Hummus and Cargo
Good morning!
Doesn’t Bella look SASSY? She needs a haircut like you read about 🙂
How’s your day going? Mine has been good- I forced myself to wake up early, even though I was tempted to sleep according to California time 🙂
I felt a lot better after a weights sesh, a spin class and a green juice:
An organic cucumber, whole thing (head? stalk?) of romaine, half a lemon + Stevia
Stevia is key. Without it, a fruitless green juice doesn’t taste so happy.
Rest of b-fast was an omelet and GF English muffin with organic butter and cinnamon:
The star of the show was HUMMUS in the omelet– so good 🙂
There’s so much to do today!!
-Laundry mountain
-Errands
-Re-create a recipe from this weekend 🙂
-Work! I’m excited to see my work friends again.
But before I go, I have a question for ya’ll (that has nothing to do with food or fitness):
Have any of you traveled with your dog under the plane as cargo before? I’m going to be taking Viesa with me to Tucson when I go for Thanksgiving and she’s 20 lbs- not a big dog by any means but not small enough to fit under the seat in front of me. I’m horrified of having her travel under the plane (especially since she’s an anxious thing) and don’t know what to do :/ I checked on a pet-only airline (Pet Airways) but it was going to be extremely expensive to take her (plus I’d have to drive her to Ft Lauderdale to take the pet airline). Any tips would be so appreciated! The Pilot and I have been researching like crazy.
See ya later today with a Foodbuzz weekend-inspired recipe 🙂
xoxo,
Gina
Zumba song of the day “Bon Bon (We Speak No Americano)” Pitbull I’m obsessed.
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More so than traveling in the cargo hold because depressurization is very very very unlikely, I would be concerned about traveling during these cold winter months since pets are often left in their crates out on the tarmac while waiting to get loaded into the hold. It may not be a very long time, however in extreme temperatures pups can get cold really quick. Likewise, the same applies for when you are flying out of Orlando. Even in December it can get pretty warm here in FL and a stressed out dog in the heat out on the tarmac in their crate with all those baggage machines and conveyers and baggage handlers yelling can get to be too much for even the most hardy dogs. Another thing to consider is how long the plane might be taxiing on the runway since you are traveling during the holidays when air traffic is especially busy and congested. Basically while the plane is taxiing, which can get up to an hour or even more during peak travel times, the temperature inside the cargo hold is the outside temperature. The cargo hold is climate controlled but not like in the passenger cabin…in the hold the climate control typically maintains a 50-60 degree temperature. Also my boyfriend used to work in operations for a major airline and he would tell me how more often than you would think, dogs got “lost” or got loose, considering that airlines are being entrusted with securing our pets and pets are supposed to stay in their crates the entire time.
I know its a really long way to Tucson, but have you thought about driving out there? Considering the fees of flying with your dogs on top of your own ticket, it might even be cost effective to do so, not to mention less stressful if your dogs don’t mind the car. If it were me, I would try to find a good deal for a rental car on Hotwire or a similar site (since I woudln’t want to put that many miles on my own car!). I’d return the car in Tucson and then fly back, and if you have your small dog with you, she can ride with you in the cabin. Unless you are into road-tripping solo, I’d try to get a friend or maybe your cousin to drive out with you to make the road trip more fun. As far as finding non-sketchy places to stay if I did the road trip thing, I’d plan my stops around where there is a W Hotel if possible, since W Hotels allow up to two dogs to stay in your room with you for I believe a $50 or $60 fee…they even give them chic bowls and beds to use during their stay!
Sorry that I wrote a lot but if you can’t tell I kind of adore my puppy and I am such a worrywort that I would consider driving for three days to avoid the few hours of stress and anxiety I’d feel if my dog was flying down in the cargo hold. I know that statistically it is safe and sometimes alternative transportation is simply not an option. However I also know that if anything happened to my furbaby while traveling I would most likely never forgive myself. Anyways happy travels and good luck 🙂
Yes, I know that the vast majority of animals end up at their destination just fine, however there are enough true “horror stories” out there to merit looking at all the variables associated with flying a pet as cargo and possibly reconsidering travel options.
i think the horror stories are just as important as the successful stories- all options need to be researched carefully, and i really appreciate everyone sharing their advice and experiences!
Seriously with the scare stories?! It sounds like a serious possibility that there’s no other option in Gina’s case so maybe lay off with the horror stories?
