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Reader’s report: A first flight for Ella, from Boston to Long Beach

Reader Karen and I conferred last year about a trip she was planning to take from Boston to Long Beach, via Jet Blue. Ella, her young Lhasa Apso (Ella weighs 13 lbs.), had never flown before, and Karen was understandably nervous. The trip finally happened just before Christmas, and here’s Karen’s report:

Preparing for travel

“We had the Large SturdiBag for over a year (since we intended to but never did travel last winter) and although I practiced putting her in it at first, later I just left it sitting around so at least she was used to being around it. For her car seat I use a ‘Fido Rido’ but about a month before our trip I started putting her in the Sturdibag when I took her in the car.

I booked aisle and window ‘Even More Legroom’ seats for my husband and me on Jet Blue. I purposely booked a 6pm flight since it would give me time to make sure Ella got tired during the day, and the darkness and inherent quiet of a night flight would be calming.

I put one DryFur pad under the sheepskin and one on top. I debated it, ’cause the sheepskin seemed more cozy, but I figured if she did pee (which she didn’t) it would not be cozy at all! I got the Medium size which I think they recommended, but I noticed the sides are supposed to go up a little along the sides of the carrier, which mine really didn’t, but I still think it would have worked fine.

I put Ella’s health certificate, some other vet records, her photo and the SturdiBag brochure in a clear plastic folder in my very large personal carry-on/laptop bag. My husband had a large computer bag with the [PetEgo ‘Pet Dome‘] ‘pup tent’ (more on that later) and his small laptop.”

At the airport

“There was no issue at all at [Logan’s] baggage check desk!

Oh, with the help of an airport worker taking a break outside, I found Logan Airport’s Terminal 3 ‘pet area,’ which is to the right as you walk outside leaving the Jet Blue luggage area. It’s tucked in sort of an alcove, not lit at all, so for us it was too dark and scary. Not even sure what the surface was, definitely not grass — more like tar or something. But it is gated so in daylight hours it may work for others. [Here’s a link to a map of Logan Airport: Click on “Go Inside Logan Airport,” then, on the resulting map, click on Terminal C. You’ll get a close-up of the terminal. At the bottom, click on the arrow next to “To Terminal C Arrivals map.” At the bottom of the resulting page, click on the blue “Services” box, and an icon for the pet relief area will appear.]

One reason I chose to land in Long Beach is that in addition to being Jet Blue’s hub, it is small and you get off the plane outside, walk down a ramp then into the airport for about 10 steps, then outside again to baggage claim. There is a grassy area just behind the patio tables. So once you land you are only a few minutes from relief!”

On the plane

“I took the window as it seemed that she fit best with the carrier’s front facing my legs. It actually stuck out a few inches but since we had “more room” it wasn’t an issue. I just made sure to place my legs in front of me when the attendant passed so as not to draw attention to her. I did take your suggestion of opening the zipper (I did the front) just enough to bend down and pat her during takeoff (which was not bad,) and landing (which was bad and she freaked a little but it was over quickly).

A huge lucky break was that no one bought the middle seat, so after takeoff I placed the carrier on that seat with the opening against my left arm which I used to pat her when needed. But once she was off the floor next to me she was fine, and pretty much napped the whole 6 hour flight.

I was very excited when I got the ‘pup tent’ that unfolds and is longer than the carrier, but with the option of the middle seat I didn’t get to try it out. I would have to buy the middle seat as #2 if I wanted to use it since it definitely is wider than one seat, so I’ll have to think about that for my return trip in the spring.

I did buy an iced drink before boarding and used that and ice from the drink they served to give her ice chips throughout the pre-board and flight. She really liked that, and I don’t think I could have hydrated her any other way, so thanks again for the great tip!”

In conclusion

“When we landed at Long Beach, a flight attendant at the door looked at my carrier with surprise and said ‘My Gosh, she didn’t make a peep!’ Not sure they even knew she was on board. A couple of people at the baggage claim said ‘Was that dog on that flight?’ YAY, ELLA!! I was so proud of her! Since I have noticed that most people on Dog Jaunt report that their dogs do well, I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I could have been. I can’t thank you and all your Dog Jaunters enough! And Jet Blue gets A+ from me!”

And you, Karen (and Jack, and Ella!), get an A+ from me, for all your prep work and concern and caring, and for your kindness in passing on the details of your experience to other travelers with dogs. As you said yourself, hearing about other people’s experiences makes all the difference. Thank you! (And please let us know how the return trip goes!)

