It costs an arm and a leg to bring your dog with you in an airplane cabin, but JetBlue sweetens the pill by adding 300 points to your TrueBlue frequent flyer account for each flight you take accompanied by your pet. That’s pretty generous (it’s as much a person earns taking a short JetBlue flight, e.g., from JFK to Buffalo). It’s also unique: No other U.S. airline offers a sweetener to passengers paying for in-cabin pets.
I just learned tonight that Midwest Airlines has quietly canceled its previous policy of allowing small pets to travel in-cabin. The reservations agent I spoke to told me that the change happened “recently.” Midwest’s current program allows pets to travel “below cabin” (with their owners on board) or as air cargo (owner not on board).
Photo by Jerry Downs
There are several companies providing ferry services across and around the Bay. I’m happy to report that all of them allow small dogs in carriers on board.
The Blue & Gold Fleet, based at Pier 39 in San Francisco, runs shoals of ferries around the Bay. Their routes include sightseeing tours to Angel Island and around the Bay, and regularly-scheduled trips to Tiburon, Sausalito, Alameda/Oakland and Vallejo (here’s a map of their routes). Their (pet) dog policy varies by route. Dogs are not allowed on the Angel Island route (which makes sense, because dogs aren’t allowed on Angel Island). “Animals in hand held carriers are allowed on Vallejo Baylink Ferry Service and Alameda Oakland Ferry Service vessels,” and leashed dogs are allowed on “Bay Cruises, Sausalito and Tiburon ferries.”
East Bay Ferries has a couple of main routes. One connects Alameda, Oakland, San Francisco’s Ferry Building, and SF’s Pier 41 (with seasonal extensions to Angel Island and AT&T Park). Small dogs in carriers are allowed on board: “Special assistance and/or animals in hand-carried containers are allowed on the Alameda/Oakland Ferry.” The second route connects Bay Farm Island (just south of Alameda Island) with SF’s Ferry Building during weekday commuter hours. A customer service representative confirmed in a phone call that small dogs in carriers are also allowed on the Bay Farm Island route.
Golden Gate Ferry “operates frequent ferry service between San Francisco and Larkspur in central Marin County, and between San Francisco and Sausalito in southern Marin County.” In a previous post, I reported that Golden Gate Ferry allows small pets in secure containers on board.
Vallejo Baylink Ferry connects the Vallejo Ferry Terminal with San Francisco’s Ferry Building and SF’s Pier 41. The ferry subscribes to the City of Vallejo public transit pet policy:
Customers may transport small pets on City of Vallejo Ferries and buses in a completely enclosed cage or carrying case that is small enough to fit on the customer’s lap. The animal must not endanger or annoy other customers. Pets are allowed on all City of Vallejo Ferries and buses with the following conditions:
The Red & White Fleet, based at Pier 43½ in San Francisco, operates a variety of pleasure cruises in and around the San Francisco Bay. A customer service representative told me in an e-mail that small dogs (“about the size of a Chihuaha”) in carriers are allowed on board.
For other posts about traveling with dogs on public transit, take a look at Dog Jaunt’s handy guide!
Under this program, recently launched by Sherpa Pet Group and American Airlines, if your dog fits in one of three Sherpa carriers approved by American and you correctly fill out the Guaranteed On Board form “you can be sure that your pet and its carrier are compliant with American’s rules and regulations. Should you be denied boarding due to your carrier, Sherpa Pet Group will refund the cost of your American Airlines flight and your pet travel expenses – GUARANTEED!”
It’s meant to take the guesswork out of choosing an in-cabin pet carrier, and that’s a nice idea. Am I the only one to notice that two of the three approved carriers don’t actually comply with American’s posted maximum measurements for in-cabin carriers (19″ long x 13″ wide x 9″ high)? The new American Airlines-branded medium Duffle is only a half inch taller than the stated maximum, but the medium Sherpa Original Deluxe is 1.5″ taller than American’s maximum allowed height. The point is really moot, because the carriers are flexible enough that the discrepancy doesn’t make a practical difference, but it goes to show that even a move like this doesn’t remove all the guesswork.
