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Getting into, and out of, England with an in-cabin dog: It’s complicated

We’re planning a long stay in Paris this fall, and for the sake of the blog I decided to fly home not from Paris but from London. Going through that process, I thought, would really help other travelers with dogs — and it is a process, since dogs are not allowed to fly in-cabin into the U.K. If they’re on a plane, they have to be traveling as manifested cargo (as always with posts on this blog, I’m talking about pet dogs, not service animals). Leaving the U.K. is a different story, and I wanted to try it for myself.

So one way to arrive in the U.K. is with your pet checked as baggage in the belly of your plane. It’s not a way I’m comfortable choosing, and for travelers like me, there are three other options. The train is not one of them, since the Eurostar trains that run through the Chunnel are not pet-friendly. Sailing on the Queen Mary 2 is the first option, and someday we’ll do it (in the meantime, my link will lead you to posts by colleagues that have traveled that way). The two remaining options are flying to the Continent and (1) making your way to England by car, carried on the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, or (2) taking a ferry to England.

I have breezily spoken of renting a car in Paris and driving it (with me and my husband and Chloe inside) onto the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle. That is indeed possible, it turns out, though not every rental company will allow it — Avis, for example, will not permit one-way rentals into England, presumably because they don’t want their cars piling up over there. Hertz would allow me to rent a car one way, from Paris to Heathrow, but they charge a staggering €600 for the privilege.

Reader Tammy told me about an alternative. She is moving herself and her Toy Poodle from Singapore to London, and in one of her messages she said she’d found a courier to drive her from where her plane is landing in Europe to England via the Chunnel. Tammy tells me there are many courier options out there, covering all of the likely destinations (Paris, Amsterdam, etc.). She promised to let me know how the one she chose works for her, and if it’s a good experience, we’ll pass the reference on to future travelers. The fee is substantial (the one she ended up selecting is charging €500) — which works for her, and would work for me, but does not work for my husband, so back to the drawing board.

How about taking a ferry? The trip is much longer, but on the bright side (and this appears to be the only bright side, unless the thought of the Chunnel makes you claustrophobic), if you plan it right you can see the white cliffs of Dover. You start by looking at the list of ferries that are approved for pet transport into England (scroll down to the link for “routes by sea and rail”). After you do a bit of research, you’ll learn that most of those companies assume you’ll be driving your car onto the ferry, which brings you back to the €600 surcharge.

A couple of ferry companies do allow foot passengers to walk on with pets, however, including LD Lines (which travels between Dieppe, Le Havre, and Calais and, respectively, Newhaven, Portsmouth, and Dover — but please note Patricia’s comment, below, reporting that only certain LD Lines routes allow foot passengers with pets); and Stena Line (which travels between Harwich and Hook of Holland). Per LD Lines’ website, “Foot passengers wishing to travel with their pet should book via our call center and travel with their pet in a cage. Pets are taken care of by our staff from check-in to arrival.” You’ll do the same with Stena, per their directions.

That was good news, but then I took a moment and thought about the actual logistics of that travel day, and the way we travel. We’d take a train from Paris to Calais, then make our way to and onto the ferry, then off the ferry and to the car rental place in Folkestone — and we could do all of that easily except that when we travel with Chloe we travel with an additional, enormous suitcase.

I thought about how it’ll be November, we’ll be wearing bulky sweaters and coats, and it’ll likely be unpleasant out, and I quailed. My husband agreed that I was right to quail. And so we changed our plans — instead, we’ll be renting a car in Paris, ambling to Calais by way of a day in Amiens, crossing the Chunnel on the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle (which makes it very easy to add Chloe to a ticket, see below), and then returning the same way a few days later. That way, we’ll have a good reason to get a pet passport for Chloe, as well as the required tapeworm treatment, and we’ll have the experience of bringing her into the U.K. to share with you.

