pet travel

Check your suitcase for Chihuahuas

Pets, Travel tips, , ,

On the TSA Blog each Friday you’ll find a report on the firearms, weapons and other prohibited – and often really strange – things found at airport checkpoints and in checked bags.

TSA MEM

This week, for example, the TSA found 55 firearms at airport checkpoints. 51 of those firearms were loaded and 13 had rounds chambered.

The fact that so many people just ‘forget’ they’ve got a gun, especially a loaded gun, in their carry-on is always alarming. But Friday’s report that TSA officers at New York’s LaGuardia Airport found a chihuahua inside a checked bag is mostly amusing.

According to the TSA, officers found the dog inside the suitcase while they were resolving a checked baggage alarm. TSA had the airline track down the suitcase owner, who said she had no idea the dog was in there and that the dog – a 7 year old chihuahua – must have climbed into the suitcase as it was being packed.

Airports are stressful places. So pet this dog.

Airports, Pets, ,

San Antonio Airport _ Pups and Planes Program dogs wear blue bandanas

27 airports – so far – have organized therapy dog programs on site to help passengers and employees deal with the stress of modern day travel.

The trend began back in 2001 at Mineta San Jose International Airport and now Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and many others have teams of volunteer handlers and their dogs who visit with passengers each day.

My At the Airport column on USA TODAY this month features a handful of these programs – and a dozen of the dogs, but here’s a preview/bonus profile from San Antonio International Airport, where the program is called Pups and Planes.

SAT Airport officials launched the program in October of 2013 with 5 pups, in anticipation of last year’s busy holiday travel season and now consider the furry, four-legged volunteers an essential part of the airport customer service team.

There are currently 13 dogs in the program and they are usually scheduled to work a two hour shift, walking through terminals. Look for QT the Golden Retriever, Travis the Doberman Pinscher, Gracie the West Highland white terrier and Whiskers a mixed breed pup. You’ll know they’re on duty by the blue kerchief around their neck.

SAT GRACIE

May I take my pony on the plane?

Pets, Souvenirs, , ,

The TSA has a handy “Can I bring my … through the security checkpoint” tool on its website which makes it clear that ice hockey sticks, field hockey sticks and “sports equipment that can be used as a bludgeon (such as bats and clubs) is prohibited in the cabin of the plane and must be transported in your checked baggage.”

But what about the stick ponies I spotted being sold in at least three shops at Dallas Love Field?

During my three hours hanging out at DAL earlier this week I didn’t see any small children (or adults) throwing tantrums for being relieved of their ponies at the aircraft doors, so I assume traveling with stick ponies is just fine.

But I’m still scouring the TSA app and will ask for a formal ruling…

Love Field ponies

Miss Spot? Check into a hotel with a loaner pet

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Love your pet but can’t take it along with you when you travel? Then consider staying at a hotel that will loan you a dog, a cat or a fish. Here’s a story I put together for CNBC Road Warrior:

Beau and Mavis Fairmont

 

Fluffy pillows might make hotel guests feel welcome, but sometimes face time with a floppy-eared mutt is what a road warrior might be craving.

That’s why the Red Mountain Resort in St. George, Utah, offers the Pound Puppy Hike, a complimentary amenity that matches guests with a puppy or dog from a local shelter for hikes on scenic trails in the area. “We know that busy executives are visiting the property to recharge and disconnect yet stay active and not sit around,” said resort general manager Tracey Welsh.

The Humane Society of the United States estimated in 2012 that there were pets in 62 percent of American households, so in Aspen, Colorado, guests missing their own pets are pointed to the Aspen Animal Shelter, which welcomes short-term volunteers and charges no fee to loan dogs for in-town walks or day-long hikes.

“The outings provide exercise and socialization for the dogs and often lead to successful adoptions,” said Aspen Animal Shelter director Seth Sachson.

Some pet-friendly Aspen hotels, such as The Little Nell and the Mountain House Lodge, waive pet fees that can reach $125 per stay for guests that invite lucky shelter dogs to spend the night. And both The Little Nell and the Hotel Jerome provide shuttle service to and from the shelter, said Sachson.

Friendly “canine ambassadors” greet guests at eight North American Fairmont hotels and many of those dogs can be booked for walks or runs around town. At the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, it is Mavis and Beau, while at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, the concierge has a special appointment book for walks or runs with the very popular Catie and Carly.