However, according to Sherpa, similar agreements exist with Airtran, Alaska, Continental, Delta, Northwest and Southwest. The company emphasizes that “only NWA accepts carriers in small, medium, and large; all other airlines accept only small and medium sizes.” First on the list of “airline-compliant” Sherpa carriers is Sherpa’s Original Deluxe Bag, with the following measurements: 16″L x 9.5″H x 10″W (Small), 18″L x 10.5″H x 11″W (Medium), and 20″L x 11.5″H x 11.7″W (Large).
Now take a look at Dog Jaunt’s handy guide to the major U.S. airlines’ in-cabin pet policies. Even the small-sized Sherpa carrier is officially too large for all of the listed airlines except Delta, which will tell you the maximum allowed dimensions for your particular flight only when you call Reservations. [Southwest doesn’t publish maximum dimensions, but its published underseat measurements are 19″L x 14″W x 8.25″H (window seat), 19″L x 19″W x 8.25″H (middle seat) and 19″L x 14″W x 8.25″H (aisle seat). At 9.5″ high, the small Original Deluxe carrier is too tall for Southwest.]
Can it really be that all of these airlines also guarantee boarding with the medium-sized Original Deluxe Bag? And that Northwest accepts the large size? Officially, the large-sized Original Deluxe Bag is 3 inches longer and 3.5 inches taller than Northwest allows. Based on personal experience, moreover, I can tell you that any carrier over 19″ long will not fit under an airplane seat.
Does this mean that someone with an equally non-compliant carrier can point to these guaranteed-okay dimensions and argue successfully that their carrier should also be allowed on board? Does the Guaranteed On Board program, in short, actually remove the guesswork — or raise more questions?
I’m not a big one for dogs in costumes, so I don’t have those kinds of pictures to offer you this Halloween. But who needs them, when you have pumpkin dog portraits?! (Or, as my husband calls them, “dumpkins.”) Many thanks to the unidentified genius who made these, then circulated them on e-mail….
Photo by Björn Láczay
Even if you’re not one to linger inside over a cup of coffee while your dog waits outside for you, you’ve undoubtedly wished, just once, that you could leave your dog safely outside while you ran in to the store and bought a quart of milk. A locking leash would help, and Ruff Wear used to sell one — the DogLock locking leash. It had thin steel cables embedded in the length of the leash, so your dog couldn’t chew herself free or be cut free, and a lock allowed the leash to be fixed snugly in a temporary collar. It’s been discontinued, however, and even if it was still available, it was really too heavy for a small dog.
The only other locking leash I’ve found is the “Lasso” leash (PDF), which is a retractable leash similar to the ubiquitous Flexi leash, except that the handle opens and clips shut around small-diameter objects like chair rails and car door handles. It won’t prevent someone from stealing your dog, but it does allow you to clip your dog securely somewhere while you tie your shoelace or juggle bags opening your car (something that Flexi leashes don’t do).
It’s still fall, but winter is coming. I’ve just weeded through Chloe’s modest wardrobe, and discovered that her current harness won’t work with her fabulous new Wagwear quilted, “sheepskin”-lined jacket. Argh! I was counting on that jacket, since it’s perfect for Seattle winter weather. A dog with a thinner or shorter coat, however, might want something warmer, and even Chloe, in a New York City winter storm last year, could have upgraded. During that storm I saw a couple of Cocker Spaniels wearing down jackets, and I recently found one that I like.
Joy Pet Products sells a dog coat that’s made of real goose down. It’s reversible (one side is flannel, and the other is a water-resistant nylon) and, reportedly, washable/dryable. The XS, S and M sizes have a slit on the back for a regular harness, but the jacket sits low enough below the neck that Chloe’s front-fastening Gentle Leader harness will also work. It’s a nice-looking, well-made product with sensible Velcro fastenings. An alternative is nylon on both sides and comes with a removable poly-fill hood — super cute, I have to admit, but Chloe is annoyed by hoods.
In September 2009, San Jose’s Mercury News reported the death of a walker on the Los Alamitos Creek Trail who fell and hit her head when she became entangled in the leash of a passing dog, tethered to a bicyclist. Now San Jose is considering whether dogs tethered to bicycles should be prevented from sharing paths with other users, or whether dogs should be allowed to be tethered to bicycles at all. Another element of the discussion is the victim’s concern, shared with others before the accident, that some small dogs tethered to bikes are being dragged rather than exercised by their owners.