It’s just so straightforward to add a pet to your Eurotunnel Le Shuttle reservation

What we won’t experience ourselves is leaving the U.K. by plane with Chloe, but I feel like I did enough research to know how that would have gone. Under the original plan (where we took a car one way from Paris to Heathrow, with a few days of sightseeing in Kent), I had booked us on Lufthansa flights from London to Frankfurt, and then from Frankfurt home to Seattle. The airline reps repeatedly confirmed that I could leave the U.K. with Chloe in cabin. I added Chloe to my reservation, but I was told that I would pay for her in London, on the morning of our departure.

Since I first wrote about Lufthansa, another reader has told me that KLM may also allow pets to leave the U.K. in-cabin. I didn’t investigate further since my miles are on United. Keep it in mind yourself as an option and let me know what you learn!

Backpack and pet lounge: Casual Canine Ultimate Backpack Carrier

As is so often the case, I owe this one to a reader. Heike wrote and asked if I’d seen a carrier on overstock.com that she was considering, and I told her no, and I likely wouldn’t pursue it because Chloe’s roughly twice as large as the Chihuahua pictured in the carrier’s photo. However, I liked how the side of her carrier expanded in the same way the Smart Space carrier does, and I was still gazing at it when I noticed an ad in the sidebar for another expanding carrier — and it was holding a Westie (like Chloe, a larger small dog).

Photo by Tops Pet Products

Now that I’m looking at a REALLY BIG version of the picture, I’m no longer convinced that’s a Westie. Never mind — I think a Westie could fit, and Chloe certainly does, so no harm, no foul. [Photo by Tops Pet Products]

Since it’s a backpack, the Casual Canine Ultimate Backpack Carrier has a whole different purpose in life than the carrier Heike originally pointed me to, but I’ve had only mixed success with the dog backpacks I’ve purchased, so I was thrilled to see it. (The Creature Leisure Carry Den XT is a quality item, but has a structural beam that will clobber your lower back on a long walk; and the Timbuk2 Muttmover, also a quality item, is just a hair too small for Chloe.)

Long story short, I bought the Casual Canine backpack, loved it, and now Heike’s got her finger hovering over the order button too. I liked it so much that I bought a second one to give away. Remember how I said I’d be offering special giveaways to Dog Jaunt newsletter subscribers? This will be the first one, to celebrate the newsletter launch. Hurry and subscribe, using one of the newsletter/subscribe buttons or this link, and then keep an eye on your in-box over the next couple of weeks.

The backpack, under the microscope

With both of its gussets zipped closed, the backpack measures 16.5″ long (about 1.5″ of which is a side pocket), 11″ wide (at the base, tapering to about 8″ wide at dog shoulder-height and 4.5″ wide at the very top of the backpack), and 17″ tall. It weighs 2.36 lbs. It’s made of a sturdy nylon twill, in navy and robin’s egg blue. Completely zipped closed, the ventilation comes from the mesh entry door on one side, and a set of 8 huge grommets (located in the robin’s-egg-blue vertical panels).

A stiff board with soft fleece on one side gives the backpack a fairly solid and stable floor, and provides a little (a very little) softness. There is a tether sewn in, but it can be tucked under the board “floor,” if you prefer it to be out of chewing range.

Unzipping the first gusset adds another 2″ to the carrier’s width, from base to top of bag, and about half of that is mesh, so the ventilation is increased too. We will be keeping this gusset permanently unzipped, because a dog Chloe’s size requires it. I’d say that a dog 10 lbs. or under wouldn’t need it, but Chloe, at 13 lbs., does. The label says that the backpack will hold a pet up to 22 lbs., but I’d guess that 15-18 lbs. would be a more likely upper limit.

Here’s Chloe, getting a (gentle) push:

Our cat Otto looks on as I encourage Chloe to enter the bag, not just stand in the door and eat the treat I tossed in

And here she is, fully inside:

She looks a little put-upon, but that’s because she has to bend her head down a bit to see out the door — I promise you, she fit comfortably in the backpack

Here’s the carrier on my back with Chloe inside:

Still looking put-upon, and yet I am unconcerned

As Heike points out, “What I like about the backpack (beside the big expand-a-space) is the fact that the ventilation screens are on the sides, so nobody can ‘mess’ with your dog behind your back so to speak. But the munchkins can still look out and see what’s going on.”