In addition to being a bonus for younger guests (and their parents), “the program results in higher guest satisfaction and more personalized guest experiences, while positioning the hotels as unique and distinctive in their respective destinations,” said Hadley Schroll, a spokeswoman for FRHI Hotels & Resorts, which owns the Fairmont brand.

While offering loaner dogs, like loaner sports equipment, may give a hotel a leg up on its competition, “even programs with the best intentions are still objectifying animals” and putting some at risk, said Lisa Marcotte, business development manager for pet insurance provider Trupanion. “Those who have no commitment to an animal are less inclined to care for them properly or keep them from injuring people and damaging property,” she said.

There’s no need to worry about personal injury with Maya, Louie or George, the kitties that will sleep in a guest room for no charge at the Vintage Inn in Yountville, Calif., or with the free loaner goldfish offered through the “Guppy Love” program at Kimpton Hotels.

KIMPTON FISH

The program started in 1997 when the Hotel Monaco Seattle (part of the Kimpton collection) added a goldfish companion to the in-room dining menu. “It was an option at the bottom of the menu where guests could order it for $5 and we would often surprise VIP guests with a goldfish upon arrival as a fun amenity,” said hotel spokeswoman Melanie Blair.

Instead of cashing in on what became a very popular demand, the hotel decided to make the loaner fish amenity complimentary for all guests and, eventually, so did all 61 Kimpton hotels.

And while no fish rental fees are collected, the goldfish seem to be earning their keep.

“While we initially chose the Monaco for its location, and for the wine hour, we now choose it because of the goldfish,” said Liz Phillips, a middle school teacher from Portland, Ore. whose family stays at the Hotel Monaco Seattle each Thanksgiving.

“The first year, we walked into the hotel room to find two fish bowls housing two huge goldfish with a note saying that the fish were named “Bella” and “Gabbie,” the names of our own children. Our kids were thrilled and after that that experience there was no way we could ever stay anywhere else.

Hotels that roll over for pets

Hotels, Pets,

Courtesy The Benjamin

Millions of people consider their pets to be part of the family and take their animals with them when they travel.

Hotels have caught on and there are now more than 25,000 “pet-friendly” properties. Some simply put up with you and your pet if you pay a hefty extra fee. Others go all out, offering welcome amenities that might include toys, treats and special services.
For a slide show on MSN Travel, I found some lodgings where pets have a paw-up on people.

Here’s a sampling:

Robes for Rover

Courtesy The Benjamin

At The Benjamin Hotel in New York City, pampered pooches snack on complimentary treats, relax in plush doggie bathrobes, dine from ceramic food and water bowls set in wrought-iron stands and drift off to sleep in specially-designed dog beds, sized small, medium or large.

Good dog: The hotel can arrange for a spa gift basket ($40) filled with lavender-scented doggie bath amenities to be delivered to the room.

Massages for “Material Dogs”

At check-in, dogs at La Quinta Resort & Club in the Palm Springs desert community of La Quinta, CA receive “Material Dog” travel totes with organic pet treats, travel-size bottle of disinfectant and deodorizers, biodegradable waste bags and stainless steel pet tags. Hour-long, in-room relaxation massages for pets and their people are also available.

Good dog: A massage therapist offers instructions on performing pet massage at home.

B&B in the world’s biggest beagle

Fans of kitsch and canines get both at Dog Bark Park in Cottonwood, ID. On site is Toby, a 12-foot tall statue of a beagle, and Sweet Willy, a 30-foot tall, 32-foot long structure that is the World’s Largest Beagle and a bed and breakfast with a sleeping loft in the muzzle and a bathroom beneath the tail.

Good dog: Guests can purchase dog-themed carvings at the on-site gift shop.

Camping Canines



Canine Camp Getaway hosts dog-centric vacations events in Lake George, NY twice each year. In addition to a dog-friendly swimming pool, camp staff includes dog trainers, veterinarians (traditional and holistic) and a dog nutritionist. Camp activities include “Barks & Crafts” and canine freestyle dancing.

Good dog: In addition to nightly “Yappy Hours,” the dining room has a dog friendly section for those who enjoy dining with their dogs.

