.

Les Inglis