And then here’s what happens when the second gusset is unzipped — the front of the backpack folds down to create a substantial mesh tent your pup can lounge in:

Chloe is passionately devoted to her Pet Ego Pet Dome (now discontinued in the large size I prefer), and, fully extended, the Casual Canine backpack offers her a similar experience. The enclosure is 23″ long (including the basic backpack), about 8.5″ wide (extension only — as you can see in the picture, Chloe keeps most of her body in the main backpack area, then sprawls her chest and head into the extension area), and a variety of heights (from about 6″ at the lowest up to the full 17″ of the basic backpack area).

Chloe was perfectly comfortable in the backpack-as-tent, and even when I finally unzipped the entry door, she chose to remain inside:

Chloe, zonked out — you can see her nose tucked into the front left corner of the mesh tent

Another view from the side — she only woke up and left the bag when I headed downstairs and she recalled that her treats are also downstairs, and mightn’t those things be related?

The backpack is very comfortable, and I look forward to using it for visits to farmer’s markets. I also plan to bring it on longish short hikes, so that I can carry Chloe if and when she decides her dogs are barking. It’ll do a fine job of carrying my own basic hiking gear (jacket, snack, water, emergency supplies), and I’ll also pack a light day pack like this Flash 18 pack from REI, so that when Chloe goes into the backpack, my gear can go out, and onto my husband’s back. It would also carry Chloe on my back while I was biking, though I wish (as I did with the Muttmover) that it came in a light, sun-reflecting color. It does have plenty of ventilation, but on a sunny day, keep part of your mind on your dog and check to make sure she’s hydrated and not heating up too much.

The lounge feature would work at work, or at a café, if you wanted your pup to be secure without fussing with a leash. Like I say, Chloe finds this kind of soft crate comforting, so it’s easy for me to come up with scenarios where it’d be useful.

Please note that this carrier would not work as an in-cabin carrier except for a very small dog: The back, which would become the floor when you tipped the carrier to go under your seat, does have a certain amount of waterproofing but no padding, so you’d have to bring along a separate pad for the back — and only a small dog would work, because the bag tends to collapse towards its back (there’s no way to keep the middle ventilation gusset propped up).

One last picture to show you the side of the backpack opposite the entry door:

The side pocket is a substantial 6″ x 9″ x 1.5″, and has a mesh outer pocket that could hold a small water bottle

I bought my backpacks at overstock.com for $76.99, but the carrier is currently available at a slightly lower price on Amazon (and at a significantly higher price through Brookstone).

Amazon link: Casual Canine Ultimate Backpack Carrier

Photo Friday: Poop bag from Japan

Two Fridays ago, I posted reader Kate’s picture of a Czech poop bag, and today I have one for you from Japan, thanks to reader Deena. Here’s what she wrote:

“I wanted to add to your poop bag photo collection by sending photos of poop bags in Japan! These attached are of a brand of poop bags called ‘Poita-kun’ which are very popular with dog owners here. The bag has a layer of paper towel-like material on the outside, so when you pick up the poop and turn the bag inside out the poop is enclosed in a thin flushable paper towel within the bag. This makes it easy to open the bag and flush the poop after you get home.”

Such a smart design — and how interesting that the appropriate thing there is not to dispose of the sacks in a public trashcan, but rather to bring them home and flush them.

“My favorite part of the bag is the dog illustration on it, though. As you can see, the dog is holding his own poop in a bag with one hand (in Japan poop is always drawn in a soft-serve ice cream-type shape) and doing a peace sign with his other hand!”

I had to look twice, but Deena’s right — there’s poop in that bag, hovering like a goldfish in a sack of water.

Deena’s in the midst of figuring out how to move from Tokyo to Ireland with Ichigo, her Toy Poodle, and her cat Hime. Here they are:

What beauties! Chloe does that exact same froggy thing Ichigo is doing with his back legs, but she’d be nervous this close to one of our cats.

She thinks they’ll both have to enter Ireland as cargo, but she’s making it as easy as possible for them by bringing them in-cabin to Frankfurt. “By the way,” she adds, “I have the Sleepypod Air carrier and have used it for both my toy poodle and my cat on trains, buses, etc. I love it!”

