Have Service Dog, Will Travel

United Air Lines Assists Guide Dogs in Training

One of the most difficult areas of travel for people with dogs is air travel, or so it is thought to be. As many of my savvy readers know from my travels over at The Savvy Tourist, I am a huge advocate of air travel and I write about it quite frequently. Unfortunately, Dexter, a.k.a. The Bug, has yet to step a paw on an airplane. I have been trying to plan the perfect opportunity to just go out on a day trip and possibly take a short flight to visit a friend for a night and them fly back. Although The Bug and I haven't any problems wherever we go, I really have no idea how he is going to react to the noises and equipment at an airport, let alone the cramped environment of an actual airplane. These are things that new puppy owners never think about which is why we stress the socialization process with young pups. 

Well, United Air Lines has made it possible to acclimate some up and coming new guide dogs to the wonders of air travel. Read below how they worked with Guide Dogs for the Blind, and their volunteer puppy raisers so as to eventually make someone's life a lot easier when they need to travel by air. Kudos to United!

From United Daily Newsletter:

We help puppies learn how to fly

Last Thursday, we hosted seven future guide dogs and their trainers, giving the pups an opportunity to experience the sights and smells of an aircraft and airport. The group from Guide Dogs for the Blind toured SJC (San Jose, Calif.), navigating the shuttle bus, security, concourse and gates before boarding a Boeing 757 and a 737.

“These dogs will have an important job, and their future owners may be our passengers,” said Service Director Sam Owens. “We’re happy to make our aircraft available to help.”

Station Training Coordinator Christine Degner and Sam talked about how our team at SJC monitors the flight arrivals and departures to best serve a customer with a guide dog or other service animal. “They asked us questions about how we accommodate persons with guide dogs and if any conflicts such as pet allergies or phobias ever arise,” Christine said. “It was a good opportunity for both sides to exchange information.”

Volunteer puppy raisers start working with the dogs when they’re six to eight weeks old. When they’re 15-18 months old, they begin formal guide dog training, which takes two to three months. Guide Dogs for the Blind has more than 1,000 volunteers who raise and socialize puppies in eight Western states and supports more than 2,000 graduates across the U.S. and Canada.

I am planning to co-ordinate a similar day for my fellow service dogs in training here in the Inland Valley. Hopefully we can visit the Ontario Airport. Keep checking back for details!

Come fly with us!

Annie & The Bug 

            

Airport Relief for your Dog

This subject has become increasingly more important to me as The Bug and I venture out to blaze the trail for all of our service dog friends. I got this recent article from our friends at PetRelocation.com.

The Department of Transportation Wants to Know: How Should Airport Pet-Relief Areas be Improved?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by Caitlin Moore

Last week the U.S. Department of Transportation announced plans to make changes to the rules regarding service animal relief areas in airports, and they're now accepting feedback from the public about how to proceed. 

Last year we published a pet-friendly airport series that took a look at a few facilities, and we found that some airports had better relief areas than others. Airports are required by law to provide amenities for service animals (and by extension, all traveling pets), but a uniform set of requirements has yet to be put in place. 

Currently it's being proposed that one animal relief area exist per terminal, which most people would agree isn't enough, and the placement of the relief areas is also a topic of debate. John Ensminger, a lawyer, writer and dog advocate, has created a comprehensive rundown of the current situation on his blog, Dog Law Reporter, and you can check out PetRelocation.com's full Pet-Friendly Airport Series on our blog.

Have you traveled through an airport with a dog lately? Do you have some ideas about the availability of pet relief areas and where they should be located? Well, now is the time make your voices heard.  Take a look at the official report and then submit your input sometime before November 28, 2011.