I’ll be interested to see how San Jose decides to act. Banning dog tethers for bicycles doesn’t seem like the right solution. Dogs that require a lot of exercise, like the Siberian Huskies involved in the San Jose accident, must benefit from the workout a bike ride can give them. Small dogs require extra care and attention from their biking companions. In an earlier post, I described PetEgo’s new Walky Dog Low Rider bike tether, designed for shorter, smaller dogs, and urged riders to keep in mind that small dogs may need to be chauffeured for part of the ride. Riders must keep track of their dog’s condition and make sure that their dog is properly hydrated and trotting or running comfortably.
Rules about sharing trails with bicycles and tethered dogs would make sense. A bicycle with a dog tethered to it occupies a lot of space, since the tether pole stands out sideways from the bicycle. Separate trails for bikers, with or without dogs, would prevent the kind of accident that happened in San Jose; alternatively, bikers with dogs could be given access to trails at stated times. In the meantime, and in the absence of rules, common sense should tell a bicyclist operating that kind of set-up that he or she is putting a lot of pressure on trail traffic. Be considerate and choose less-trafficked areas and less-popular times to exercise yourself and your dog.
In my last post, I mentioned that a handful of Landmark Trust properties are located in the United States and managed by Landmark Trust USA. They include Rudyard Kipling’s Vermont home, a 200 year-old farm that for 20 years was home to Carthusian monks, a Greek Revival farmhouse with magnificent views of Mount Monadnock, and a cozy former sugarhouse located near Brattleboro.
Upon enquiry, I learned that the Sugarhouse is dog-friendly. There is no limit on the number of dogs that can visit with you, or their size, but they must be picked up after and kept on a leash or close by. They must not be left alone on the property, and need to be kept off the furniture and bed. Since the Sugarhouse is located on a farm, visitors need to be aware that there are multiple dogs and sheep living nearby. There is no extra fee for dogs, but the company will keep your credit card on file until checkout in case of damage.
How would you like to vacation here? “This most picturesque row of 17th-century cottages is in the Gloucestershire village of Snowshill, set high in the northern Cotswolds, two miles south of Broadway. The home of the Diston family for three generations, is a charming stone cottage with roses by the door, has a rear garden and an old fashioned stable door from which you can watch the world go by.”
Diston’s Cottage
Or here? “The Early Gothic Revival is alive in Culloden Tower, built in 1746, after the Jacobite defeat. Its two bright octagonal rooms feature a mix of Gothic and Classical carving and plasterwork. Set in parkland with views over the tree tops and the sound of the river Swale below, it is a wonderfully romantic retreat from nearby Richmond.”
Culloden Tower
The first is Diston’s Cottage, available from the National Trust, and the second is Culloden Tower in North Yorkshire, available through the Landmark Trust. Both properties are dog-friendly, as are dozens more of the glorious places to stay owned by both entities.
The Landmark Trust is a charitable organization that rescues at-risk historical buildings and repurposes them as holiday lodgings. Its properties are largely in Britain, but it also owns a handful of properties in Italy and the U.S. (the U.S. properties are managed by Landmark Trust USA). The National Trust is a separate charitable organization, founded in 1895, that owns historic houses and other significant buildings and sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some of its properties are available as holiday rentals.
If you’re looking for luxury, you won’t find it in these properties. The amenities are clean and basic. What you will find, however, is an abundance of history and charm, and a chance to put down roots for a few days in some of the most fascinating and beautiful locations in Britain.
Both sites make it easy to determine which lodgings allow dogs. For the Landmark Trust, under “Search all buildings” check the box next to the stylized image of a dog. For the National Trust, you either choose to “Browse cottages” (in which case you choose the area you’re interested in, then click on the dog icon to narrow your choices) or to “Search cottages” (in which case you enter the number of dogs accompanying you in to the search query).
I’ll save you the trouble: Yes, one of the Landmark Trust’s Italian properties is dog-friendly. The Villa Saraceno is a 16th c. villa in Vicenza — it sleeps 16 people and is the only building by Andrea Palladio “that you can stay in as if it were your own.”