Thanks so much, Deena, for the great pictures, and for the insights into living with a pet dog (and cat) in Tokyo. I’m curious now, myself, and will dig into the issue of entering Ireland with pets. Safe travels to you and the furry ones, and please let us know how it goes, and how you find living with them in Ireland! I’m making this another honorary member of Dog Jaunt’s scoop law sign collection. To see others, click on the “scoop law” tag below this post, or type “scoop law” in the search box.

New, air-side pet relief area at San Diego Airport (SAN)

Thanks to reader Eliot, I learned today that San Diego has added another pet relief area to its line-up, and this one is on the air side of security! Although the room is small, and the area to pee on even smaller (see the picture, below), that’s huge news. It takes about an hour, when all goes smoothly, to exit an airport SAN’s size, find the land-side pet relief area, convince your dog that the place and time are right, and then return through security. An air-side pet relief area, even one tucked at the far (and I mean far) end of Terminal 2 West, is a win for travelers with dogs (I only know of two others, one at Seattle’s airport and the others at Washington’s Dulles airport).

The new pet relief area in SAN’s Terminal 2 West

The traveler’s aide I spoke to at SAN tells me that the new indoor pet relief area is up by Gate 45, or maybe Gate 46, and that I’ll see signs for it as I approach it.

San Diego was the first airport Chloe and I visited together, when I picked her up from her breeder and flew her home to Seattle. Here’s what I said then about one of SAN’s outdoor pet relief areas, located between Terminals 1 and 2. There is reportedly another one at the west end of the Commuter Terminal (as you’re facing the terminal from the outside, the west side is on the left; exiting the terminal, you’d turn right).

Thanks so much, Eliot! I’ll be adding this post to the entry for SAN in Dog Jaunt’s handy guide to airport pet relief areas.

Reader’s report: Welcome sign from Lucca, and a useful resource for dog owners in Italy

This post was triggered by one of the many great signs reader Gail sent to me from Lucca, Italy while she and her husband and Puccini, their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, were living there this spring:

This was posted on the door of a restaurant, Gail told me. “Do you love that this dog has an opposable thumb?! The jaunty cap is also a nice touch. It says, ‘Finally I can go in too!'”

It reminded her to tell me about the “Italian Ministry of Tourism sponsored initiative (complete with website) ‘Turisti a 4 zampe’ or ‘4 Legged Tourists.'” Among other things, they’ve produced a couple of short videos encouraging Italian dog owners to take their pets with them “on vacation, and also to discourage the unfortunate practice of abandoning pets (most cruelly on major highways) before leaving. The 1st commercial deals with that issue head on by showing the dog pushing its owner out of the car! The dog watching the commercial on TV then says in voice-over, ‘I never would have done such a thing, we go on vacation together.'”

Here’s the second commercial Gail sent, also short, and also completely wonderful. As she says, while they’re both in Italian, neither one needs to be translated. (She’s right, too, that it’s odd that the initiative’s catch-phrase is “Welcome,” rather than “Benvenuto”!)

A window sticker the initiative offers for businesses to download and post

The sticker is available on the website Gail mentioned, which turns out to be a useful resource for people living in or visiting Italy with a pet dog. The site is in Italian, and I haven’t found a button that turns it into English, so you’ll have to soldier along with Google Translate. The search box in the upper right corner requires you to know at least the region you’re interested in (and to search for options in a particular city, you’ll also need to know the province it’s located in).

The results are still limited — I have to believe there are more than seven agriturismos in the province of Siena that accept small dogs — but it’s a place to start, and the list of options includes not only agriturismos but also hotels, B&Bs, rentals, historic homes, campgrounds, all kinds of eateries, beaches, and parks. And please note that the results are helpful for owners of pets other than dogs, including cats, rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, turtles, birds, and horses. They’ve also distinguished between small, medium, and large dogs. The only thing missing is an option to enter multiple pets.