(All photos courtesy of these pet-friendly hotels).

More hotels that roll over for pets tomorrow.

Beer for dogs: newest hotel amenity

Hotels, Pets, ,

Some travelers choose a hotel for the complimentary continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi. If dogs ruled the world, they might choose a pet-friendly inn where the welcome amenities include a bottle (or two) of dog-friendly beer.

Bowser Beer — a malty, non-alcoholic brew that replaces hops with chicken or beef broth — was cooked up by Jenny Brown of 3 Busy Dogs in 2008 as something to go with the peanut-butter pretzels (Bowser Bits) she’d been marketing for pooches.

“Some people give the beer to their dogs with ice or poured over a bowl of dog food. But lots of dogs drink it right out of the plastic bottle,” Brown said.

Bowser Beer is stocked at many pet shops in six-packs, but Brown says many pet-friendly restaurants and bars have added the product to the menu for their “Yappy Hours.” Now the FireSky Resort and Spa — a Kimpton Hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz. — and some of the more than 25,000 “pet-friendly” lodgings listed on sites, such as BringFido and in the AAA PetBook, are tucking the beer into amenity kits handed to guests checking in with their pets.

At the boutique Le Parc Suite Hotel in Hollywood, Calif., pets receive a welcome note signed by pet relations director, Bella (a Boston Terrier), as well as a kit that includes water and food bowls, a pet-friendly magazine and a bottle of Bowser Beer.

“Beer for dogs is a cool product,” said Barry Podob, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing. “And adding it to our welcome kit gives us a competitive edge over other hotels. The payoff is that we’re known as a very pet-friendly hotel.”

Offering an amenity that shows customers that your hotel “gets it” can “grab a potential guest’s attention,” said Katie Davin, director of hospitality education at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. “And a special amenity such as Bowser Beer or Westin’s Heavenly Dog Bed may be a differentiator.”

In microbrew-crazy Portland, Ore., the pet-friendly Hotel Monaco includes Bowser Beer in its special pet-package rates and offers it on the complimentary menu during nightly hosted wine hours, where dogs are welcome.

“We see pets as an extension of our guests, so we do everything we can to make them as welcome and comfortable as possible,” said general manager Craig Thompson. “The dogs like it and the owners like that we make that extra special effort to welcome their pet to the hotel.”

(My story about hotels offering beer for dogs as an amenity first appeared on NBC News Travel)

Homestays for dogs while you’re on vacation

Pets, , ,

Continuing the pet theme started yesterday with a post about an exhibition of classical paintings humorously redone with cats and dogs in the place of people, here’s a story I wrote for msnbc.com Travel about a site that’s sort of like Airbnb – for dogs:

Valerie Steiger, a life coach in Canyon Country, Calif., had a 4-month-old puppy and tickets for a 10-day trip to Thailand.

Steiger knew that Joey, a cavalier King Charles spaniel-shih tzu mix, would need more attention than what a traditional stop-by-the-house pet sitter could provide, so she went online in search of a good boarding kennel.

Instead she found DogVacay.com.

The site, which officially launches March 1 in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and soon after in other major cities, matches dog owners in need of pet-care services with people willing to host dogs in their homes for a fee.

“I went down the list of profiles in my city and found someone who specializes in puppies and was a trainer by trade,” said Steiger, who requested a site-arranged “meet and greet” to evaluate the caregiver and the home where Joey would be staying. “It turned out better than I imagined. When you go away, it’s like leaving your baby. You’re wondering about them and thinking about them, so I liked that [the hosts] sent me photos and video clips of Joey running around and playing.”

DogVacay.com CEO Aaron Hirschhorn co-founded DogVacay.com with his wife, Karine Nissim Hirschhorn, after struggling over what to do with their own dogs when they traveled. They also had previously boarded dogs at their own house, and after a little research discovered that dog owners spend about $275 a year on boarding.

 

“Right now there are kennels and there are private pet sitters,” said Aaron Hirschhorn. “And we realized there was a need for a marketplace to bring together responsible dog lovers with causal and professional dog sitters who can provide a more affordable and better experience for dogs.”

As an example, Hirschhorn said that right now kennel stays in Los Angeles cost about $50 to $70 per day, while day rates on DogVacay.com are currently averaging $30.