Leap Frog Water Taxi: Dog-friendly link between Bellingham and the San Juan Islands

I saw some tweets about a new water taxi service between Bellingham, WA and the San Juan Islands, so I called and spoke with owner Bill McGown, who told me that pet dogs are welcome on board, for no additional fee. If you think they’ll be uneasy on a boat, a carrier might be a good idea, but it’s not required. There’s a patch of carpet in the cabin for them to lie down on (or hook their toenails into, for stability!).

The Leap Frog site is still pretty minimal, but this article from the Bellingham Business Journal has some more details. I’m excited about the scheduling flexibility the service offers, and I’m intrigued by the access the taxi provides non-boat owners like me to smaller islands — including islands that don’t have docks. (The big Washington State Ferries boats go to the four large islands — San Juan, Orcas, Lopez and Shaw; pet dogs must be in a carrier or stay on the car deck.)

Photo Friday: Maia and The Lafayette Inn (Easton, PA)

Last fall, reader Dolce sent me some great photos and information about a vacation she and Maia, her Yorkie mix, had taken on Cape Cod. She kindly followed up with a message about a weekend trip to Eastern Pennsylvania — not the easiest part of the world in which to find a good dog-friendly hotel, but she did, and here’s her report.

Dolce and Maia in front of The Lafayette Inn

“We ended up in Easton [about 65 miles west of New York, and about 50 miles north of Philadelphia] at The Lafayette Inn (“We welcome dogs and cats traveling with their well-behaved owners in rooms 1, 2, and 3. Bowls, mat, towel, treats, and clean-up bags are provided. There is a $20 per night additional charge. Pets must be kenneled when left alone in the room. We also offer a Pampered Pet Package.”)

Rooms 1 & 2 have a private entrance to the yard + parking, so you can just go out for a short walk if you need to. We booked Room 1 which is en suite, and had a parlor area with a sofa and space for Maia & her bed — although you would have had enough space for a Great Dane as well, not just a 10 lb. Yorkie. Upon arrival, Maia was greeted and petted, and offered a treat. In the room, we had the promised food bowls, towel for clean up, and poop bags.

There is a garden around the inn where you can walk your dog if you want. The neighborhood is residential and rather quiet — as long as your dog is on leash, you are fine there (beside the occasional squirrel, that is…). The inn is literally 5 minutes away from Lafayette College and the campus is pet-friendly too — we were not the only dog people there on Saturday morning. Maia loved stretching on the grass when we stopped to rest, and otherwise exploring.

The inn people are friendly and can show you pet-friendly trails around Easton, for quiet walks in the woods. We had a real nice stay there — it was a quiet place and even though I saw other people with dogs in the inn, there was no noise/smell/anything indicating dogs were around!”

It sounded like such a nice weekend getaway that I was hoping I’d be able to tell you that you could get there from NYC or Philly by public transit, but that turns out not to be the case (the best transit option from/to Easton is a bus — and the buses that run there, including Trans-Bridge Lines, don’t allow pet dogs on board). Load up the car for this one! Thanks so much, Dolce, for the report — dog-friendly B&B’s are thin on the ground, and it sounds like you found an excellent one.

I’d love to see how you and your pup spent your time together this week — please post your photos on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page so we can all see them!

Reader’s report: Flying with an in-cabin pet on an American Airlines CRJ-700 and MD-80

Reader Eva took a couple of flights with her cat Bogart last month, and kindly send me a report about the under-seat spaces she encountered. They flew on American, and their planes were a CRJ-700 and an MD-80. Bogart’s carrier is an older hard-sided Petmate Kennel Cab measuring 19″ x 11″ x (just over) 10″ (Eva noted that the current version has slightly different measurements: 19″ x 12.6″ x 10″).

Here’s what she told me:

“The maximum size a carrier can be on an American Airlines flight [per the AA website] is 19″ long x 13″ wide x 9″ high. My carrier is 10.25″ high. I had no trouble fitting the carrier on the CR7 plane in an economy aisle seat. I would estimate the under-seat space to be around 11” high. However, upon return on a S80 plane, the carrier did not fit all the way under the seat. A large bar (larger than that described in Dog Jaunt’s American 737-800 description, and characteristic of all seats regardless of aisle, middle or window) deterred the carrier from fitting.