Aside from the search box, be sure to click on the “Guida pratica al viaggio” (“Practical travel guide”) box in the lower right corner, which takes you to a menu of things you’ll want to read about, including (there are others, but these are particularly useful) “Prima di Partire” (preparing for a trip with your pet to Italy or elsewhere); “In treno, auto, aereo, nave e bus” (traveling by train, car, etc.); “La legge e il buonsenso” (laws and regulations pertaining to pet travel); and “A spasso con Fido e Micia” (an overview of where pets are, or should be, welcome in Italy — a valuable bonus was learning that while the default dog name is “Fido” for Italians, just as it is for us, the default cat name is “Micia” rather than “Fluffy”).

Thanks again to Gail for pointing me towards this resource! Italy isn’t perfect — after all, the website wouldn’t be needed if there weren’t a pet abandonment problem — but you have to love how hard the country is trying to educate its people and visitors about pet travel. As Gail says, “it’s true that Italy is a great place to bring your dog on vacation!”

Chloe’s Clicks and Big News: The best dog travel links (Blog II Newzletter edition!)

Usually, the subtitle for a Chloe’s Clicks is “this week’s best dog travel links,” but let’s be honest — that “week” gets awfully long sometimes. Sometimes it turns into something that looks a lot like a month, in fact. So I looked Chloe in the eye (which she hates, you know, because she’s a polite dog) and asked, why not turn the Clicks into the backbone of something even better? Why not make them part of a regular newsletter instead? And why not put other tasty things in that newsletter, like special access to updates for the soon-to-be-published Dog Jaunt book? (“Book,” you say? What’s all this about a book?? Subscribe to the newsletter, and you’ll hear it all!) Why not run special giveaways every so often, just for subscribers? Well, why the heck not!

So here’s what you do: Please click on one of the newsletter/subscribe buttons (and here’s a direct link, to save you trouble). Chloe and I are breaking out the champagne, because that means you’ll be joining us for future Chloe’s Clicks and other dog travel goodness!

* * *

For this “last” set of clicks, let’s change it up and start with abroad: The oldest link in the collection is from Australia, and is yet another bit of evidence that things are improving there for pet owners (and travelers with pets), at least in Queensland. Take a look, too, at the Facebook page for Fur Kids Around Oz, and consider Like-ing it — things are improving, sure, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to swap travel ideas with other Aussie pet owners?

The globe spins, and Gigi Griffis is there to help you travel with your dog from the U.S. to Mexico (she and Luna just spent quite a long time in gorgeous Sayulita, so poke around and look for her pictures too).

Another spin and we’re in Europe — I keep bookmarking posts on Easy Hiker, a blog about appealing walks in France and Germany (with guest posts from all over the world), and I’ve finally just bookmarked the site. The authors don’t travel with a dog, but their intelligent, appealing walks/hikes would work as well for paws as for shoes. Here’s one we’ll be taking this fall: The “Artists of Montmartre” walk guides you around that Paris neighborhood entirely via Impressionist paintings.

My eye was caught by an article about a woman with terminal cancer who’s circumnavigating the U.K. on a sailboat with her beloved terrier Betty (and her partner Stephen), to raise awareness of skin cancer.

Bravery like that leaves me speechless. All I can do is spin the globe again and bring us back to North America, where photographer Regan Wood has suggestions for fellow New Yorkers looking for dog-friendly summer getaways, and Orange Coast has suggestions for dog-friendly places to eat in the O.C. (thanks to alert reader Tony for the link!). Lingering on the West Coast for a moment, Seattle’s CityDog Magazine lists ten “gorgeous” and dog-friendly campgrounds in Washington, Oregon, California, British Columbia, and Idaho.

You Did What With Your Weiner headed east from Seattle for a Yakima Valley walking wine tour, and ended up instead with a cautionary tale about a dog-friendly trip that had some distinctly unfriendly bits; Jessica suggests steps to take in advance to keep that from being a disaster. And it was Jessica, I think, who pointed me to the next link, the first in a series of posts from Cascadian Nomads about their road trip from Seattle to Buffalo with three dogs. Don’t miss the posts that follow, since they’re full of info and pictures.

My favorite picture from the first post is unquestionably the last one, where all three dogs are wearing a “States I’ve Visited” doggy tee-shirt (states to be colored in as you pass through them). If you want one for your own pup, you can find them on CafePress.

