kennel for airtravel

[luke4275]

My pup 1.5 yrs and 82 lbs uses the skykennel 500P which is 30 inches high. the airline will only accept a 400 kennel which is 27 inches high and good for boxers, australian shep.. etc.. Do you think this will be fine for a 5 hr flight? I can test it at the store.. he has to be able to stand , turn around etc.. any thoughts

[San]

Hubby and I adopted a senior GSD in 2008. He was around 82 lbs at the time. The rescue would not ship him without owner's presence so hubby flew to Los Angeles to pick him up. It was a 4 hr flight.

The largest kennel he was able to find (he was only in L.A. for a few hours) was 30" high. Our new GSD could barely stand in it (with head hanging low). The airline (I believe it was American Airline and the dog was traveling as cargo) personnel almost turned them away because his crate was too small, the personnel thought the dog looked uncomfortable. At the last second, our new GSD decided to lay down and curled into a ball. That changed the personnel's mind.

They were very lucky, so just be aware that if your crate was too small, you do run the risk of not being able to board with your dog.

[lhczth]

The dog must be able to stand up and turn around easily. The weight of your dog isn't what they look at. It is the size of the dog. You could be turned away if he is too big. I would go to the airline's website and look for their rules for taking dogs as luggage or you may have to call them and get their rules.

[acillaton]

Here is some good info about air travel and crates:
Pet Airline Travel Expert - DryFur®