Unfortunately, I did not have measuring tape with me to give you more accurate feedback. But a 19″ long x 13″ wide x 9″ high carrier will fit on a CR7 but not on a S80.”

I asked how the flight went for them, overall, and Eva said that “The trip went okay — the flight attendants either didn’t notice the kennel sticking out or didn’t care to delay the flight,” but Bogart, comfortable with car travel, was a bit overwhelmed by the airplane experience.

Thanks so much, Eva, for your report — I seldom fly on American, so I really appreciate your picking up my slack! All good wishes to you and Bogart, and fingers crossed that the next trip is a bit easier on her. I’ve added this post to Dog Jaunt’s ongoing series recording under-seat plane measurements. 

There is Nothing Like a Dame: America’s grandest hotels, and their pet policies

This post was inspired by an article in the November 2011 issue of Vanity Fair, entitled “Americana Resorts: Revisiting America’s historic grand hotels.” They’re pricey — oh, heavens, yes — but they’re fabulous, and many of them open their doors to pets (generally small ones, but The Point, The Broadmoor and the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa have no weight maximums, and The Grove Park Inn and The Stanley Hotel welcome fairly big dogs). Here’s the list:

The Point (Saranac Lake, NY): The former summer home of William Avery Rockefeller, The Point is an Adirondack camp dialed to 11. It is open to “well-trained and well-behaved pets” (p. 23) When I called for more details, I learned that The Point has an exemplary pet policy: There is no pet fee, there is no limit on the number or size of pets a guest brings, and pets other than dogs are welcome (they’ve had cats and birds stay with them, for example). The only restriction? No pets in the kitchen or dining room.

Photo by The Point

The Ahwahnee (Yosemite National Park): No pets, dammit. Your best dog-friendly alternative is the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, but it’ll be a much different experience.

The Breakers (Palm Beach, FL):  No pets. For a different kind of Palm Beach elegance and history, try The Brazilian Court, which does welcome pets up to 25 lbs. Multiple pets are okay, but there is a non-refundable fee of $100 per pet, per stay.

The Cloister (Sea Island, GA): This place is certainly glamorous, but it may be hard to find its historical roots — the original main building, built in 1928, was replaced about 10 years ago. Dogs up to 35 lbs. are allowed (a maximum of two per guest room). There is a non-refundable fee of $175 per stay.

The Homestead (Hot Springs, VA): The resort was founded in the 18th c.; the current main building dates from the beginning of the 20th c. It’s grand, it’s fab — and it no longer welcomes pets (its policy changed last summer). But who cares? The pet-friendly Greenbrier (see below) is just as grand and just as fab, if not more so.

The Broadmoor (Colorado Springs, CO): The Broadmoor wins points from me for making it clear on its overview page that the resort is pet-friendly. When I called for more details, I learned that there is a non-refundable $50 per pet, per day fee (with a maximum of two pets per guest room). You will stay on a “pet-friendly floor.” When you make your reservation, the resort will want to know your pet’s name, size and breed, but the customer service rep I spoke to said that there is no weight limit, and she was not aware of any dog being turned away because of its breed. Guests with dogs will be greeted with a dog bed, dog treats, and a map of dog-friendly resort areas and trails. Dogs are not allowed in the resort’s restaurants.

Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island, MI): You saw Somewhere in Time, you swooned, you swore to visit with your own sweetie. It’s not going to happen if your sweetie has four paws, because the Grand Hotel is not pet-friendly. The only alternative on Mackinac Island is the Mission Point Resort, which has a very appealing pet policy ($50 one-time fee; no limit on number, kind or weight of pet; rooms in the Straits Lodge, not the Main Lodge; an attractive “Pooch at The Point” travel package) but alarmingly mixed reviews.

The Gasparilla Inn & Club (Boca Grande, FL): A glorious feature of Florida’s Gulf Coast since 1913, the resort allows pets in its cottages and villas. There is a $25 per pet, per day fee — multiple pets are okay, if they’re not too huge (call to work out the details with the reservations staff). They’ve welcomed cats and birds as well as dogs, and they do not have issues with a dog’s breed.

The Hotel del Coronado (Coronado, CA): I’ve been in love with this hotel since I was in college, but the tragic fact is that it’s not pet-friendly — and there’s no alternative on Coronado that compares to it. Your best nearby option for a hotel with history and style is the U.S. Grant in San Diego’s Gaslamp District, which is pet-friendly.