Photo by CafePress

Meanwhile, the Go Pet Friendly team was in the Southwest, visiting New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument, a spookily beautiful place I last saw when I was, um, eight, and my parents were considering moving to Texas. (They chose southern Indiana instead, and I’ve only recently forgiven them.)

The final link is an inspiring post from Travels With My Dog about getting Sherpa, a nervous rescue, to travel comfortably in a carrier. It’s never easy, even when a pup doesn’t have “baggage” to cope with, and I applaud the care, love, and patience Sherpa’s people gave to the task.

King Charles Spaniels and the myth of the royal decree

I was poking around the Internet today and came across a story that seemed perfect for Dog Jaunt in so many ways: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of the U.S. includes, in its summary of the breed’s history, a note that “So fond was King Charles II of his little dogs, he wrote a decree that the King Charles Spaniel should be accepted in any public place, even in the Houses of Parliament where animals were not usually allowed. This decree is still in existence today in England.”

Well, you can imagine my excitement. Still in existence?! Talk about a free pass! With visions of printing a copy of that decree and using it (or, heck, at least trying to — it’d make a good blog post, anyway), I dug deeper and found…well, I found that same assertion, repeated endlessly on different sites, but never substantiated.

Nothing daunted, I tried to figure out how to look up old English laws and decrees, and finally came upon the U.K. Parliament’s website, and there, as clearly as could be, the myth was blown up:

“Contrary to popular rumour, there is no Act of Parliament referring to King Charles spaniels being allowed anywhere in the Palace of Westminster. We are often asked this question and have thoroughly researched it. The House of Commons Information Office Factsheet G7 Some Traditions and Customs of the House states that ‘Dogs, except guide dogs, are not generally allowed in the Palace of Westminster.’ There is no evidence whatsoever, that spaniels have ever been officially exempt from this rule, and any dogs which have been resident in the palace with their owners were confined to private apartments, such as the Speaker’s or Lord Chancellor’s residences, and not permitted free run through the palace. Having said that, there is one recorded example of a dog, other than a guide dog being in the House of Commons chamber. On page 309 of the House of Commons Journal, in the entry for 14 May 1606. It states that ‘A strange spanyell of mouse-colour came into the House.'”

The quoted language is from a special FAQ devoted to the issue, so I’m not the only person whose eyes lit up at the thought of presenting a 300-year-old royal decree to a stunned palace guard. Drat!

Reader’s report: Scoop law sign from Amsterdam, and living with a pet in the Netherlands

Reader Melissa kindly sent me this shot from, I think, Amsterdam (you’ll see why I think that in a moment):

“Niet op de stoep” means, I now know, “not on the sidewalk” in Dutch. You see similar warnings elsewhere in Europe, and they’re just so baffling. Who can predict when their dog will feel the urge to purge? It seems more sensible to acknowledge that sidewalk poop happens, and to address, instead, the issue of picking it up and disposing of it properly. Also, although I like the font and that stylized dog is terrific (note how from one angle, he’s stooping to poop, and from another angle, he’s lifting a leg), I have a bone to pick about the kerning, and the layout, overall, gives me heartburn.

Melissa also sent me a picture of Gracie, her beautiful Miniature Poodle (“dwergpoedel,” in Dutch), on the train to Amsterdam:

A quick aside at this point to tell you that small pets in carriers travel free on Dutch trains, while leashed dogs will need a 3 € day pass, regardless of destination. This link takes you to the NS pet policy (“Meenemen huisdier”).

Melissa has nothing but good things to say about having a pet in the Netherlands: “I would highly recommend all dog lovers come visit The Netherlands. There can’t be a better country in the world for dogs. I take Gracie on all forms of transportation and into all sorts of shops and restaurants as well. The park/woods in our urban neighborhood allows dogs off leash. Dutch people love dogs. Once I was in a tiny cafe and a woman with an American accent said quite loudly, ‘They allow dogs in here!?’ I moved away from her, and then the waitress appeared, carrying an enormous dog dish with water and a treat, too.”