On the site, each dog sitter sets his or her own prices with assistance from DogVacay.com. Listings are free. The site takes a 3 percent to 10 percent transaction fee from dog sitters depending on their volume of business and the number of positive reviews.

For customers, fees include insurance coverage for veterinary emergencies.  Pet sitters are vetted via reviews, social network connections and direct interviews by DogVacay.com staff.

Pet owners who take their dogs along on trips may also use the service to find sitters or host homes in cities they visit, a service that comes in handy because not all hotels accept pets — especially large ones — and some travelers are uneasy about leaving their dogs kenneled in a hotel room all day. “We think this will help free people up to travel because some people don’t want to kennel their dogs while they’re away and don’t want to bother their friends,” said Hirschhorn. “This way, more dogs can go along.”

For cities not served by DogVacay.com, American Automobile Association spokesperson Heather Hunter notes that many AAA clubs have local pet-service partners available to members and that the organization’s “AAA PetBook” lists more than 14,000 pet-friendly accommodations as well as tips and advice for choosing a pet sitter. For example, “Be sure to ask what is included in the fee and how they will handle a medical, weather, or home emergency,” said Hunter.

Like Airbnb, Couchsurfing.com and other peer-to-peer, home-stay websites, hosts are encouraged to go online after the stay and rate the behavior of their guest.

“The good news is that a dog that stays at your house won’t throw a party or get drunk and invite all their friends over,” said Hirschhorn, “although we have had some dogs pee on the carpet.”

Jack the Cat euthanized

Pets, ,

Jack, the cat lost, then found, at JFK, has died

On Sunday, veterinarians in New York euthanized Jack, the cat who gained world-wide attention and more than 23,000 Facebook fans after being lost for two months, and then found, at JFK International Airport.

The news of Jack’s passing was reported in a statement posted on the Jack the Cat is lost at AA Baggage at JFK Facebook page:

“Jack has gone over the rainbow bridge,” the statement said. “Jack had extensive wounds on the back of his body, and the wounds were unable to heal because his skin had deteriorated due to the malnutrition that occurred while he was lost.

“He needed surgery to treat the wounds,” the statement continued, “But there was not enough available skin to close the wounds after the surgery… The vet was very clear that she had conferred with every possible doctor regarding options for Jack, but none of them left him with a substantial chance of survival and all of them involved him suffering. Jack had been through so much, and the last thing anyone wanted was for him to suffer more.”

Jack first got loose in the American Airlines baggage center at JFK on August 25, after his owner, Karen Pasco, checked him and another cat in to American Airlines as cargo. As American Airlines explained in an incident report filed with the Department of Transportation, while the kennels were waiting to be loaded on the aircraft, “the kennel positioned on the top fell to the ground. The impact of the fall caused the kennel to separate and the cat escaped.”

A day later, parts of JFK airport were shut down in preparation for Tropical Storm Irene. For two months after that, thousands of Facebook fans of Jack the Cat is Lost in AA Baggage at JFK followed search efforts that included at least two Jack the Cat Awareness days, a pet Amber Alert and the hiring of a pet detective. Jack was finally found on Tuesday October 25th, when he fell through a ceiling tile in the customs area at JFK’s Terminal 8.

On Sunday evening, American Airlines also posted a statement about Jack on its Facebook page that said, “We are deeply saddened that Jack the cat has passed away, and we offer profound sympathy to Jack’s owner, Karen Pascoe, for her loss. Our heart also goes out to the Friends of Jack and those in the cat-loving community who have grown fond of Jack since he went missing… From all of us at American, our sincere apologies to Karen and Jack’s family and friends.”

Update on Jack the Cat

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Jack the cat – the kitty that escaped from his carrier in the American Airlines baggage claim area at JFK airport and was missing for almost two months – is still is in critical condition.

American Airlines is covering Jack’s medical expenses and brought his owner, Karen Pascoe, in from California to visit with Jack this weekend. According to Pascoe’s sister, Mary Beth Melchior, this past weekend Jack’s vital signs were improving. “His red blood cell count has gone up since his transfusion. While his condition is still not optimal, we are happy to see this progress and are looking forward to the day he can return home with Karen,” said Melchior.

You can follow Jack’s progress on the Jack the Cat is lost in AA baggage at JFK Facebook page