I’ve flown my puppy twice as cargo and she’s always been completely fine. She’s always excited to see me after a couple of hours of me being out so she was hyper and excited to see me after the flight but nothing out of the ordinary.
You don’t have to worry about pressure changes because they’re in a pressurised area (seriously people, they don’t just shove your dogs in the wheel space!)
Airlines do it ALL the time, they have strict regulations about which kind of dogs they’ll fly (not the breeds that have breathing issues typically) and when its safe for them to fly (hot/cold/whatever).
I’ve flown Virgin and British Airways and both times had impeccable service. With BA, because they ended up having to put her on a separate flight from me, they put her in a taxi at the other end and shipped her to my house!
If you have any special instructions (like not to take her out of the crate), make sure it’s clearly visible on the crate. I like the previous person’s comment about attaching extra food to the crate too with instructions.
I know you’ll stress regardless, we all do because we love our puppies, but she’ll be fine, and so will you! 🙂
– CJ
My dog has flown underneath the plan a few times. Unfortunately his anxiety and the lack of handling with care has caused me to never do it again. His crate allowed him room to move, but also caused him to bang around quite a bit. He was traumatized on his last trip. Several years ago it was $100+/each way for him to fly under the plane.
While I appreciate everyones honest opinions about flying pets as cargo I do think some of the horror stories are a bit exaggerated and would scare me if I were you Gina! I think the best suggestions or opinions are the one’s that people have had themselves and not that they heard from a friend of a friend. With that being said my dogs have flown multiple times for pretty long distances. While neither have been underneath in the cargo hold we do sedate both of them every time. I trust my vet and had a long conversation about my concerns and about some of the horror stories I had heard. Both of my dogs are very small so the likelihood of them for lack of a better term OD’ing on sedatives is much higher than that of a bigger dog. Every time we have flown it has gone relatively smoothly and the sedatives just calm them and don’t knock them out. I also have heard that Dramamine can work if you don’t wait to give your dog a stronger drug but again only your vet will know and be honest about the risks etc. In terms of going underneath the plane that is actually how I received one of my dogs. He was shipped from California to the East Coast and I was absolutely terrified of going to get him and not having a live dog to pick up. However when I arrived the staff was extremely friendly and my dog could not have been happier or better taken care of. I think a lot of the discussion about the risks of putting pets underneath in the cargo hold has been linked to the heat and poor ventilation of planes. However I like to think because of the publicity more recently this issue has received it is being more closely watched and the airlines are taking more precautions to ensure safe pet travel. I hope this helps and good luck!
Thank you for commenting on these horror stories being shared! I was thinking the same thing! So many people fly with their pets daily and everything goes smoothly and the dogs are happy and in one piece when they reach their destination. 🙂 I think we all need to focus on NOT scaring someone even more so than they already are, and instead focus on giving positive feedback and reassurance. 🙂
I anxiously clicked to this post to read these comments because I’ve struggled with this idea before. I’m a control freak when it comes to my baby (dog)!
After reading these comments, I’m still so confused! Sounds like there’s good and bad experiences all around! Let us know what you end up doing! 🙂
Totally would not do it. We have vowed not to ever do that to our dogs. They are treated like cargo, not like animals. I know the bad outcomes are few but it only takes a lost pet or really cold or hot (read AZ) to have something bad happen to your pet. I think if it were me, I would just board her…
hummus on omelets is SO GOOD! i’m glad i’m not the only person who does that…
I’ve traveled with my lab before but it was a much further distance. What airlines are your traveling? I know US airways takes good care of pets but you might call and see what kind of procedure that entail. Glad you back safe and sound from SF. Looked like an amazing fun weekend. Love all that wine! 😉
oh yes, I would go with dramamine!!
Have your vet prescribe some anti-anxiety meds.
Delta’s in-cabin pet policy is 20 or less pounds, in a Soft Crate 19 inches or less.
Rescue Remedy makes a PET version, to calm Sweet Bella. 😀
sorry… I just realized it was Viesa 🙂 I was thinking of the cutie photo of Bella up there as I wrote this. <3
Now I want a hummus omelet!
We flew our little jack russel with KLM as cargo under the plain from Uganda via Amsterdam to Dallas.
I was VERY nervous and being 14 pounds she was too heavy to go on the plane too.