Well, almost nothing but good things: “The only problem — the  poop! Even though there are no poop signs all over the place, and special bins to put it in, there is dog poop everywhere.” It’s the graphic design that’s the problem, in my opinion — fix the kerning, and people will pay closer attention to the scoop law signs….

Thank you so much, Melissa, for the pictures and the information! Amsterdam is one of the handful of places I’ve seriously considered throwing Seattle over for, and Melissa’s report is reminding me of how happy we’ve been there. I’m adding this post to Dog Jaunt’s scoop law sign collection — to see others, click on the “scoop law” tag below this post, or type “scoop law” in the search box.

Reader’s report: Under-seat space on a United CRJ-700 regional jet

Reader Mia travels frequently with Callie, her small (9 lb., 12″ tall) Cockapoo, and she generously sends me info that she thinks other travelers with dogs will find useful. This time it’s about the under-seat spaces she encountered on a couple of flights on United’s CRJ-700 planes (here’s a link to a floor plan from SeatGuru, so you can follow along):

“I had the good fortune to travel First Class with Callie in her large SturdiBag on a United CRJ-700 going and coming back from Thanksgiving with my family and just thought I’d let you know my findings in case you want to add it to your list. I apologize for not taking any pictures but I flew at night both times and the cabin was completely dark except for just before take-off and just after landing.

The First Class set-up is 2 rows with one seat on the left-hand side of the aisle (looking towards the front of the plane) and two seats on the right. The double seats on the right-hand side of the aisle have the dreaded awkwardly divided under-seat space, which makes sitting in an aisle seat on that side impossible, unless you are flying with someone who will let you put your carrier in the under-seat space next to the window.

Also, since there are only two rows in First Class, you’ll only be able to sit in the second row and on the double seat/right hand side of the aisle, and sadly the second row seats are permanently reclined/immoveable. I sat in 2F coming back from Thanksgiving and found it awkward/uncomfortable–I kind of wished I was in a regular seat in Economy instead!

My trip going to Thanksgiving though was great, as I got to sit in what I think is the only good First Class seat for someone traveling with a pet on the United CRJ-700: 2A. Seat 2A is great because you don’t have to sit next to a stranger, the large SturdiBag fits perfectly longways (with the front of the bag facing me) under the seat in front, and the seat reclines properly!

On a side note, I’ve flown Economy on this plane as well [Note: As you’ll see in the floor plan, Economy has two seats on each side of the aisle], and the under-seat space is completely undivided and so a large SturdiBag fits perfectly under any Economy seat — I’d still recommend the aisle seat though as it gives you an extra inch or two versus the other choice, due to the side of the plane curving inwards next to the window seat.”

Thank you so much, Mia, not only for your report but also for your patience! The mills of Dog Jaunt grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small — readers’ reports are very, very welcome, and they will all get published, believe me. I’m adding Mia’s message to Dog Jaunt’s collection of posts about under-seat plane measurements.

CapeFLYER train to Cape Cod is pet-friendly

Summertime has ARRIVED on the East Coast, I hear (still mild and lovely in Seattle, folks — I just mention it), so my eye was caught by this article in the New York Times about the CapeFLYER, a new train whisking people from Boston to Cape Cod and cooling breezes. “Whisking” is a relative term — when there’s no traffic, driving will take significantly less time than the train. But when there is traffic, and at this time of year, there always is, the train wins (the scenery! the not driving! the free wi-fi!).

Photo by CapeFLYER

The planners have coordinated with the local bus lines that serve Cape communities, so when you arrive in Buzzards Bay or Hyannis you’ll be able to proceed to your destination. The CapeFLYER also coordinates with certain ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Good news, right? And here’s the best part of it: The CapeFLYER allows small pets in carriers on your lap (at any time, since the rules speak of “rush hours“), and leashed bigger dogs during off-peak hours.

About those connections, you’re asking — can I bring my pet onto those bus lines and ferries? Click on the name of the service (or the short summary that follows it) and the link will take you to its pet policy:

Not such good news from the bus lines for owners of larger dogs, true, but at both Buzzards Bay and Hyannis, cars can be rented , and there are limos and taxis available (for links, see this FAQ).