The Greenbrier (White Sulphur Springs, WV): Long before Chloe was a spark in her sire’s eye, I spent a weekend here with a group of friends, and loved it. It’s huge, and formal, but also friendly and quirky. How can you not love a place that was decorated in eye-popping colors by the fearless Dorothy Draper? That gave comfort, post-war, to General Lee? (We stayed in the cottage he summered in, and this Yankee was thrilled.) That was chosen to house the secret bunker for the U.S. Congress, in case of nuclear disaster (now open to the public)? When I add that the spa services are splendid and the resort’s exclusive bath salts are so awesome I’m still ordering them five years later, I know you’ll be reaching for the phone. Three cheers to the Greenbrier for having an on-line pet policy that’s easy to find and answers all the questions I normally have to call to get.

Other contenders

That’s it, you’re asking? The list stops there? Well, it did, but I agree that it should have included at least a few more properties. Those of you feeling dubious about The Cloister, on Sea Island, might be wondering about the Jekyll Island Club Hotel (Jekyll Island, GA), but alas, it doesn’t allow pets.

From the D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections & University Archives

Happily, The Grove Park Inn, an Arts & Crafts-style masterpiece in Asheville, NC, is pet-friendly ($95 per stay, 60 lbs. max, max of 2 pets per rooms, cats and dogs both welcome), as is The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO (pets are welcome in the Manor House, which is “a smaller replica of our main building and opened in 1910, and was used primarily for Bachelor Housing in the early 1900’s”). In the middle of the country you’ll find the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, AK, which is not only set in a sweetheart of a Victorian-era town but also has an easy pet policy: $25 per pet, per day fee; no maximum weight; no maximum number; and they’ve welcomed cats, birds and snakes as well as dogs.

And finally, when you’re talking about grande dames, you have to talk about The Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu. Sadly, only service animals are allowed past its gorgeous pink portico — and the same goes not only for the Moana Hotel (now the Moana Surfrider, a Westin property) but for a slew of other Hawaiian hotels. Dang. Your best option for style and history in the islands turns out to be the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Kaʻupulehu, on the Big Island’s Kona-Kohala Coast. It’s not old, but it was built in a style sympathetic to traditional local architecture, and it shelters the Kaʻupulehu Cultural Center (offering exhibits and classes in Hawaiian culture and history). Its pet policy? Guests may be accompanied by one pet under 15 lbs. (typically a dog, but other types of pet are potentially possible), and there is no pet fee.

Review and giveaway: Alastair Sawday’s Dog-friendly Breaks in Britain

In 1994, Alastair Sawday began publishing guides aimed at travelers seeking “special” travel lodging experiences — meaning, as the Alastair Sawday’s site explains, places with warmth, charm, authenticity, humor and style. The Alastair Sawday’s catalog now includes several dozen guidebooks, and a very useful website, focusing on places to stay in Europe (Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain) and Morocco.

The most recent addition to the list is Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay: Dog-friendly Breaks in Britain, and the company kindly sent me a copy to review. It took them awhile, though, so I bought a copy for myself — and then, of course, my review copy arrived the very next day. Now I have two copies, so I’ll be giving one away to a Dog Jaunt reader.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I need to tell you that the guide lists 165 dog-friendly places to stay, sprinkled across Britain (maps in the front of the guide help you locate lodgings by region). Each entry has a big photo of the exterior, a smaller photo of an interior (usually a guest room), a delightfully-written and evocative paragraph of text, and a collection of practical details (rates, contact info, wifi availability, whether credit cards are accepted, etc.). Each entry has a short description of what makes the property dog-friendly (aside from the basic fact that your dog can spend the night there).

The listings include inns, hotels, B&Bs, vacation rentals (“self catering”) and oddball options like yurts and gypsy caravans (called “Canopy & Stars”) — and they do indeed sound special. Also special? The brilliant idea of including, at the back of the England and Wales sections, a selection of dog-friendly pubs (why not Scotland, I wonder?); and the collection of ideas for “Days out with dogs” at the front of the guide — if you don’t already have an itinerary in mind, these quick paragraphs will start the ball rolling.

