Size matters. Small dog shall fly … much easier

I weigh 6kg and when I am inside the Sleepy Pod Air I am less than 8kg which fits most airlines requirement.

By now I know that once I go inside the SleepyPod Air, I am in there for a while so I chill and go to sleep. And yes, it is large enough for me to turn around when I don’t need to keep looking at Mummy any more to know she’s there.

Don’t worry about my needing to relief myself – at home I sleep through the night and sometimes it’s 12 hours from my last walk till the next morning.

It’s not just useful for planes. It’s also useful for going on trains when necessary.

I also have another bag that I go into when we’re in situations that are not a given that dogs are allowed in.I’m basically small enough to be carried in a bag.

And now we even have a backpack.Darcy? Not so easy. Mummy has to make excuses for her.

May’s comment: I realise now the difference between travelling with a little dog under 8kg and that big one who is around 10kg.

When it’s a little dog, no one really questions you.  Especially when they fit into a bag. Once I’m used to lugging him around, it’s easy-peasy. I suppose I am also lucky that he’s a calm dog. If you are not so lucky and your dog suffers with stress and anxiety then you may want to read more about the use of CBD oil for dogs and how amazing it can be in calming them.

But at every stage there were costs involved:

• ferry crossing – pay for kennel usage return trip
• flying in-cabin – return flight
• return Amtrak train from NYC to Washington DC
• vet checks before travelling on both sides of the trip plus the deworming pills

It’s a different story when I take Darcy as a “therapy dog” that I worry about encountering barriers and problems at every step of the way. And her tote bag does not comply to air travel even though we once went on SAS and Air France like that! How we got away with it – I don’t know but I wouldn’t do it again.But on all fronts, Darcy is a better traveller. She takes everything in stride.  She can walk nicely through airports, sits quietly under the seat in terminals, doesn’t mind being carried in a bag and when she was once in an enclosed carrier, she went to sleep during take-off and landing. Whatever the situation.

George, kudos to him, he has done really well this past trip – except for panting anxiously in cars and taxis. All other mode of transportation he could handle.

Going into shops in NY would have been fine – when we were in both Barney’s and Bergdorf Goodman, we saw regular poodles walking through. And we know indoor dining was a no-no. But in the warmer months, we could have sat outside. Must remember the next time to travel in the warmer months – also helps not to have to wear heavy clothing while lugging bags of dogs! And fewer clothes to pack.

Travelling in Europe is a lot easier with either. They’re used to dogs in trains, restaurants and hotels – size does not hinder our access. It’s only taxis in some places that would not take dogs.

Travelling in the UK – except for Ireland and Northern Ireland, we have a lot of options and going on public transportation is usually OK. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. It was exciting and they are good travel companions.  Size matters at times.