She is VERY high strung but she was okay. We didn’t drug her or anything like that. KLM (if you ever go overseas with them!) was GREAT. They even take them out and walk them and give them water etc. and she was just the price of an extra bag.
When we boarded we could hear her yipping beneath but by the time the engines got to going we couldn’t hear her. She did get sick in her crate :/ BUT she was completely fine when we got her in Dallas.
I wouldn’t fly them unnecessarily if they’re not used to it, but when it comes to moving we plan to take her back to Africa with us too, and we love her like a baby!
Good luck!
That is a hard choice! Can you ask a vet for advice?
yes, we’re going to the vet on thurs
You can always knock her out a bit with benadryl. Ask your vet for the proper dosage. I haven’t ever carried my dog on the plane though, he’s a 110lb Bernese Mountain Dog–so it’s not entirely possible 😉
I never thought of putting hummus in my omelette! That sounds like an absolutely wonderful breakfast dear 🙂
http://www.petsonthego.com/profpetmovers.html
Maybe check out a company/organization who could help?
I’ve never flown with my dogs, for that very reason– too complicated! Honestly, I’ve heard too many horror stories about dogs dying under the plane to attempt to do it with ours 🙁 I would try to avoid that at all possible costs!
Just took my Papillon mix Bailey on an American Airlines flight. He is 20 pounds and I have a large Sherpa carrier. I had to bend down the carrier a bit to fit it under the seat, but he was able to travel under there successfully.
AA charges $100 each way for a carry on pet, and you just have to call ahead to make a reservation.
I recently had to put my 22lb Cocker on a plane from SF to Orlando and that was in March. She did fine but it was a really long day and I would go to all costs to avoid it.
Too bad he’s not that kind of pilot. 😉
The omelet looks great, I was so glad to get back to green smoothies after all the rich eating at the Foodbuzz fest.
Definitely check into the rescue remedy natural pet tranq…its a wonderful option.
When we lived in the states we always drove from our duty station to our “homes” to visit and carried our heeler with us. Obviously, the move to Guam wasn’t an option and our dog was flown. She actually left the east coast 2 days before we did, was boarded with Continental’s kennel overnight in Hawaii, and then picked up by Andersen Air Force Base kennel on the Guam end for her 3 day quarantine. It went JUST FINE! The airline and the kennel said she was easy going, sweet, and no trouble at all. (and she’s actually a pretty high strung, nervous dog! We didn’t use a tranq either).
That being said, if your airline will allow her as a carry on with the 20lb weight limit I’d go that way. A-It’s cheaper (when we flew Shelby cargo we had to pay $425, but that was also an international flight with several stops) and B-you can have her close to you to keep an eye on her.
I am SO excited to see which recipe you try to recreate! Everything from that weekend looked amazing.
My large dog flew cargo and she was really highly strung afterwards but got over it ok. If the dog is a nervous one by nature perhaps a consultation with the vet to give her some mild sedatives?
I flew once with one of my dogs below the cabin. He did just fine and it seemed as though it didn’t stress him whatsoever. He weighs about 24 lbs and I’m assuming just slept the entire time. I also read online, before my flight, that usually the pilots/flight attendants will let you know that your dog is on board and is doing okay.
But you just never know how dogs are going to react…that’s what my vet told me when I asked him about dogs flying on planes. I think it’s a risk, but for my case, it went just fine.
Every time I see ‘GF English Muffin’, I always think the GF stands for Goldfish-as in the definitely not gluten free cheese snacks. every. time.
i wish they were goldfish english muffins 🙂
Hummus and eggs I can not seem to do. I don’t know why but it just never sits well with me. But eggs on oats, salads and with lots of ketchup, now that is something I can live with.
If you are only going for Thanksgiving would it not be better to hire a puppy-sitter or board her? oh note: She should be able to fit under the seat, Guide Dogs do it all the time. Ask for bulkhead seating and she has floor space, if they allow a dog that size in coach.
Hi Gina,
Im from Australia and we can only fly dogs as cargo here. I have flown two of my bulldogs domestically with no issues. Just make sure you dont feed her or give her any type of sedative when you fly her – that can interfere with her breathing or make her throw up.
Good luck! I have two dogs that we have to keep seperate at all times – its tuff!
It’s a HEART! A *heart* of romaine 🙂
Nice looking omlette, you should try Agave syrup it’s quite sweet, a catcus based sweetner, for use in the green juices.