By MARJORIE DORFMAN
Traveling at any time of the year presents its own unique set of hassles, but during
holiday time, in many instances, the process can be a disaster waiting to happen. Part of
the problem is the increased traffic caused by the multitude of people traveling with you,
compounding issues like stressful traffic jams and crowded compartments, which were
bad enough last summer when everyone was traveling back and forth from the beach.
There is also the high level of intensity, distrust for our fellow traveler and free-floating
anxiety that is everywhere during this “happiest time of the year.”
If you can avoid traveling with your pet during the holiday season, you probably should.
Boarding a pet or hiring a reliable pet sitter present practical alternatives and should be
carefully evaluated before making the decision to take your pet to wherever you have in
mind. If you must travel with your pet, consider the following suggestions and then
proceed at your own risk. Remember too, that he who hesitates is lost and to look before
you leap.
Dogs will require different preparation for travel than cats, which should come as no
surprise to dog and cat owners. A dog that can walk on a loose leash is easier to travel
with than one that can’t. In addition, if a dog doesn’t come when it is called, this can
present many obvious travel problems. If you have a cat, it would be superfluous to even
mention this as you can forget about a cat doing what you want. That old adage about
felines reigns supreme here: “Dogs come when called; in the case of cats, leave a
message and they may or may not get back to you.”
As far as airplane travel is concerned, many people have experienced problems with
transporting their animals from one part of the world to the other. Barring quarantine laws
and such, the animal is lucky to make it unscathed and still be able to bark or meow. In
the interests of fair play, there must be a million success stories, but the horror tales one
hears on the evening news unfortunately linger in most minds, even those that are
usually misplaced, such as my own. One news story concerned a woman whose cat
was dead when she arrived at her destination. The airline apologized formally and
awarded her $1,500. One can only wonder how they arrive at a figure to compensate for
the loss of a pet. How much is a pure bred worth? A domestic shorthair with no
pedigree? Their owner with or without a passport?
One personal account concerns a woman who dealt with this situation in her own unique
way. While moving to Los Angeles from New York, she devised a plan to transport her
two female cats, India and Graphite. First she enlisted the aid of her vet who gave her
some Phenobarbital with strict instructions as to its use for knocking out two animals of a
certain weight for about 10 hours. The cats were small and she created a kind of tote bag
to carry over her arm as one bag was allowed on board. She placed the bag by her feet
next to her seat. She checked on them often as they slept soundly. When they awoke they
were in a new home, no less the worse for wear. She had a great idea until she
considered transporting her children that way; then she got into trouble. (Only kidding!)
So consider your animal and the alternatives available when traveling during the holiday
season. If your dog can not ride calmly in a vehicle or gets motion sickness, it would
probably be better not to transport the animal. Also, you have to plan for the unforeseen
even though we all know how that sounds. Your dog must be able to trust you when
confronted with something that sounds or smells scary. If the animal can respond to
treats in learning situations, it is likely it can manage the unexpected for which you could
never have known to train for in advance.
Separation anxiety can be a serious problem both for dogs and their owners and
traveling can and often does precipitate such a trauma. In such cases, load up with
Valium; not for the animal, but for you, the owner. (Joke, joke.)
All things considered, it might be best not to take your pet with you wherever you plan to
travel the holidays. Better still, don’t go anywhere at all yourself and stay home and make
merry with your pets. If none of this seems like a good idea, pour yourself a stiff one and
hold out until the holidays have passed. They will, and of course, there’s always next year
for that trip to wherever and all the stress surrounding it.
Traveling at any time of the year presents its own unique set of hassles, but during
holiday time, in many instances, the process can be a disaster waiting to happen. Part of
the problem is the increased traffic caused by the multitude of people traveling with you,
compounding issues like stressful traffic jams and crowded compartments, which were
bad enough last summer when everyone was traveling back and forth from the beach.
There is also the high level of intensity, distrust for our fellow traveler and free-floating
anxiety that is everywhere during this “happiest time of the year.”
If you can avoid traveling with your pet during the holiday season, you probably should.
Boarding a pet or hiring a reliable pet sitter present practical alternatives and should be
carefully evaluated before making the decision to take your pet to wherever you have in
mind. If you must travel with your pet, consider the following suggestions and then
proceed at your own risk. Remember too, that he who hesitates is lost and to look before
you leap.
Dogs will require different preparation for travel than cats, which should come as no
surprise to dog and cat owners. A dog that can walk on a loose leash is easier to travel
with than one that can’t. In addition, if a dog doesn’t come when it is called, this can
present many obvious travel problems. If you have a cat, it would be superfluous to even
mention this as you can forget about a cat doing what you want. That old adage about
felines reigns supreme here: “Dogs come when called; in the case of cats, leave a
message and they may or may not get back to you.”
As far as airplane travel is concerned, many people have experienced problems with
transporting their animals from one part of the world to the other. Barring quarantine laws
and such, the animal is lucky to make it unscathed and still be able to bark or meow. In
the interests of fair play, there must be a million success stories, but the horror tales one
hears on the evening news unfortunately linger in most minds, even those that are
usually misplaced, such as my own. One news story concerned a woman whose cat
was dead when she arrived at her destination. The airline apologized formally and
awarded her $1,500. One can only wonder how they arrive at a figure to compensate for
the loss of a pet. How much is a pure bred worth? A domestic shorthair with no
pedigree? Their owner with or without a passport?
One personal account concerns a woman who dealt with this situation in her own unique
way. While moving to Los Angeles from New York, she devised a plan to transport her
two female cats, India and Graphite. First she enlisted the aid of her vet who gave her
some Phenobarbital with strict instructions as to its use for knocking out two animals of a
certain weight for about 10 hours. The cats were small and she created a kind of tote bag
to carry over her arm as one bag was allowed on board. She placed the bag by her feet
next to her seat. She checked on them often as they slept soundly. When they awoke they
were in a new home, no less the worse for wear. She had a great idea until she
considered transporting her children that way; then she got into trouble. (Only kidding!)
So consider your animal and the alternatives available when traveling during the holiday
season. If your dog can not ride calmly in a vehicle or gets motion sickness, it would
probably be better not to transport the animal. Also, you have to plan for the unforeseen
even though we all know how that sounds. Your dog must be able to trust you when
confronted with something that sounds or smells scary. If the animal can respond to
treats in learning situations, it is likely it can manage the unexpected for which you could
never have known to train for in advance.
Separation anxiety can be a serious problem both for dogs and their owners and
traveling can and often does precipitate such a trauma. In such cases, load up with
Valium; not for the animal, but for you, the owner. (Joke, joke.)
All things considered, it might be best not to take your pet with you wherever you plan to
travel the holidays. Better still, don’t go anywhere at all yourself and stay home and make
merry with your pets. If none of this seems like a good idea, pour yourself a stiff one and
hold out until the holidays have passed. They will, and of course, there’s always next year
for that trip to wherever and all the stress surrounding it.
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