I initially thought that I’d find something to criticize in the absence of specifics about a destination’s pet policy, but even that was foiled by a paragraph in the introduction explaining that most places don’t charge a pet fee (where there is one, it’s listed). The guide does not provide information about a guest dog’s maximum weight, or the maximum number of dogs permitted a guest, but perhaps that’s because U.K. lodgings are less fussy about those issues than U.S. lodgings. In any event, you’ll have the opportunity to ask those questions when you make your reservations.

I love this guide, and I yearn to put it to use. It’s tempting enough that even someone who hadn’t considered traveling with their dog is likely to eye their pet thoughtfully after reading a few entries — and for the rest of us, it’s exactly the kind of tool you need to put together a dog-friendly vacation.

The giveaway ($15 value)

Why wait, I ask you? The giveaway starts now, and it takes place on Twitter. Here’s what to do:

  1. You may already be a follower of @dogjaunt — if not, sign up to follow me.
  2. Copy and paste the following text into the “Compose new Tweet” box: My dog and I want to stay in a special place in Britain! http://bit.ly/HdkKNU #dogjauntgiveaway
  3. Be sure that your tweet includes the bit.ly link to this review as well as the #dogjauntgiveaway hashtag, since I’ll look for those elements to see who entered to win

You can send one entry tweet per day (Twitter asks me to ask you not to open multiple accounts to enter the giveaway — frankly, I wouldn’t know if you did, but Twitter will, and there are bad consequences).

The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm PST on Friday, April 6 (the day after tomorrow!). I will announce the winner — chosen randomly — in Dog Jaunt’s Twitter feed and on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page on Saturday, April 7. If you are the winner, send an e-mail with your mailing address to m-a[at]dogjaunt[dot]com within 48 hours.

The fine print

A sweepstakes winner’s failure to respond to the prize notification and provide a shipping address within the specified 48 hours will be considered such sweepstakes winner’s forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries. To enter, you must be resident of the U.S. or Canada (except Quebec), age 18 or older. Employees, partners and vendors of Dog Jaunt and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology. Dog Jaunt will not use the winner’s mailing information for any purpose other than sending the giveaway item. Giveaways are subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules or regulations. You are under no obligation to keep following @dogjaunt after the giveaway is over, but heck, why not stick around?

Chloe’s Clicks: Last week’s best dog travel links

“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!” It’s Chloe’s Clicks — on a Tuesday! Being a week and a half late with the dog travel links probably doesn’t qualify as a disaster of biblical proportions, but I surely do like the quote.

In the last bunch of links, I praised Yakima’s new “Wine Doggies” site, designed to help visitors with dogs — this week I’m pleased to report that the Isle of Wight has just published a guide (“Pawprint”) promoting the island as a dog-friendly destination. Here’s the BBC News story that caught my eye, and here’s the WightLink post about the guide (“the best stomping grounds, pubs and accommodation for canines”), including a link to it.

While we’re abroad, check out a clutch of posts from The Road Unleashed about their visits to England’s Peak District, London, and Switzerland — how happy everyone looks in the many, many pictures!

Other tempting posts include a CNN article about “five Fido-friendly getaways” (what further proof is needed that dog travel has gone mainstream?), with excellent suggestions for North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Las Vegas, Half Moon Bay (on the coast, southwest of San Francisco), Lake Placid, and Boston. CBS Tampa has recommendations for restaurants with “yappy hours” in the Tampa area; Unleash magazine listed its nominees for the 10 best dog parks in the U.S.; and CityDog Magazine featured a visit to Winthrop, WA and Methow Valley (about 4 hours east of Seattle). Much closer to Seattle, the You Did What With Your Weiner team went hiking at, Heaven help us, Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain — the photos, whether of the views or of the three (3) Dachshunds, are a total delight.

The A Traveling Pug team is visiting San Francisco, and wrote posts for Dogtipper.com about staying at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and the San Francisco Intercontinental Hotel (a third post is planned for the series). Doug Gelbert, a pioneer of dog travel (best known for his books about hiking with a dog), wrote a guest post for Sleepypod’s new blog (Pet Travel Experts) about the 10 best U.S. dog-friendly beaches.

Speaking of hiking, the Coloradoan posted an excellent, sensible article by Jill Reynolds about hiking with your dog on public trails.

On the negative side of the scale, check out this article (one of dozens) about what happened when singer Jann Arden brought her dog with her on a train trip from Toronto to Ottowa — Canada’s Via Rail, like Amtrak, does not allow pets in passenger cars — then quickly turn to Montecristo Travels‘ thoughtful summary of what happened, and what should happen with Canadian rail travel and travelers with pets. While you’re checking out Montecristo Travels, be sure to take a look at the team’s carrier suggestions for tiny dogs.

The low point of this post has to be this report from Cleveland’s Plain Dealer of a fatal mauling of a Chihuahua at a South Euclid dog park. There appears to be plenty of fault to go around: The person who brought the Husky to the park wasn’t paying attention to him, and the Chihuahua was reportedly “biting and nipping other dogs.” A local dog care provider is quoted as saying that “placing large and small dogs in a play area is asking for trouble,” and I believe she’s right.

Time for the madcap, miscellaneous links part of Chloe’s Clicks, and we lead off with a hoot of an article from Bloomberg Businessweek describing the results of an extensive taste test of human-grade dog foods (with wine pairings). My eye was also caught by a story in Nothing to Do With Arbroath about Pamela, an Italian dog who took the same train her owner takes to visit his girlfriend in Bologna — but without her owner (she got pretty far, too, reaching Florence before the train staff noticed she was traveling solo).

I’ll leave you with a couple of new sites to check out. The first, The Jet Set Pets, described itself in a USA Today story as “‘the first and only one-stop resource for luxury pet travel expertise'” — which likely came as a surprise to Janine Franceschi, owner of the PAW site and services, but never mind. The other, Stayhound, caught my eye because I’m intrigued by Dog Vacay, the petsitting-matchmaking company I mentioned in the last Chloe’s Clicks, and Stayhound appears to be in a similar space. Frankly, I’m not sure how it works: It’s my impression that they help you post a petsitting request to your Facebook friends, but couldn’t you do that yourself? Take a look and tell me what I’m missing.

Montage Monday: An XL SturdiBag in position under an airplane seat

This is a new low. Previously, I hung my head in shame over “Snapshot Saturday,” but even that sounds good next to “Montage Monday.” Everything’s all ahoo right now — brace yourself for a Chloe’s Clicks tomorrow (two days after its usual Sunday slot).

I wanted to make sure that you all see this photo that reader Adam sent. He read the post about pushing back when your pet’s carrier is “too big,” and took it to heart (read the comments and you’ll see what I mean). He posted a photo on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page of his Cocker Spaniel’s XL SturdiBag in position under his seat on a United 767-300, and kindly agreed that I could re-post it here:

XL SturdiBag under a United 767-300 seat

As you can see, it’s a risky proposition. While Adam and other Dog Jaunt readers have succeeded in traveling with an XL SturdiBag, it occupies a substantial amount of real estate, and a flight attendant could well object. Given how long the bag is (20″), turning it sideways isn’t an option unless you shorten the floor stiffener by 2-3″ — which is doable, though it will make your bag sag a bit on the ends (I’d center the shortened stiffener under the body of the carrier).

Please note that we’re only discussing making the carrier fit plausibly under an airplane seat. The other, crucial question is whether your pup fits under an airplane seat. When she’s in the carrier, there has to be enough room around her that the carrier can flex (and when we’re talking about the XL SturdiBag, it needs to flex a great deal to fit under an airplane seat) — if your dog fills an XL SturdiBag to capacity, then she and the bag are simply too large to travel in-cabin.

Kobi Pet Carrier giveaway winner

Photo by Kobi, Inc.

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway I announced last Monday for a regular-sized all-black Kobi Pet Carrier (value: $95)! It was really helpful to me to hear about the size of your dogs, the kinds of carriers you already have  — and the fact that many of you don’t have a carrier yet, and are just dipping your toes into the in-cabin pet experience. The randomly-chosen winner is Debra Lee, entrant #17, who has an 8″ tall, 10″ long pet and, until now, no carrier. Congratulations!!

Thank you again, and heartfelt thanks, too, to Kobi for their generosity in sending me a sample carrier to review and agreeing that it should be given away. Stay posted: I’ll be reviewing another intriguing carrier soon, and then giving it away to a Dog Jaunt reader.

In-cabin pets and pet allergies: A guest post on CheapOair

This is a quick post to tell you what you already know, if you follow Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page: I wrote a guest post for CheapOair (a budget travel site that also has a popular blog) about in-cabin pets and passengers with pet allergies. Facebook entries scroll away into oblivion — this is really just a bookmark, to keep track of a post I don’t want to lose, but do please check out the CheapOair post and leave a comment if I’ve missed a point!